Closing the U.S. Skills Gap
2U/edX is a workforce accelerator offering technology education to help close the tech skills gap in the U.S.
We designed and updated digital learning products for future UX/UI designers and front-end developers.
My work focused on using language + narratives to communicate new concepts and create context for learners.
Review full case study.
The U.S. has a skills gap problem. edX/2U creates learning products aimed at solving that problem. The products cover technology topics from full stack development to data science and prepare people for new careers.
Our team focused on UX/UI and front-end development learning products. Our products focused on real-world design problems that would prepare students to hit the ground running as UX/UI designers.
We applied the same design thinking methods and tools to our work that our products demonstrated—that is, we ‘ate our own dog food.’
Navigating the lockdown landscape: During the Covid lockdown, our students and instructors could no longer meet in the classroom—yet the learning product was designed for an in-person experience.
Frustration with group activities: Student feedback pointed to confusing instructions that made it hard for students to get up and running during class.
Learn more in less time: How could we deliver a semester's worth of learning content in a new, shorter format—without disorienting and overwhelming students?
User research: During classroom observation sessions, I witnessed how users navigate the learning materials. This enabled me to witness pain points in real time and in context.
User feedback: Both students and instructors provided product feedback weekly to the design team, which we then synthesized and prioritized.
Continuous integration cycle: With user cohorts entering the product at staggered intervals throughout the year, we could release updates continuously; subsequent users would benefit from current users' feedback.
