Unlocking the collaborative potential in learning skills
overview
Investing time into developing skills has many widely-known benefits, yet it remains a low priority for many. By identifying opportunities to guide my approach, I was able to derive solutions that directly addressed user concerns.
By validating my solutions with real people, I ensure that SkillJam can equip users with the tools they need to create long-lasting learning habits.
timeline
Apr - Jul 2023
roles & responsibilities
1. introduction
background
Most people don't prioritize skill development, despite personal growth benefits
Learning and investing in skills is crucial for personal growth, but despite these unsurprising benefits, skill development remains a low priority for most, with many feeling unfulfilled and stuck.
The goal of this project is to understand the habits and motivations of skill learners and to design a solution that improves motivation and accessibility.
before — stagnated and stuck
after — growing and learning
solution highlights
Gamification
Learning paths
Verified resources
Supportive communities
2. research
interviews
How do people currently learn skills? What do they value?
To understand learning behaviors, I surveyed 7 people and interviewed 4 to get different perspectives on learning habits based on their level of dedication.
People felt motivated when they viewed learning skills as a social tool, but they were turned off by the amount of time and commitment it required.
Learning with others
71% of people preferred to learn with others, either with their peers or from experts
Needs to be time-efficient
71% felt they were too busy to learn, and 57% felt that learning took too much time
Too many resources
The vast amount of information available can be overwhelming to choose from
user archetypes
2 types of learners — casual vs. busy
I categorized these users as either casual learners (motivated by emotions) or busy learners (motivated by time).
By grouping similar motivations and pain points, I identified 3 areas of opportunity — encouragement, credibility, and convenience.
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3. ideation
priority matrix
Too many features, not enough time!
Each opportunity could be improved with multiple features, but trying to implement all of them would quickly become overwhelming — I needed to focus on the most practical and important features.
Using a value effort matrix helped narrow down the features to a more realistic and manageable set. I still aimed to include as many features as possible to create a one-stop hub, since users valued convenience.
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key features
Applying ideas towards real solutions
Once the main features were solidified, I created mid-fidelity wireframes, prioritizing intuitive and user-friendly layouts. Some of the main features include...
Skill-mastery badges
Collectible achievements that help users work towards milestones to progress
encouragement
Supportive communities
Create and engage with posts from others learning the same skill
encouragement
Verified resources
Rating system by the community to quickly identify the most helpful materials
credibility
One-stop hub
Many key features to help learning, gathered on one platform & organized by skill
convenience
4. testing
usability testing
Bringing the users back in for their feedback
To ensure that the many features weren't overwhelming to the user, I conducted usability testing on 5 participants, focusing on the information architecture's effectiveness and organization.
I walked them through 4 different scenarios, each representing a specific user goal, to identify the weak points in my design.
feedback
There was one main usability concern...
Users did well in navigating through the platform and found the design to be very intuitive. However...
Badges were not what the users expected. Users viewed them as tools for social flexing rather than indicators of progress, and some were even reluctant to use the feature.
Since badges were the main driver for user engagement, this was a significant concern that needed immediate attention.
iterations
Improving the designs
I concentrated most of my time on revamping the Badges system, as it had the most friction and was pivotal for user retention.
By adding gamification elements and tweaking the user flow, the learning experience became a lot more rewarding and clear.
Gamify Learning With Clear Affordances
Before Feedback
After Feedback
Enhance Clarity
Natural affordances with the ranking system and progress bar make it intuitively clear that badges = progression
Natural affordances with the ranking system and progress bar make it intuitively clear that badges = progression
Improve User Flexibility
Users can choose badges that better align with their personal goals.
Users can choose badges that better align with their personal goals.
Streamlined CTA
Reduce cognitive load for the user by simplifying button action
Reduce cognitive load for the user by simplifying button action
Vague.. What Are Badges For?
It was very unclear what Badges was meant for. One user thought they were earned automatically through usage.
It was very unclear what Badges was meant for. One user thought they were earned automatically through usage.
Forced To Learn in Specific Stages
Users had no say in how they wanted to learn.
Users had no say in how they wanted to learn.
Mixed Signals on the CTA
2 actions for 1 button confused the user, even deterring them from clicking it.
2 actions for 1 button confused the user, even deterring them from clicking it.
