Sharespace: Transforming Online Learning into a Collaborate Space.
Case Study: Developing a new Skillspace feature to increase engagement and reduce isolation in learning experience
Team: We were 8 Designers with different levels of experience and backgrounds and worked very closely to finalize on all the Deliverables and the Presentation
Time line: 48 h
UX Design Process: Competitive Analysis, User Storys, Business Requirements, User Flows, Rapid Prototyping,
My Responsibility: User Storys, User Journey, Planning, Wireframing, Prototyping, Product Demo
01 The Idea:
02 Goals: Value proposition
Skillspace offers online professional training programs tailored for busy working professionals in the tech industry from different countries. The product and design team is exploring an idea of building an online community within their education platform. This initiative aims to improve user engagement and establish a networking hub for our members.
Product Demo
03 Intro: Breaking the Chains of Isolation in Online Learning
04 The Problem
05 The Why
06 Understanding the User
We began by identifying a critical problem within our online learning platform - low engagement and interaction, resulting in a less vibrant community, and a lack of tools for chatting, sharing, or collaborating.
Survey results indicate that 65% of the customer base feels disengaged and isolated.
To increase customer retention, we want to give our platform a community to collaborate and connect to solve the feeling of isolation and increase customer engagement.
Professionals need a way to collaborate because they feel isolated.
We know this is true when overall user engagement on the platforms increases by xx%.
Why does it need to be solved?
Low engagement has a direct impact on the overall learning experience. A lack of interaction means a lack of meaningful connections between users.
To address this, our solution aims to reinvigorate user engagement, create a more vibrant community, and provide opportunities for networking and collaboration.
This aligns seamlessly with Skillspace's goals of providing a holistic professional development experience and fostering a sense of belonging and mutual growth among its members.
We delved into the user research from the survey and used an empathy map to kick-start the process.
Recognizing that SkillSpace lacked a clear connection to a specific user group, we took a user group approach rather than creating a persona and came up with four different users. We also made sure to consider user accessibility through the user spectrum.
07 Design Concept and Business Goals
Align our design concepts with the business goals while ensuring that the pain points of our user group are addressed. Our feature requirements:
Interactive Rooms:
User Profiles:
Direct Messaging:
Collaborative Spaces:
Live Chat Feature:
Notification System:
Achievements and Badges:
Privacy and Security Measures:
User Feedback Mechanism:
08 - The Impact/Business Strategy
09 Impact of design
10 Scalability Plan
11 Conclusion
12 Challenges and Setbacks
We conducted competitive analysis to determine how our model fits the current market:
Strategically positioned, our innovative platform leverages insights from LinkedIn and Slack to fill gaps in professional networking and collaboration.
By learning from industry giants, we capitalize on strengths and opportunities while mitigating weaknesses and threats to ensure a unique and competitive offering for our users.
Competitive analysis was conducted to determine how our model fits into the current market.
As we move away from the competition, we can show how Skillspace doesn't just imitate, but innovates to align with its unique value proposition. Let's explore how our user-centric approach addresses the pain points highlighted in the competitive landscape, improving user engagement, collaboration and the overall learning experience.
Designed to grow with user needs. Regular user feedback, coupled with ongoing testing, ensures continuous improvement. This approach ensures that our platform remains adaptable, meets the evolving needs of our growing user base, and ensures the long-term success of the platform in attracting and retaining users in our ever-evolving community.
Finally, we hope that as Skillspace unfolds around the world, thousands of learners will find their place, discover their potential, and make connections that go beyond certificates - connections that grow into collaborations, partnerships, and lifelong friendships.
For most of us, this was our first hackathon project, and we came from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels. One notable challenge was working as a remote team of eight, which highlighted the importance of effective collaboration tools and inspired us to develop features such as Sharespace. It underscored the importance of understanding each team member's strengths and delegating tasks accordingly. But at the end of the day, we are super proud of what we accomplished in the short time frame of 48 hours.
If we had more time for this project, we would dive deep into user interviews and usability testing, as there wasn't enough time for that. Based on this, we could evaluate our findings and designs, which would ensure that this new feature will be highly adopted and used.