Engaging professionals in learning experiences to retain knowledge

End-to-end process

B2B2C

0 -> 1

2023

Minders was a startup providing professional educators with tools to help course participants maximize their learning. They aimed to design learning experiences with high engagement and completion rates, utilizing spaced repetition, active learning, and social elements setting them apart from their competition.

NB: this project has been reskinned to reflect my current visual skill level.

My role

Product Designer: Owned end-to-end design of entire app.

The team

+3 devs

Timeline

Nov 2022- Nov 2023 (12 months)

0

%

Raised user satisfaction

I raised user satisfaction by 29% (n=40) from version 1 to version 2 through testing and redesigns.

0

%

Completion rate

In a free-access and non-mandatory, cohort setting. Wile micro-learning apps usually have completion rates around 80%, in a setting where it was a non-mandatory offer, I consider 63% a good result.

Feature adoption

Course participants engaged with all features, including polls, journals, and buddy discussions, showing robust engagement across the app’s features.

Effective design

I created an atomic design system from the ground up with variables, variants for effective documentation, and consistency in the design.

Problem

Course participants
forget

~75% in a week

This is especially true of complex information delivered in long, passive learning sessions (source: forgetting curve). Interviews I had with customers confirmed that they struggle to help course participants retain what they learn long-term. Course participants expressed that “life takes over” and that finding time to revisit course material during and after a course is difficult.

Eventually, the learnings from costly courses gets lost.

0%25%50%75%100%1 hour1 day2 days3days4 days 5 days6 days7 days

Memory decay after a class

Design

Designing microlearning with a social twist

Course participants needed a learning structure that fit their busy day. To support this, I designed learning journeys based on the principle of spaced repetition (a proven method to combat memory decay), supported by a notification engine controlled by the user.

This allows for flexibility to complete activities during short breaks.

Course participants needed a learning structure that fit their busy day. To support this, I designed learning journeys based on the principle of spaced repetition (a proven method to combat memory decay), supported by a notification engine controlled by the user.

This allows for flexibility to complete activities during short breaks.

Course participants needed a learning structure that fit their busy day. To support this, I designed learning journeys based on the principle of spaced repetition (a proven method to combat memory decay), supported by a notification engine controlled by the user.

This allows for flexibility to complete activities during short breaks.

Course participants needed a learning structure that fit their busy day. To support this, I designed learning journeys based on the principle of spaced repetition (a proven method to combat memory decay), supported by a notification engine controlled by the user.

This allows for flexibility to complete activities during short breaks.

Course participants needed a learning structure that fit their busy day. To support this, I designed learning journeys based on the principle of spaced repetition (a proven method to combat memory decay), supported by a notification engine controlled by the user.

This allows for flexibility to complete activities during short breaks.

An example scenario of the notification engine supporting spaced repetition. 

Journey settings

Gives flexibility to decide when learning fits into their day.

Visual completion indicators

Motivates and creates a sense of progress.

Categorized activities

Reduces cognitive load and allow users to quickly identify what kind of content they’re about to engage with.

Dimmed activities

Keeps users aware of upcoming content without distracting from current tasks. Builds anticipation.

Time constraints

Helps users understand commitment at a glance.

The tricky part: adding the social layer

While microlearning isn't a new phenomenon, it was much trickier to figure out how to make it possible in a group setting. We wanted to create an exercise where course participants could share perspectives with others from the course. The interactions had to be meaningful and without causing friction in the learning journey flow.

I briefly explored directing users to the buddy chat to submit their answers, but decided to keep everything on the activity screen to preserve a smooth, uninterrupted flow.

Activity with buddy exercise

Smiley

A quick reflection allowing for fast feedback while keeping the momentum going.

Scale

Similar to smiley but more versatile use with custom labels.

Poll

Shows previous answers from other users to give participants perspective and makes the app feel more alive. I chose an accessible color palette with white borders for the donut chart.

Journal

Gives users a moment to think critically about their learnings and saves it to their journal.

Designing interactive features that drive user engagement and retention

I also designed other exercises presented in the format of a chat bot, encouraging participants to reflect on key learnings and, helping them reinforce memory.

These keep learning active, varied, and helps them stay motivated.