Praising Users for Their Achievements
Before Feedback
After Feedback
Celebrate With Users!
Celebrating the users achievements helps reinforce their behavior to keep learning on the platform. Plus, it's just common courtesy.
Celebrating the users achievements helps reinforce their behavior to keep learning on the platform. Plus, it's just common courtesy.
Added User Agency
Users can celebrate and brag about their achievements... if they want to.
Users can celebrate and brag about their achievements... if they want to.
Cold Wording
After the user's hard work, they should feel rewarded. Instead, they felt unappreciated, almost like signing out a form.
After the user's hard work, they should feel rewarded. Instead, they felt unappreciated, almost like signing out a form.
Forced To Post Their Achievement
Some didn't even want to earn a badge if it meant that they had to post about it. This was a huge friction point.
Some didn't even want to earn a badge if it meant that they had to post about it. This was a huge friction point.
Reframing for a Smoother Experience
Before Feedback
After Feedback
Text Buttons
Clarify button behavior with text instead of icon to make it more accessible
Clarify button behavior with text instead of icon to make it more accessible
Showing Relevant Content
Users care about people relevant to them, not random strangers. Tailoring the feed to users will increase engagement.
Users care about people relevant to them, not random strangers. Tailoring the feed to users will increase engagement.
Ambiguous Icon
Although users quickly learned what the icon meant after clicking on it, it was still a slight friction point that could easily be addressed.
Although users quickly learned what the icon meant after clicking on it, it was still a slight friction point that could easily be addressed.
Who Are These Random People?
By showing the updates of people they don't know, it created a lot of noise in which users didn't really care.
By showing the updates of people they don't know, it created a lot of noise in which users didn't really care.
5. solution
SOLUTION
A community-based learning platform will support lasting learning habits
ENCOURAGEMENT
Collecting badges gamify learning and keep learning fun
- Simplifies learning with small, achievable goals
- Easily visualize progress
- Keeps learning rewarding and drives user motivation
CONVENIENCE
Skill-centric communities to keep everything you need in one place
- 'Community' and 'Learning' tabs meet user needs
- Offering comprehensive features increases click-through rate
CONVENIENCE
Peer-approved resources for easy access to trusted solutions
- Learn confidently with useful and applicable resources
- Credible resources build user trust and increases learning efficiency
ENCOURAGEMENT
Share questions, tips, and celebrate achievements with the community
- Creates a support system through likes and comments
- Growing with a community boosts user retention
6. conclusion
conclusion
Empowering skill learners for lifelong learning habits
Discovering the users' need for encouragement, credibility, and convenience gave me a clear direction on how to solve the users' main pain points: gamification, peer-approved resources, and an all-in-one community.
Conducting usability testing allowed me to improve on my design direction, ensuring that the user experience was validated by real people.
SkillJam is able to create a motivating environment for learners to achieve their goals, equipping users with the tools they need to create lifelong learning habits.
next steps
What the future looks like for SkillJam
Desktop version
For users learning skills typically done on desktop (coding, animating, editing).
Currently, the app primarily caters to mobile learning for their convenience
Testing with real customers
Usability testing the overall effectiveness of staying motivated to learn skills.
Success can be measured by the badge completion rate, community posts, SkillHub activity, and reported satisfaction.
Unlock revenue potential
Explore strategies to onboard business and experts onto the platform for increased revenue opportunity.
SkillHubs are a perfect place to market towards niche groups of people.
takeaways
What I learned from this project
1. Each design tool serves a specific purpose
They are much more valuable when used for the specific insight they offer. Some tools weren't beneficial because their value was not needed at that moment.
They are much more valuable when used for the specific insight they offer. Some tools weren't beneficial because their value was not needed at that moment.
2. Simplify with guiding principles
After I turned the pain points to opportunities, ideating and designing was so much easier. These clear guiding principles helped me simplify and focus the scope.
After I turned the pain points to opportunities, ideating and designing was so much easier. These clear guiding principles helped me simplify and focus the scope.
3. Don't bite off more than you can chew
Rather than trying to make everyone happy with an all-in-one general solution, being more specialized on one issue would likely be more beneficial to the community.
Rather than trying to make everyone happy with an all-in-one general solution, being more specialized on one issue would likely be more beneficial to the community.