Optimizing the Learning Experience of a Web3 Education Platform

Time: 2024

Time: 2024

Duration: 3 months

Duration: 3 months

My role

Redesigned HackQuest’s learning interface during a summer internship to enhance user engagement and motivation, significantly improving course completion rates.

Redesigned HackQuest’s learning interface during a summer internship to enhance user engagement and motivation, significantly improving course completion rates.

Responsibility

I was the Product Designer in a team of 3 designers, 1 PM, and 1 researcher, responsible for user flows, wireframes, and end-to-end prototyping.

I was the Product Designer in a team of 3 designers, 1 PM, and 1 researcher, responsible for user flows, wireframes, and end-to-end prototyping.

I was the Product Designer in a team of 3 designers, 1 PM, and 1 researcher, responsible for user flows, wireframes, and end-to-end prototyping.

Time & Status:

Time & Status:

May 2024 - August 2024

May 2024 - August 2024

HIGHLIGHT

HIGHLIGHT

A Guided, Collaborative Learning Experience Empowering Web3 Developers

CHALLENGE

CHALLENGE

Low Completion Rates Due to Limited Engagement and Motivation

Data shows that only 20% of users complete the first chapter. Users are having a difficult time navigating our tool and are not incentivized to continue learning.

“I don’t know how much progress I’ve made; it feels like a never-ending task to me.”
– John, Web3 Developer (Usability Research Feedback)

🧩 THE PROBLEM

🧩 THE PROBLEM

Users were disengaged and unmotivated during the learning journey, resulting in low course completion rates and limited long-term retention.

Users were disengaged and unmotivated during the learning journey, resulting in low course completion rates and limited long-term retention.

💡 HOW MIGHT WE

💡 HOW MIGHT WE

How might we create a more engaging and motivating learning experience to increase user participation and course completion rates?

How might we create a more engaging and motivating learning experience to increase user participation and course completion rates?

TARGET USERS

TARGET USERS

Motivated Beginners Seeking Practical Growth

To ensure our solution effectively meets user needs, we conducted extensive research to better understand our target audience.

To ensure our solution effectively meets user needs, we conducted extensive research to better understand our target audience.

RESEARCH

RESEARCH

Analyze user feedback across the end-to-end user flow

We synthesized unmoderated feedback from 60 users about their HackQuest experience, identifying the most valued features and common pain points. We then categorized these insights across the end-to-end user journey, mapping strengths and weaknesses to five key areas of the product experience.

We synthesized unmoderated feedback from 60 users about their HackQuest experience, identifying the most valued features and common pain points. We then categorized these insights across the end-to-end user journey, mapping strengths and weaknesses to five key areas of the product experience.

We prioritized redesigning the learning interface and profile dashboard, as it concentrated the most critical pain points, directly impacted course completion rates, and had minimal development constraints.
We synthesized four main pain points from user feedback, highlighting recurring issues across the learning experience.

Lack of Progress Feedback

Absence of tools to track progress and reading pace.

Absence of tools to track progress and reading pace.

Absence of tools to track progress and reading pace.

Lack of Peer Interaction or Support

No Communication

Lacks spaces for users to ask questions, share ideas, and engage with others.

Lacks spaces for users to ask questions, share ideas, and engage with others.

Limited Learning Format

Limited Learning Format

Reading-only format is insufficient for effective learning.

Reading-only format is insufficient for effective learning.

Reading-only format is insufficient for effective learning.

Course Matching

Users struggle to find courses aligned with their goals and skill levels.

Users struggle to find courses aligned with their goals and skill levels.

PAIN POINT: LACK OF PROGRESS FEEDBACK

PAIN POINT: LACK OF PROGRESS FEEDBACK

Building a Transparent and Motivating Learning Journey

Many learners on HackQuest struggled with unclear course structure, limited feedback on their progress, and no clear sense of achievement. To solve this, I introduced a series of features that provide visibility, motivation, and self-assessment tools throughout the learning path.

Clear Learning Path & Visual Feedback

Clear Learning Path & Visual Feedback

HackQuest supports learners at different levels through an onboarding ecosystem aimed at achieving specific goals, but the previous profile dashboard lacked a clear learning path.

