Problem

Onboard and up-skill professional users

While the product boasts an impressive user base of over 1.2 million, to get the most out of our product, users require knowledge in data visualisation and storytelling. Historically, knowledge acquisition primarily relies on the user's training by their employer (e.g. consulting firm or bank) or YouTube tutorial videos and the online user manual. This approach falls short for new users unfamiliar with data visualisation principles and navigating the extensive feature set designed for specific use cases. Additionally, a lack of established best practice sharing hinders knowledge transfer between users.

Solution

Learning platform for the product and the domain

To address these issues, an online learning platform, think-cell Academy was established. This platform serves three purposes: onboarding new users, providing up-skilling opportunities for existing users on the product itself, and offering courses taught by subject matter experts on data visualisation best practices.

Challenges

Building on top of a template site

Several hurdles arose during development.

Using a template site: Customising a pre-existing learning management platform template with limited resources proved demanding. Additional features were introduced to improve user experience.

Introducing a fresh sub-brand: Required a distinct visual identity that appealed to a younger generation of users.

Localisation: Features added on top of the template presented a localisation challenge. The existing localisation package couldn't handle them, so they needed to be addressed separately.

Responsibilities

UI/UX design & implementation

My role encompassed designing and implementing the user interface (UI) based on the template provided. Working collaboratively with marketing and a graphic designer, we created visuals for hero images, course thumbnails, certificates, and marketing materials to promote the academy launch.

Approach

Site customisation using CSS & JavaScript

Recognising the template's outdated nature, we prioritised extensive customisation to align with our brand identity.

Lighter colour palettes were used to establish a youthful and engaging feel, catering to the large student user base.

Utilising CSS and JavaScript, I tailored the UI and introduced additional features to enhance user experience. This included establishing the page structure and localising core user interface components across various languages, such as the navigation menu and footer.