LinkedIn Learning: Partner Feature
Project Overview
Role
Research
Ideation
Wireframing
Visual Design
Prototyping
Testing
Duration
80 hours
Jan 2021 - Mar 2021
Tools
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Whimsical
Designer’s Note: This project was self-initiated and not commissioned by or affiliated with LinkedIn.
Background
LinkedIn Learning is a robust platform offering online courses that can help users develop business acumen, product knowledge, interpersonal skills, and proficiency in productivity tools. Formerly Lynda.com, “LinkedIn Learning combines the industry-leading content from Lynda.com with LinkedIn’s professional data and network.”
What LinkedIn Learning excels at: delivering deeply developed content that satisfies a niche in the world of professional and personal development through a computer-based learning platform. The content is scalable and can be scaffolded into a rich curriculum that propels users form one professional arena to another.
What LinkedIn Learning lacks: a social component that allows users to join a cohort of peers and advance through a set of courses as if they were established in a traditional cohort of learners. By establishing a social network within the learning platform, LinkedIn Learning can attract and retain learners throughout their learning cycles.
The Challenge
Bringing accountability and community to LinkedIn Learning through a new feature. The feature should help professionals be more productive and successful through the use of peer groups, mentoring, and other connections through LinkedIn’s global network.
The Solution
To enhance the experience of LinkedIn Learning registered users–and to grow the user base itself–a set of curriculum-based, community-centered functions will be added to the platform.
Image: LinkedIn
Research Goals
-
Prioritize.
Identify priority features for curricular achievement and community building
-
Diagnose.
Determine major pain points in user experience on existing site/app (LinkedIn Learning)
-
Explore.
Explore features and user experience in other online education programs
-
Apply.
Determine whether app, web-, or mobile-first design is most suitable
For this project, the most appropriate forms of research were user interviews and secondary research on similar applications. Because the design problem was to add a completely new community-based learning feature to LinkedIn Learning, I decided to conduct two sets of interviews: one with participants who have used LinkedIn Learning, and another with participants who have participated in an independent community-based learning program, Designlab’s UX Academy. After the interviews, I coded the responses using empathy maps to draw themes from the participant responses. The empathy maps each created a useful visual of user behavior, feelings, and motivations.
Interview Outcomes: LinkedIn Learning
Thinking
The overwhelming message from these direct quotes is that LinkedIn Learning has a grand opportunity to expand its current offerings, as the majority of the comments were that the learning that occurs on LinkedIn Learning is a solitary act. Not only does this limit the potential repeat user base, it also misses a significant component of exemplary instructional design: learning from and with your peers.
“you have to learn and do”
“if it’s too long at the beginning I’d skip”
“I don’t know if I would broadcast that I finished a course just because I’m not a big social media person”
“I very much view LinkedIn Learning as a solitary activity”
Feeling
Several of the interviewees reported significant emotional outcomes of taking a LinkedIn Learning course:
self-guilt related to quitting
apprehension about posting
fulfillment once you do a course
Doing
Users reported:
watching and listening
binge-watching
Seeing
a rebranding of Lynda.com
looked “like Facebook”
looked professional and young
Major Themes
Touching on themes like the instructor experience, professional development, quality of content, peers in the program, timing, and pricing, users validate the premise in the problem statement: LinkedIn Learning is missing the collaborative side of learning in its offerings.
Interview Outcomes: Designlab UX Academy
Thinking
focus on expectations from the course
learning styles ex. “you have to learn it and then do it”
the state of networking during a global pandemic
Feeling
anxiousness about getting a job
self-doubt
isolation
Doing
all participants connected with classmates outside of mandated sessions, to varying degrees
learning, researching, connecting, and using tools (Slack, Trello were mentioned)
Seeing
uniformly positive impressions of the marketing and platform
Major Themes
Users touched on similar themes to those of the LinkedIn Learning users, in addition to the mentor experience, getting a job, and self-doubt.
Synthesizing the Interviews (UX Academy and LinkedIn Learning Users)
Each of the research interview groups afforded me the opportunity to see the platforms through the eyes of the users themselves. And, not surprisingly, the two platforms were distinctly different in design, purpose, and interpretation by the users. The main traits of emotion, connection, and loyalty were stark differences between the two groups.
