Intro
Sheldon
Imagine a platform that redefines digital education by integrating the best of online and in-person learning into a single environment. With a vast library of courses, learning paths, videos, podcasts, and games, it not only offers dynamic and engaging content, but also provides educational materials and advanced management tools . This allows instructors to plan and organize personalized in-person classes, creating a truly hybrid learning experience tailored to the needs of each student.
Role
UX Designer (1st - 4th month)
Product Designer and
Product Manager (5th - 12th month)
Duration
Jan. 2023 - Jan. 2024
12 months
Team
3 Designers;
4 Developers;
1 Content creator;
Commercial Team (Stakeholder);
Business Team (Stakeholder).
Tools
Figma
Miro
Notion
Clickup
Google Suite
Summary
The challenge
Develop from scratch a complete and scalable platform in a hybrid model (online and in-person courses) to replace the outsourced platform previously used. The first phase, with a deadline of 8 months, would be the launch of the open version of the platform in the B2C model (course marketplace). The second phase, with a deadline of 4 months, would consist of the delivery of the B2B model, allowing companies to use the platform to manage the training and development of their workforce.
My role
I initially joined the project as a UX Designer , responsible for continuing the User Research and Benchmarking initiated by another professional. In addition, I was tasked with developing the information architecture, flowcharts, wireframes and, finally, the prototype (with over 200 screens) for validation and development. During the project, I was promoted to Product Manager , due to my initiative and performance, taking on the coordination of the design and development sprints, in addition to aligning the work with the stakeholders and the sales team.
My impact
01
As a UX Designer, I developed and delivered over 200 screens with finalized architecture, interactions and UI for approval in less than 3 months. These screens were based on the opportunities identified during the UX Research phase and opened new business fronts for the company , including the development of a Course Marketplace, which did not previously exist.
02
As Product Manager, I delivered both versions of the platform on time, resulting in significant cost savings by replacing the outsourced platform. In addition, I identified and designed new revenue streams , such as the development of the aforementioned Course Marketplace.
03
As a UX Designer, I helped increase B2B customer satisfaction with the platform by 61% , according to interviews, and student satisfaction by 82% , according to surveys conducted on the platform itself. In addition, we reduced usability-related support calls to almost zero shortly after launch.
04
As a Product Manager, I coordinated the unification of our company's data with that of the third party into a new unified database. With the addition of new registered users after the launch, traffic on our servers increased by more than 1000% , allowing us to generate new valuable insights about our users.
Overview
Research
Context
We carry out an in-depth analysis of the situation presented to understand the customers' pain points and propose effective solutions.
I joined the project during the Discovery phase, collaborating with another UX Designer on preliminary research. Research continued throughout the process, not limited to the Discovery phase.
In this section we will see:
1. Methods Used: Research Phase.
2. Some Highlights: Findings and proposed solutions.
3. Architecture: Basic flowcharts of the platform.
Methods used
1. Contextual Inquire
Constant engagement and alignment with stakeholders, leadership, and clients.
6 Stakeholders
4. Personas
Creation of profiles based on collected data to guide user-centered design.
3 User profiles
7. Card Sorting
Users organize and label platform information, providing insights into content structure.
4 Main Groupings
2. Benchmarks
Comparative analysis to identify best practices and industry standards.
6 Companies analyzed
5. Journey Map
​Mapping user experiences through their interactions with the product.
4 Main Journeys
8. Affinity Diagram
Visual organization of qualitative data to identify patterns and emerging themes through
7 Clusters
3. Interview
​Gathering insights through semi-structured interviews with key users.
10 Interviewees
6. How Might We're
​Formulating questions to foster innovation and define design challenges based on user needs.
3 Profiles
9. Information Architecture
Proposal for structuring and organizing content in a logical and intuitive way.
3 Clusters
Some
Highlights
01. The thousands of students already on the platform want to study beyond what managers enroll them in.
+80% of the students surveyed revealed that they were interested in having access to more study materials, in addition to those made available by managers on the platform.
+60% said they were willing to pay for this.
100% of students said they only use the platform when the manager enrolls them, as there is no content between enrollments.
Old Student Home Screen.
Proposed solution: Create a course "library" environment where students can enroll in courses to study on their own.
The course library will allow students to access additional study materials beyond the content made available by managers.
Students will be able to enroll in courses in different areas of knowledge according to their personal interests.
Access to a course library may increase the time students spend using the platform.
The course library can encourage students to recommend the platform to other peers.
The introduction of the course library has the potential to increase student retention rates on the platform.
New Student Home screen.
Nova versão da Tela Inicial do Aluno
02. For the manager, the current registration flow is inefficient and unnecessarily difficult.
The flow for creating a class and adding students are in different places.
The interaction interfaces are mostly in spreadsheet and table format.
Managers needed external tools, such as Excel and Notepad, to use the platform.
Managers find the platform uninteresting and disengaging.