Before

Before

No clear indicator of overall course progress

Lack of structure to guide users through their learning path

Users felt lost and couldn’t easily track which courses they had completed

Layout Exploration

Layout Exploration

I explored multiple layout directions to outline the full learning journey.

Sidebar Navigation

Option 1

Always-visible course list supports task-driven users

Easy access to all modules

Less space for content on smaller screens

Can feel overwhelming with many sections

Tabbed Structure

Option 2

Separates stages clearly (e.g. Learn, Build, Community)

Clean, focused interface

Scales well across devices

Less immediate visibility of full journey

Scrolling Card Deck

Option 3

Engaging and mobile-optimized

Encourages exploration of each step

Hard to track overall progress

Step-by-Step Overview

Option 4

Clearly shows linear progress

Can get crowded with many steps

Less flexible for non-linear learning

I chose the tabbed layout for its clear structure and flexibility, allowing users to seamlessly switch between consuming content, building projects, and engaging with the community—while remaining scalable across devices.

It guides users through their learning journey with dedicated sections for Learn, Build, and Community, clearly outlining each task within the ecosystem.

After - Explore Course

After - Explore Course

✅ Added a progress bar to show overall course completion status

✅ Introduced a tabbed layout that visualizes the step-by-step learning path

✅ Displayed individual course progress, helping users understand where they are and what’s next

Test-Out & Quiz: Reinforcing Learning Through Evaluation

Test-Out & Quiz: Reinforcing Learning Through Evaluation

To ensure users could evaluate their understanding and reinforce key concepts, I designed a Test-Out section that appears after each course.

TestOut

Quizzes are primarily fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice questions.

Users can expand and review all previous questions and their answers.

TestOut - Coding Questions

TestOut - MCQ Questions

TestOut - Reviews

PAIN POINT: LACK OF PEER INTERACTION AND SUPPORT

PAIN POINT: LACK OF PEER INTERACTION AND SUPPORT

Enabling comments for discussion and highlighting key concepts

The previous learning interface was static and text-heavy, offering little room for interaction or peer support.

Before

❌ Readings were dense with jargon, making comprehension difficult

❌ Lack of place to ask questions or engage in peer discussion

❌ Lack of progress tracking, leading to low motivation and inconsistent engagement

To assist reading, I designed a highlight mode to boost collaboration and focus, allowing users to engage with key concepts, read and save comments, check detailed explanations, and interact through likes, shares, and replies.

Layout Exploration

Sidebar Comments with Greyed-Out Reading

Option 1

Visually isolates comments, making them stand out

Dims the reading content, breaking reading flow

Requires users to pause and switch focus

Integrated Comments with Adaptive Navigation

Option 2

Reading content stays visible while commenting

Progress/navigation bar adapts to accommodate comments

Smooth, uninterrupted reading and annotation experience

Through usability testing, users shared that frequently hiding the reading content to view comments felt cumbersome and disrupted their flow.

I adopted the second option, keeping the reading content visible while expanding the comments. This solution preserved reading flow and allowed for smoother interaction with annotations.

After - Learning Interface Highlight Mode

A dropdown with checkbox to quickly switch between different modes

Navigation bar allows for full-page visibility and quick jumps to specific sections

After - Learning Interface Comment

Highlighted text helps users organize and retain important information

Comments allow users to ask questions and participate in discussions

Learning Progress Bar tracks task status, showing estimated time and reading speed on hover

PAIN POINT: LIMITED LEARNING FORMAT

PAIN POINT: LIMITED LEARNING FORMAT

Expanding Learning Tools to Support Diverse Learning Styles

Master Class Template

Master Class Template

To address the need for diverse learning materials, I designed video formats. The masterclass provides additional resources to support learning beyond text.

Masterclass Syllabus

Master Class Video

Enhancing the glossary with advanced filters and user submissions

Enhancing the glossary with advanced filters and user submissions

The previous glossary only included a single letter-based filter, which limited users’ ability to find specific terms quickly. To address this, I added a second tag filter to improve search precision and efficiency. I also introduced a word submission option, enabling users to contribute terms that are not yet included, making the glossary more comprehensive and user-driven.