I also designed other exercises presented in the format of a chat bot, encouraging participants to reflect on key learnings and, helping them reinforce memory.

These keep learning active, varied, and helps them stay motivated.

I also designed other exercises presented in the format of a chat bot, encouraging participants to reflect on key learnings and, helping them reinforce memory.

These keep learning active, varied, and helps them stay motivated.

I also designed other exercises presented in the format of a chat bot, encouraging participants to reflect on key learnings and, helping them reinforce memory.

These keep learning active, varied, and helps them stay motivated.

I also designed other exercises presented in the format of a chat bot, encouraging participants to reflect on key learnings and, helping them reinforce memory.

These keep learning active, varied, and helps them stay motivated.

Testing

100% task success, the good and the bad

In testing with business professionals on a learning journey flow, all tasks were completed by all five users without interference. The buddy exercises were received very well by all, with one user noting that they were trying to do something similar to a buddy group in their company, underlining its usefulness.

But I did notice something that needed attention.

The good

  • Buddy exercise was well received

  • Users felt supported by the chat format.

The bad

  • Users lost track of progress

  • Users didn't notice the category icons.

Redesign

Giving a better overview of the learning journey

Despite a task success rate of 100%, I noticed user lost track of their progress in the learning journey. They would complete several activities, defeating the purpose of microlearning. They barely noticed the categorization (share, reflect, act) of the activities.

I decided to bring them back to the learning journey screen and add colors to the share/reflect/act categories.

The user flow before had a continue CTA

The user flow after always directed them back to the journey screen

Live testing

Users were uncertain if they were sharing with buddies

During live testing, course participants still enjoyed the buddy exercise and appreciated the variety in engagement types, noting that some required less mental effort while others required deep reflection. However, some users were uncertain if their answers were being shared with others or kept private in their journals.

The issue was later cemented in a co-design workshop, where most groups focused their work on the buddy exercise.

"I am unsure whether I am writing a reflection for myself or sharing with my buddy"

Quote from interview

"I am unsure whether I am writing a reflection for myself or sharing with my buddy"

Quote from interview

Design

Diversifying buddy and journal engagement.

To make the distinction clear, I added the category tags with colors from the journey screen to the exercise. The colors would create a higher visual hierarchy and catch the user's eye, making it harder for users to miss.

When I later tested it with a cohort of 35 users, none of them were confused about which was which.

There was so much more

What you have seen so far is only one part of the mobile app, but there was so much more, including a whole personality test, a design system from scratch, and an admin web app.

Here are some snippets to give you an idea.

Retrospective

It's not what they say, but why they say it

Stakeholders tend to come with very specific suggestions, and while some can be better than others, it's important to peel off a layer to understand why they are suggesting it. Often, there is a better solution to the concern.

Scoping is key

Working closely with the CTO and the engineering team, I learned that they make great allies when it comes to helping non-tech leadership understand feasibility and managing expectations of what is possible.

Ex-CEO & founder of Minders

Mikkel Gade Larsen

I can only give my highest recommendations to Ebru, who asks the right and difficult questions, thinks independently, works thoroughly, and delivers outstanding results. Ebru places great focus on understanding what the user thinks and does, and she takes on the task from start to finish. She takes on more responsibility than asked and isn’t afraid to dive into the deep end, tackling new challenges with confidence. She is well-liked by everyone, communicates clearly and on time, and isn’t afraid to step up to facilitate workshops or present new ideas and solutions, both internally and externally. If Minders hadn't closed, I would still be working with her! :)

Ex-CTO at Minders

Nimish Gåtam

Ebru is an absolute pleasure to work with, combining a sharp analytical mind with a strong aesthetic sense. She understands the details of complex user needs with an intuition matched only by her ability to actually explain it back to everyone involved. I’ve had the privilege of watching her tackle ambiguous, convoluted tasks and transform them into elegant, intuitive workflows and wireframes. Her attention to detail, meticulousness, and patience in the UX process result cannot be overstated, and the results speak for themselves. Not to mention the excellent communication with both technical and non-technical team members, keeping everyone aligned and on the same page. Beyond her technical and creative skills, Ebru brings a brightness and joy to any environment, making her a great member of any team.