2024
HowNow
Simplifying Learning Experiences in a Scalable L&D Platform
Project Overview
Role
UI/UX Designer
Duration
3 months (April 2024 - June 2024)
Team
Design Team, Product Manager, Development Team
Overview
When I joined this project, the HowNow homepage had become overcrowded and visually noisy, unintentionally discouraging users from exploring learning content. As the primary entry point to the platform, the homepage was failing at its core job: helping users quickly understand what to do next and discover relevant learning.
This redesign was driven by clear business pain points, existing analytics indicators and stakeholder concerns around low engagement and content discoverability. Rather than starting with open-ended research, my role was to work within these constraints, identify what was creating friction, and redesign the homepage into a focused learning hub that balanced content discovery, productivity, and business goals.
Why This Redesign Mattered
The homepage was one of the most visited surfaces on the platform, yet analytics showed low engagement beyond the first interaction. Users were landing on the homepage but struggling to identify relevant content or take meaningful next steps.
This directly impacted learning adoption, content consumption, and overall platform value for organizations. Improving the homepage experience was critical to increasing engagement, reducing bounce, and supporting long-term learning outcomes.
What Wasn't Working
Analysis of platform data, stakeholder feedback, and heuristic review highlighted several issues that were actively limiting engagement:
The homepage presented too much competing content at once, increasing cognitive load and decision fatigue
Key learning actions were visually buried, making it unclear what users should do next
Content prioritization focused on volume rather than relevance, reducing meaningful discovery
First-time and returning users received the same experience, regardless of learning history or intent
As a result, users were less likely to explore courses deeply, leading to lower engagement and weaker adoption of learning initiatives.
Design Goals and Success Criteria ✅
Based on business objectives and observed user behaviour, we aligned on the following goals for the homepage redesign:
Success was measured using engagement metrics, bounce rates, and interaction depth across key homepage components.
Reduce cognitive overload and improve scannability
Help users discover relevant learning content faster
Encourage deeper engagement beyond the first interaction
Balance quick actions with exploratory learning
My Role & Ownership
I led the end-to-end redesign of the homepage, from problem framing and research synthesis to interaction design and stakeholder alignment. I worked closely with product managers and engineers to define the UX strategy, validate design decisions, and ensure the solution was feasible within technical and business constraints.
Key Decisions & Trade-offs ☝️
One major decision was to prioritise personalised and contextual content over showing a large volume of generic content. While this reduced the amount of information visible at once, it significantly improved clarity and relevance for users.
Another trade-off involved simplifying navigation and entry points, even if it meant exposing fewer features upfront. This required alignment with stakeholders but ultimately helped users focus on meaningful actions rather than scanning the page aimlessly.
These decisions were guided by the belief that clarity and relevance would drive better engagement than content density.
These decisions shaped the overall design approach and informed the process that followed 👇
2024
HowNow
Simplifying Learning Experiences in a Scalable L&D Platform
Project Overview
Role
UI/UX Designer
Duration
3 months (April 2024 - June 2024)
Team
Design Team, Product Manager, Development Team
Overview
When I joined this project, the HowNow homepage had become overcrowded and visually noisy, unintentionally discouraging users from exploring learning content. As the primary entry point to the platform, the homepage was failing at its core job: helping users quickly understand what to do next and discover relevant learning.
This redesign was driven by clear business pain points, existing analytics indicators and stakeholder concerns around low engagement and content discoverability. Rather than starting with open-ended research, my role was to work within these constraints, identify what was creating friction, and redesign the homepage into a focused learning hub that balanced content discovery, productivity, and business goals.
Why This Redesign Mattered
The homepage was one of the most visited surfaces on the platform, yet analytics showed low engagement beyond the first interaction. Users were landing on the homepage but struggling to identify relevant content or take meaningful next steps.
This directly impacted learning adoption, content consumption, and overall platform value for organizations. Improving the homepage experience was critical to increasing engagement, reducing bounce, and supporting long-term learning outcomes.
What Wasn't Working
Analysis of platform data, stakeholder feedback, and heuristic review highlighted several issues that were actively limiting engagement:
As a result, users were less likely to explore courses deeply, leading to lower engagement and weaker adoption of learning initiatives.
The homepage presented too much competing content at once, increasing cognitive load and decision fatigue
Key learning actions were visually buried, making it unclear what users should do next
Content prioritization focused on volume rather than relevance, reducing meaningful discovery
First-time and returning users received the same experience, regardless of learning history or intent
My Role & Ownership
I led the end-to-end redesign of the homepage, from problem framing and research synthesis to interaction design and stakeholder alignment. I worked closely with product managers and engineers to define the UX strategy, validate design decisions, and ensure the solution was feasible within technical and business constraints.
Key Decisions & Trade-offs ☝️
One major decision was to prioritise personalised and contextual content over showing a large volume of generic content. While this reduced the amount of information visible at once, it significantly improved clarity and relevance for users.