After - Glossary

Tag-based filtering improves search precision, allowing users to quickly locate glossary terms.

A submission feature empowers users to contribute missing terms.

Before

❌ Limited filtering by letter only

❌ Inefficient for topic-based search

❌ Overwhelming as content increased

After

✅ Additional Filters: The introduction of tag-based filters (e.g., "DeFi," "Basics," "Slang") allows for faster, more targeted navigation.

✅ Search Bar: Retaining the search bar provides users with a quick way to locate specific terms.

PAIN POINT: COURSE MATCHING

PAIN POINT: COURSE MATCHING

Enhanced filter with better matching

Previously, users struggled to find relevant electives due to the lack of a clear filter system.

Previously, users struggled to find relevant electives due to the lack of a clear filter system.

Before

❌ Only a basic search bar; no filtering options

❌ Users struggled to find courses that matched their skill level or goals

❌ Inefficient and frustrating for users with specific needs

I added a filter to help users quickly find electives based on their goals, skill level, and topic preferences.

I added a filter to help users quickly find electives based on their goals, skill level, and topic preferences.

After

✅ Added multi-layered filters by ecosystem, programming language, learning track, and difficulty

✅ Made it easier for users to quickly narrow down relevant courses

✅ Improved discoverability and alignment between user needs and course offerings

DESIGN SYSTEM

DESIGN SYSTEM

Creating a Cohesive and User-Friendly Learning Interface

We followed HackQuest's design system for Webs Education Platform to ensure consistency and readability. A yellow color scheme was chosen to convey energy, optimism, and engagement, reflecting HackQuest’s mission to inspire learning and creativity.

Design System

Clear and Efficient Course Overview with Card Design

Card Design

The card component was designed to present courses and learning tracks clearly and efficiently.


Key information, such as course classification, difficulty, and status, is displayed using tags and labels, ensuring users can quickly scan and understand the content.

Improving the Learning Interface with Visual Hierarchy and Layout

To enhance the text-heavy learning interface, we established a clear visual hierarchy using font size, weight, and color contrast to guide users' attention to key information.


A modular layout was employed to effectively separate the lesson, example, and quiz sections, ensuring each part was distinct and easy to navigate. Additionally, a left-right structure was adopted to create a balanced, intuitive flow, improving usability and readability throughout the interface.

To enhance the text-heavy learning interface, we established a clear visual hierarchy using font size, weight, and color contrast to guide users' attention to key information.


A modular layout was employed to effectively separate the lesson, example, and quiz sections, ensuring each part was distinct and easy to navigate. Additionally, a left-right structure was adopted to create a balanced, intuitive flow, improving usability and readability throughout the interface.

Learning Interface

Reflection
Reflection
Reflection
Effective signifiers enhance focus and streamline the learning experience.
Effective signifiers enhance focus and streamline the learning experience.

A good signifiers play a crucial role in helping users stay focused on learning rather than struggling with the interface. In this design process, I aimed to simplify the flow of accessing comments and keywords by making the text itself clickable. This approach avoids disrupting the reading experience with floating windows, thereby enhancing user engagement and learning efficiency.

A good signifiers play a crucial role in helping users stay focused on learning rather than struggling with the interface. In this design process, I aimed to simplify the flow of accessing comments and keywords by making the text itself clickable. This approach avoids disrupting the reading experience with floating windows, thereby enhancing user engagement and learning efficiency.

Minimize cognitive load
Minimize cognitive load

Reducing cognitive load is essential for effective learning design. During this project, I focused on minimizing the brain's effort required for interface navigation by balancing the main interface with subsidiary elements. I implemented a collapsible sidebar to maximize reading space and ensure that supplementary information appears only when needed, thereby enhancing focus and curiosity while preventing distraction.

Reducing cognitive load is essential for effective learning design. During this project, I focused on minimizing the brain's effort required for interface navigation by balancing the main interface with subsidiary elements. I implemented a collapsible sidebar to maximize reading space and ensure that supplementary information appears only when needed, thereby enhancing focus and curiosity while preventing distraction.

© Jinlan Huang 2024

© Jinlan Huang 2024

© Jinlan Huang 2024