Skillhive
A place to learn at your own pace, with the option of mentorship for curated help in your learning journey.
Tools: Figma, Figjam, Maze
Role: UX/UI Researcher & Designer
Tools: Figma, Figjam, Maze
Role: UX/UI Researcher & Designer
Problem
Learning a new skill can feel overwhelming and users often aren't sure where to even start their journey of learning something new. Users feel as though there isn't a place for an all encompassing learning experience.
Solution
Skillhive provides the ability to learn on your own, in different medias, with the optional addition of help from a mentor.
Research
I performed interviews with 6 participants, either over Zoom or in-person.
Here are some quotes & common pain points from participants:
Here are some quotes & common pain points from participants:
- J.E."Someone willing to share their information and experience is gold"
- M.B."Having a mentor is paramount"
- A.P."You can't search for really specific questions"
100% of users interviewed felt that mentorship would be helpful!
Competitive Research
With my participants' needs in mind, I wanted to explore and dive deeper into what similar resources already exist.
Below are some sites I found to be similar & that some users already visit for learning new skills:
Below are some sites I found to be similar & that some users already visit for learning new skills:
What's the competition looking like?
Competitive analysis included comparing three sites: Udemy, Skillshare, & Khan Academy.
I compared pricing, strengths, & weaknesses, along with their target audiences.
All of these current sites have their pros and cons - but I was really seeking out what mentorship options they offer.
I found that none of these sites offer specific 1-on-1 mentorship, which is what I was targeting with the design of Skillhive.
I compared pricing, strengths, & weaknesses, along with their target audiences.
All of these current sites have their pros and cons - but I was really seeking out what mentorship options they offer.
I found that none of these sites offer specific 1-on-1 mentorship, which is what I was targeting with the design of Skillhive.
Opportunities
From the research conducted & results from interviews, I was able to create how might we questions...
Colors, fonts, and icons!
Ultimately when I started creating my high-fidelity wireframes, the colors changed a bit. I ended up not liking the initial colors, but was able to find color combinations I thought were more accessible, and overall more complimentary.
Usability Testing
- Unmoderated usability testing was conducted through Maze
- 100% of participants completed the tasks
- The average time per task varied - the mentor task was 51.5 seconds, and the video task was 8.6 seconds
- The overall feedback was positive, however most participants wanted to be able to use the search bar to complete the tasks
- Good UI"Great layout and easy to use interface"
- Easy to navigateThe tasks presented were simple and straightforward
- Overall positive feedbackAll users finished the tasks and left really helpful feedback to move forward with into my iterations
Iterations
Based on feedback received through usability testing & peer critiques, I was able to make design changes to allow the users to navigate more precisely and sufficiently.
The most common feedback I received was being able to use the search bar. Most users, when needing to search or complete a task, tend to want to use the search bar. In my iterations, I was able to make the search bar dropdown with options to choose from. I believe because I did not include the use of the search bar in my usability testing, that led to the slower results for some testing.
The most common feedback I received was being able to use the search bar. Most users, when needing to search or complete a task, tend to want to use the search bar. In my iterations, I was able to make the search bar dropdown with options to choose from. I believe because I did not include the use of the search bar in my usability testing, that led to the slower results for some testing.
I added a dropdown menu with suggestions for users.
I also added this same type of dropdown suggestive menu on other pages.
This user is on the "music" page after browsing, and can now search for specific items within this category.
This user is on the "music" page after browsing, and can now search for specific items within this category.
When browsing the available mentors, users can also search for specific topics & categories they're interested in.
Mentors that match their searches will then populate and they can browse through those specific mentors.
Mentors that match their searches will then populate and they can browse through those specific mentors.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, I wanted to design a product that had lots to offer: a communal space for those wanting to learn amongst their peers, mentorship from experts for those who seek personalized help, & different styles of media for anyone to learn.
In my final design, after feedback and testing, I think it has the basic features I wanted it to have.
I think my next steps for continuing this product would be continuing to add more features such as badge systems, community forums for questions, & peer-to-peer messaging. Finishing always with more testing & iterations.