Old Scheduling Screen.
Proposed solution: Create a single, continuous, and dynamic flow for class scheduling and student enrollment.
Integrating the processes of creating a class and adding students into a single, continuous flow will simplify management.
More intuitive and user-friendly interaction interfaces will replace spreadsheet and table formats.
The new solution will eliminate the need for external tools, such as Excel and Notepad, to use the platform.
A more dynamic and attractive interface will increase managers’ interest and engagement with the platform.
Centralizing and simplifying processes will make class and enrollment management more efficient and less frustrating for managers.
Step 3 of the new Class creation flow.
Architecture
Along the way, as a PM, I took the initiative to transform the Instructor Profile into a variation of the Manager profile, due to their similarity. This way, we optimized time and resources for other demands.
Below, the architecture and basic flowchart of the project.
"Student" and "Manager" profiles are for customers, "Administrator" is the company's internal profile.
Process
Context
After validating the research findings, we began the design phase of the first screens, following the sketch logic (wireframe). Then, we adapted the company's visual identity to the new product, developed the refined design, flowcharts, the design system, and carried out the handoff.
After the internal consolidation of the product, I was promoted to Product Manager (PM) in recognition of the work I had done. The weekly accountability meetings with stakeholders, which were already taking place, became more important in this new role.
In this section we will see:
1. Design: Creation of more than 200 screens for 3 user profiles, including components, interactions and animations, all documented and registered in the Design System.
2. Handoff and Management: Development management following the agile Scrum methodology, in parallel with the design process.
3. Setbacks and Solutions: As a PM, I participated in the company's planning meetings, proposing practical solutions to problems that arose throughout the processes.
Design
I explored several versions of the main layout. The designs were critiqued by other designers, PMs, engineers, stakeholders, and users. Design decisions were made based on their functionality, interaction fluidity, and visual competence.
Ex.: Testing different versions of screens for the Library and for managing Classes.
Final Visual Identity: Created with the help of the brand manual of the company that owns the platform, the identity was designed to bring trust, clarity and plurality.
From typography to color palette, from iconography to graphic elements, from component positioning to functionality flows:
The design of the Sheldon platform was based on quality service and ease of use for its users.
An overview of the 200+ screens I've drawn.
Ex. 1: Manager Library Screens.
Ex. 2: Class Screens
Handoffs and
Management
A little about the handoff procedure adopted, as well as the management of development Sprints using the agile Scrum method .​
Overview of the handoff with developers. Screens are displayed along with a flowchart and description of the functionalities and changes. Before my initiative, the company did not have a defined handoff method.
Now, a glimpse into the Task Management process, as a PM. The image has been slightly blurred as it contains sensitive information.
Setbacks
and Solutions
Processes are never all roses. During the Research, Design and Development phases, surprises constantly arise. In these situations, it is essential to be assertive , confident in your decisions and maintain agile thinking to make the best decisions, always with the aim of ensuring the quality of delivery to customers.
​​
​
Here are three examples of unforeseen events we had to deal with:
1. Research Phase:
a) Problem: Departure of fellow UX Designer.
b) Proposed solution: I coordinated the redistribution of tasks among the team, using their areas of activity as a reference.
c) Result: We minimize the work overload until we find another professional.
2. Design Phase:
a) Problem: Students had difficulty locating their courses during usability testing.
b) Proposed solution: To improve accessibility and reduce student effort, I suggested implementing multiple paths to access courses. This solution involved a simple change to the existing route, which would require much less work than new development.
c) Result: The difficulty reported by the students was resolved.
3. Development Phase:
a) Problem: The delivery deadline was brought forward by approximately 30 days due to a contractual issue with the third-party platform that was being replaced.
b) Proposed solution: To deal with the change, I suggested reducing the scope to essential functionalities, such as the class creation flow for managers, using product documentation, a project management platform and an always organized Backlog.
c) Result: The platform was delivered within the new deadline, with all essential features. No customer reported the absence of features from the previous platform.
Results
Deliveries
Within the scope of the project, we can talk about two main deliverables. The first version of the platform, with the Course Marketplace, went live on schedule in September 2023. Then, in January 2024 , it was the turn of the "For Companies" version to reach customers. Since then, the project has been receiving constant improvements.
1st Delivery: Sheldon Marketplace
2nd Delivery: Sheldon for Companies
1st Delivery
A new interface for students to access materials made available by managers, take assessments and monitor their progress intuitively .
As a new feature, students can now also explore a Library of courses and resources, being able to enroll and enjoy the content without needing to register with a manager.
Marketplace
Library
.webp)
Course Page
2nd Delivery
A new interface for managers to monitor their classes, students, reports and graphs in a straightforward manner.
As a novelty, a more dynamic and organized vision of classes and data, facilitating student management and the generation of detailed reports.
For Companies
Class Management
Photos of the 1st launch and part of the team, respectively :)
Lessons