Insights: (focus – curricular achievement and community building)
curricular achievement
The top goal/incentive for taking the UX Academy course was getting a job in the field, whereas LinkedIn Learning users were motivated by professional development or recommendation
In the case of UX Academy, several participants mentioned considering stopping the course but were all enrolled at the time of the interview; on LinkedIn Learning, course completion was less common that stopping early
The primary way of taking in UX Academy materials was through reading (“too text-heavy”); the primary way of taking in LinkedIn Learning courses was through watching videos (“bingewatching”)
In the case of UX Academy, “chronological,” “syllabus-like,” and “structured” were used to describe the learning plan
Several LinkedIn Learning users mentioned additional materials and resources to be a plus
community building
For UX Academy users, views on community/peers in the program were overwhelmingly positive and related to camaraderie, morale, and networking (in the case of LinkedIn Learning, most participants had never taken a course along with others)
Where applicable (UX Academy participants), the general consensus was that mentors greatly impact the program (4/4)
For UX Academy participants, seeing the work of others was a top appreciated feature
other notable insights
The price of UX Academy was mentioned both as advantage over similar programs and a disincentive to discontinue the course; of the LinkedIn Learning participants interviewed, most were provided the courses for free
Using LinkedIn Learning on the computer was more popular and allowed for more focus than using the program on the phone
Needs:
Needs to be easy to navigate and find what user needs
To prepare users with a skill set needed to work (or advance) in a particular field
Accurate timing and tracking mechanisms
Point user to relevant and timely content
Optimize accountability
Built-in community/networking opportunities
Secondary Research
Additional research was conducted to identify primary components of cohort-based online education programs and learning management systems (LMS). I researched five other web-based education programs: Designlab’s UX Academy, Coursera, EdX, Udemy, and Skillshare, and looked at features related to community-building in all programs.
WHY, YOU ASK?
This research allowed me to develop an informed vocabulary around the prominent features and functions of this set of educational tools. In addition, noting UI patterns for layout and information architecture in LMSs directly impacted the placement of new elements related to the added feature on LinkedIn Learning.
Persona
Developing the user persona of Tess kept the question of who I was designing for at the forefront, as her goals, needs, frustrations, and fears are representative of an end user.
Ideation
I used my feature roadmap and the existing LinkedIn Learning site layout to create a sitemap that would allow for the introduction of a "Partners" tab/page and its subpages. I also added it into existing menus. The "Partners" page, like the existing "My Learning Page," can be accessed from the main navigation or from the "Me" menu.
Next, I made some rough “above the fold” sketches for my ideas of how to integrate a training partners feature into the existing LinkedIn Learning interface and create a My Training Partners page/profile view.
Wireframing
Transitioning from sketches to lo-fi wireframes allowed me to get a better sense of the needs of the development and how to best serve Tess’ needs. In Figma, I created lo-fi wireframes for the:
Homepage with the new Partners menu in top nav and tab on dashboard
Partners tab on the homepage with preview of 2 partners
My Learning page (existing) with Partners tab
Partners tab with search, list, and community/skill section
Toggle search option
Partners tab with option to search LinkedIn Learning
Search
Partner Profile page
I then applied the UI to the wireframes, seamlessly incorporating the new tabs and pages into the existing design.
UI Kit
By maintaining the established design principles of LinkedIn, I leveraged the brand identity to dovetail the new feature set without creating friction among the users’ expectations. The typography, color, and button choices directly align with the existing elements on the LinkedIn and LinkedIn Learning sites.
Usability Testing
Test Objectives
Test the overall quality and ease of use of the LinkedIn Learning desktop website with the added training partner feature
Test how easily the user can browse and find the training partners page
Test how easily the user can add training partners from existing and new connections
Observe any areas of confusion or hesitation
Observe expressions regarding ease of use
Observe reactions and comments on feature integration and branding
Identify any missing or inconsistent elements based on user experience
Identify areas for further development
Test Findings
During testing, it became clear that some adjustments needed to be made to the prototype functionality as well as the screens. In addition, it was important to revisit user interviews and testing results to dig deeper into the “why” of connecting with new people while redesigning with empathy.
I found that the following items needed be revised in order to increase functionality:
Remove “Link with Other Learners” sidebar and scrap animation idea
Add “Find Training Partners” buttons/links from MyLearning and/or course pages
Missing line on the Partners page
Fix non-functioning Figma links to existing pages
After a few test changes were made, I did a mock test and brainstorming session with a fellow UX designer. This allowed for additional ideation and iteration; the original “Link with Other Learners” feature needed to be completely reworked.
Major Changes after Test Set #1 and Ideation:
Final Prototype
The final prototype of features encouraged users to engage more fully with the LinkedIn Learning platform, to join and maintain connections in a cohort, and to have more success at completing the courses they began.
Takeaways
This project presenting a particular kind of challenge in that the new feature needed to both align with the established brand standards but also nest seamlessly within existing pages. Balancing brand expectations with user needs was a constant but necessary task. The main design lesson was not to get too focused or attached to a singular flow, as was the case with the original “Link with Other Learners” animation. In trying to make the animation work, I overcomplicated the solution and briefly lost sight of the problem of connecting learners to each other. The subsequent usability test errors prompted me to revisit the end user needs from my research before iterating on this feature once again.
Overall, the project brings to life an collaborative feature that has the potential to expand LinkedIn’s user base of learners and significantly enhance the experience of its users.