Why things don’t get built: Lessons from a customer training platform
Go from novice to expert with structured learning experiences with modules and training materials that guide new customers through the initial stages of using the product and beyond
💭 It started with an interview with the ex design manager (Harry)
From my interview prep, I identified an under-looked Charlie HR service delivery and suggested iterations to enhance its value proposition
Seeing Through Their Eyes
The project began by understanding user pain points and business.
I conducted (3) user interviews and sent surveys to (5) representational users, this helped in getting user insights which ended an deliverable of an insight report.
We created a research plan which seeked to;
To improve the usability of Charlie' HR's "what's new" web-app service page
We believe that a redesigned service experience would result in an increased user satisfaction and engagement.
Conducted (1) usability test to find insights into the user journey
80% of survey respondents found no value in product updates pages
All participants said they would not continue to use the "what's new" page.
Participants found "no easy way to search or filter" content.
Why, why, why? Beyond initial use, no additional value is created. This framework dug into reasonings behind these feelings
Clarifying the Problem
Going back and forth from empathising to define, Because users found no value, I thought to re-imagine product update page → customer training platform
POV Statement
Problem Statement
Throughout this stage, we came to the conclusion to build an academy with free learning paths, videos, and live training — plus earn badges to boost user adoption and retention
Product Requirements Document
We had to define the requirements for Charlie Academy . Our re-imagined “what’s new” page would be transformed into a academy
Making what’s best for your users
After evaluating the following competitors — We understood that we would be creating a new service for this industry as no other direct competitors had a customer training platform.
Began looking at adjacent services within the Sass space
;
We identified two key user flows for Charlie Academy
Completing a learning path
Completing a course
Exploring Ideas
Drafts sketches with focus on what's important for the beginning steps of creating Charlie Academy
These initial wireframes were done on Nebo (iPad app) than developed further in Miro
Understanding where to we failed and improve!
One round of usability study was conducted. Findings from the first study helped guide the designs and decisions from idea to mockups.
Reflecting on a Rewarding Experience
One key takeaway — not everything that can be built should be built. Charlie Academy has great potential, but CharlieHR isn’t big enough yet to justify a full training platform. Maybe down the line
-> but for now, it’s more about focusing on what drives revenue, not just what adds value.
Timing and priorities matter.
© Kenem White