Another trade-off involved simplifying navigation and entry points, even if it meant exposing fewer features upfront. This required alignment with stakeholders but ultimately helped users focus on meaningful actions rather than scanning the page aimlessly.
These decisions were guided by the belief that clarity and relevance would drive better engagement than content density.
Design Goals and Success Criteria ✅
Based on business objectives and observed user behaviour, we aligned on the following goals for the homepage redesign:
Success was measured using engagement metrics, bounce rates, and interaction depth across key homepage components.
Reduce cognitive overload and improve scannability
Help users discover relevant learning content faster
Encourage deeper engagement beyond the first interaction
Balance quick actions with exploratory learning
What Wasn't Working
Analysis of platform data, stakeholder feedback, and heuristic review highlighted several issues that were actively limiting engagement:
The homepage presented too much competing content at once, increasing cognitive load and decision fatigue
Key learning actions were visually buried, making it unclear what users should do next
Content prioritization focused on volume rather than relevance, reducing meaningful discovery
First-time and returning users received the same experience, regardless of learning history or intent
As a result, users were less likely to explore courses deeply, leading to lower engagement and weaker adoption of learning initiatives.
Design Goals and Success Criteria ✅
Based on business objectives and observed user behaviour, we aligned on the following goals for the homepage redesign:
Reduce cognitive overload and improve scannability
Help users discover relevant learning content faster
Encourage deeper engagement beyond the first interaction
Balance quick actions with exploratory learning
Success was measured using engagement metrics, bounce rates, and interaction depth across key homepage components.
My Role & Ownership
I led the end-to-end redesign of the homepage, from problem framing and research synthesis to interaction design and stakeholder alignment. I worked closely with product managers and engineers to define the UX strategy, validate design decisions, and ensure the solution was feasible within technical and business constraints.
Key Decisions & Trade-offs ☝️
One major decision was to prioritise personalised and contextual content over showing a large volume of generic content. While this reduced the amount of information visible at once, it significantly improved clarity and relevance for users.
Another trade-off involved simplifying navigation and entry points, even if it meant exposing fewer features upfront. This required alignment with stakeholders but ultimately helped users focus on meaningful actions rather than scanning the page aimlessly.
These decisions were guided by the belief that clarity and relevance would drive better engagement than content density.
These decisions shaped the overall design approach and informed the process that followed 👇
How I Approached the Redesign
How I Approached the Redesign
This project wasn’t a linear, textbook process. It evolved through multiple rounds of alignment, feasibility checks, rapid design exploration, and usability reviews. Here’s what the real process looked like:
This project wasn’t a linear, textbook process. It evolved through multiple rounds of alignment, feasibility checks, rapid design exploration, and usability reviews. Here’s what the real process looked like:
1. Understanding Constraints and Expectations
1. Understanding Constraints and Expectations
I spent the first week syncing with the Product Manager to understand:
What the business wanted to highlight
What the business wanted to highlight
What content mattered most to users
What content mattered most to users
What engineering could support within the given timeframe
What engineering could support within the given timeframe
How existing components could be restructured instead of reinvented
How existing components could be restructured instead of reinvented
Key priorities that emerged:
✅ Make the homepage instantly understandable
✅ Make the homepage instantly understandable
✅ Surface content that is most relevant and timely
✅ Surface content that is most relevant and timely
✅ Reduce noise
✅ Reduce noise
✅ Improve hierarchy
✅ Improve hierarchy
✅ Keep the redesign implementable within the quarter
✅ Keep the redesign implementable within the quarter
1. Understanding Constraints and Expectations
I spent the first week syncing with the Product Manager to understand:
What the business wanted to highlight
What content mattered most to users
What engineering could support within the given timeframe
How existing components could be restructured instead of reinvented
2. Auditing the Existing Experience
2. Auditing the Existing Experience
I analyzed:
User click patterns
User click patterns
What content mattered most to users
What content mattered most to users
Support logs
Support logs
Returning user flows
Returning user flows
A few patterns became obvious:
❗️ Users weren’t scrolling enough.
❗️ Users weren’t scrolling enough.
❗️ Primary tasks (like checking assigned tasks) weren’t visible at the top.
❗️ Primary tasks (like checking assigned tasks) weren’t visible at the top.
❗️ Recommendations weren’t personalized at all.
❗️ Recommendations weren’t personalized at all.
This became the foundation of the redesign.
3. Competitive Inspiration
3. Competitive Inspiration
I didn’t do traditional competitive analysis; instead, I studied engagement patterns from familiar content platforms:
I wasn’t trying to copy these platforms, but understand the mental models users already have.
I wasn’t trying to copy these platforms, but understand the mental models users already have.
4. Iterations & Exploration
4. Iterations & Exploration
Instead of creating multiple polished concepts, I explored quick variations in Figma to understand the balance between
Visual engagement, Personal relevance, Clarity of tasks and Navigation familiarity.
Instead of creating multiple polished concepts, I explored quick variations in Figma to understand the balance between
Visual engagement, Personal relevance, Clarity of tasks and Navigation familiarity.
