One page, every intent
Required, recommended, and exploratory content all competed for attention.
Brief
SAP SuccessFactors Learning is a comprehensive learning platform that empowers employees through upskilling and by staying compliant.
Goal of the project: The Learning Platform Reimagine Project is a multi-phase initiative. Our team's focus for Phase 1 was redesigning the Learning Homepage and setting the foundation.
My role:
| Owned | Co-led |
|---|---|
| End-to-end bookmarking from concept to launch | Homepage structure, information architecture, and interaction patterns |
Problem
A decade of stagnation had led to numerous shortcomings on the Learning Homepage.
No hierarchy
Learners couldn't tell what was relevant to them.
No way back
Nothing let a learner save something and return to it.
Business risk
Renewal concerns, alternative-solution evaluation, revenue on the line.
Research insights
Three research clusters. One root cause.
Across compliance, discovery, and usability, the same problem kept resurfacing: users couldn't reach the right content with the effort the moment deserved, whether that was a compliance deadline, curiosity, or a quick login from a phone.
Compliance
- Assigned courses buried, not surfaced
- No notification when something new is assigned
- No way to resume or view learning history
- Access locked to work devices or specific locations
Discovery
- Homepage navigation makes courses hard to find
- Search too complex for quick use
- Recommendations don't match role or goals
Usability
- Accessibility gaps in text and UI elements
- Too many clicks to reach content
- Mobile experience underperforms
- Authentication friction blocks access
Understanding the user
Three reasons people learn, one page trying to serve all of them.
| Learner intention | Goal | Design implication |
|---|---|---|
| Have to learn | Complete required training | Immediate access, minimal friction |
| Need to learn | Close a skill gap | Structure and guidance |
| Want to learn | Explore by curiosity | Discovery and inspiration |
One feed couldn't serve all three. The hierarchy had to flex: urgent learning visible immediately, goal-driven learning guided, exploratory learning given room.
Storyboarding
We visualized learners' journey, capturing their thoughts, emotions, and motivations.
User journey map
Core insight
The biggest opportunity was not adding more content. It was organizing the homepage around learner intent, then making priority, progress, and return paths unmistakable.
Have to learnRequired and compliance learning
Receive assignmentConfirm requirementPrioritize deadlineComplete courseConfirm complianceNeed to learnClose a skill gap
Identify skill gapAssess relevanceFit into workBuild capabilityApply learningWant to learnExplore through curiosity
Browse and exploreFollow interestSave for laterLearn freelyDiscover what is nextConfidence
UncertainSkepticalOverwhelmedFocusedConfident
Discover
Find a relevant place to begin
Key actions
- Respond to an assignment
- Search or browse learning
- Review recommendations
Learner need
A starting point that reflects why I am here.
Friction
Required learning is hard to spot. Search, navigation, and recommendations do not consistently surface relevant content.
Design direction
Create intent-based entry points and surface urgent or relevant learning immediately.
Select
Decide what is worth the time
Key actions
- Assess relevance
- Compare details and effort
- Choose now or save for later
Learner need
Enough context to make a confident choice.
Friction
Recommendations can feel irrelevant, course context is limited, and reaching content takes too many clicks.
Design direction
Show clear metadata, reduce decision friction, and make saving available wherever discovery happens.
Plan
Fit learning into real work
Key actions
- Prioritize required work
- Return to saved learning
- Resume active learning
Learner need
A clear order that respects urgency and available time.
Friction
Required, recommended, saved, and active learning compete equally. There is no dependable way to return.
Design direction
Place required learning first, add Jump Back In, and give bookmarks a dedicated home.
Perform
Learn without losing momentum
Key actions
- Start the course
- Continue across sessions
- Track progress
Learner need
A reliable experience wherever and whenever I learn.
Friction
Progress can be difficult to resume, mobile usability is weak, and access may depend on device or location.
Design direction
Preserve progress, make continuation obvious, and deliver one accessible responsive experience.
Finish
Complete, confirm, and continue
Key actions
- Complete learning
- Confirm compliance
- Review history or choose what is next
Learner need
Confidence that the work is complete and progress is visible.
Friction
Learning history and next steps are difficult to find, weakening the reason to return.
Design direction
Confirm completion, make history accessible, and provide a meaningful next step.
The approach
| What we learned | Response | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Overwhelmed by competing content | Stronger hierarchy, guided sections | Less flexibility for power users |
| Intentions varied significantly | Modules by learner need | Personalization ran on assumptions, not perfect data |
| No way to return to content | Bookmarking + saved section | Added system complexity |
| Many interconnected features | Prioritized, simplified IA | Not every feature could be prominent |
Guiding principles
Tailoring the content to individual users' needs, interests and development.
Providing a clear and structured learning path, bringing order to chaos, and supporting users' goals.
Incorporating all relevant learning needs and features in one place, available all the time across all devices.
Inspiring repeat learning and leveraging existing learning habits.
Page structure
01 ✕ High-densitySurfaced everything and recreated the cognitive load we were solving.
02 ✕ MinimalScanned easily, but discovery collapsed.
03 ✓ Modular, guidedRequired learning first, with room to resume, save, and discover.
Four areas, one flexible hierarchy.
- Required learning, surfaced first
- “Jump back in” resumes progress
- Recommended and exploratory content, separated
- A dedicated home for saved content
Bookmarks section
Three steps: save, access, resume.
I proposed a phased roadmap (MVP, mid-term, and long-term) so stakeholders could see what had to ship now versus later.
- Save from anywhere, without interrupting the task
- Access from a dedicated section
- Resume exactly where you left off
Final design
Testing
Through iterative stakeholder engagement, we refined our designs, culminating in positive feedback from design advisors. A notable example below was a session with 37 advisors, which validated our design direction.
Impact
Shipped at enterprise scale.
The redesigned homepage moved from concept to measurable customer adoption, reaching millions of learners after its first release.
40%
AdoptionCustomer adoption after first release
5.5M
ReachUsers with the new homepage enabled
2.7M
PreferenceUsers who set it as their default
Reflection
Design for intent, not features.
Equal-weight features made the page harder to read. Organizing around why someone showed up gave us real prioritization.
Assumed a settled roadmap had to come before real design work. This project never offered one.
Planning held only in short bursts, sometimes just the next two days, with the roadmap staying something to revise rather than finish once. Progress came from designing inside that uncertainty, not waiting for it to resolve.
Assumed a well-reasoned design was most of the job. Turned out to be maybe a third of it.
Shipping bookmarking and homepage meant convincing three PMs, three designers & engineering. The harder, unglamorous work was alignment, not the design itself, and it deserved to be planned for from day one.