The UX of e-learning

Earlier this year, I worked on a research project for a start-up launching a virtual training platform for sales professionals. It included an extensive research into online learning habits, and this article covers some of the key insights.

Illustration by Vivek on Glaze.

Understanding the current landscape

I kicked off the project by conducting an extensive competitor research, analysing the architecture, content and functionality of numerous learning platforms. I focussed on the major digital education providers like Coursera, LinkedIn Learning and Future Learn, universities with extensive online offering, most notably The Open University and CityLit, as well as skills-sharing platforms like Domestika and Udemy. I extended my research to language learning apps like Duolingo and Babbel, general knowledge tools like Nibble, and even referenced a few fitness apps, like the dance learning platform by STEEZY Studio.

Based on this research, I differentiated two distinct learning models:

1. One-time learning

In this scenario, the user signs up and pays for a specific course or a series of lectures and aims to complete them from start to finish, with…