During exploration, three directions naturally emerged:
I refined this direction through several rounds of PM and developer reviews to ensure we weren’t
designing something overly complex.
Key priorities that emerged:
✅ Make the homepage instantly understandable
✅ Surface content that is most relevant and timely
✅ Reduce noise
✅ Improve hierarchy
✅ Keep the redesign implementable within the quarter
A few patterns became obvious:
❗️ Users weren’t scrolling enough.
❗️ Primary tasks (like checking assigned tasks) weren’t visible at the top.
❗️ Recommendations weren’t personalized at all.
This became the foundation of the redesign.
2. Auditing the Existing Experience
I analyzed:
User click patterns
What content mattered most to users
Support logs
Returning user flows
3. Competitive Inspiration
I didn’t do traditional competitive analysis; instead, I studied engagement patterns from familiar content platforms:
I wasn’t trying to copy these platforms, but understand the mental models users already have.
4. Iterations & Exploration
Instead of creating multiple polished concepts, I explored quick variations in Figma to understand the balance between
Visual engagement, Personal relevance, Clarity of tasks and Navigation familiarity.
During exploration, three directions naturally emerged:
I refined this direction through several rounds of PM and developer reviews to ensure we weren’t designing something overly complex.
The Solution ✨
The Solution ✨
Final Design Strategy
Final Design Strategy
The final homepage design focuses on three pillars:
The final homepage design focuses on three pillars:
Clarity First
The hero section establishes the purpose of the platform instantly. No clutter, no confusion.
Clarity First
The hero section establishes the purpose of the platform instantly. No clutter, no confusion.
Personalization First
Recommendations and “Continue Learning” blocks adapt based on user behavior. This keeps the platform feeling relevant.
Personalization First
Recommendations and “Continue Learning” blocks adapt based on user behavior. This keeps the platform feeling relevant.
Predictability First
Horizontal scrollable sections, clean cards, and logical categories help users skim and act quickly.
Predictability First
Horizontal scrollable sections, clean cards, and logical categories help users skim and act quickly.
Clarity First
The hero section establishes the purpose of the platform instantly. No clutter, no confusion.
Personalization First
Recommendations and “Continue Learning” blocks adapt based on user behavior. This keeps the platform feeling relevant.
Predictability First
Horizontal scrollable sections, clean cards, and logical categories help users skim and act quickly.
Key Design Decisions
Key Design Decisions
1
✨ Hero Section Redesign
Large, visually compelling banner showcasing featured content
Personalized recommendations based on user behavior
Clear value proposition and call-to-action
1
Hero Section Redesign
Large, visually compelling banner showcasing
featured contentPersonalized recommendations based on user
behaviorClear value proposition and call-to-action
2
✨ Information Architecture
Prominent task/deadline section for immediate user needs
Categorized content sections for easy exploration
Quick access to frequently used features
Information Architecture
Prominent task/deadline section for immediate user
needsCategorized content sections for easy exploration
Quick access to frequently used features
3
✨ Visual Design System
Modern, clean aesthetic aligned with learning context
Consistent component library for scalability
Accessible color contrast and typography
✨ Visual Design System
Modern, clean aesthetic aligned with learning context
Consistent component library for scalability
Accessible color contrast and typography
4
✨ Responsive Design Approach
Desktop: Full hero experience with detailed content cards
Tablet: Adapted layout maintaining visual hierarchy
✨ Responsive Design Approach
Desktop: Full hero experience with detailed content cards
Tablet: Adapted layout maintaining visual hierarchy
Final Design
Final Design
The final homepage design focuses on clarity, relevance, and momentum. Content is grouped and prioritised to reduce overwhelm, guide attention, and help users quickly move from intent to action.
Layout decisions were intentionally made to prioritise personalised and high-value content over generic platform information.
Trade-offs were made between visibility and simplicity to ensure the homepage supported both quick actions and deeper exploration.
Hero Section Redesign
Large, visually compelling banner showcasing
featured contentPersonalized recommendations based on user
behaviorClear value proposition and call-to-action
1
2
Information Architecture
Prominent task/deadline section for immediate user
needsCategorized content sections for easy exploration
Quick access to frequently used features
3
✨ Visual Design System
Modern, clean aesthetic aligned with learning context
Consistent component library for scalability
Accessible color contrast and typography
4
✨ Responsive Design Approach
Desktop: Full hero experience with detailed content cards
Tablet: Adapted layout maintaining visual hierarchy
The final homepage design focuses on clarity, relevance, and momentum. Content is grouped and prioritised to reduce overwhelm, guide attention, and help users quickly move from intent to action.
Layout decisions were intentionally made to prioritise personalised and high-value content over generic platform information.
Trade-offs were made between visibility and simplicity to ensure the homepage supported both quick actions and deeper exploration.
Impact & Results 📈
Impact & Results 📈
Following the homepage redesign, we observed measurable improvements in user engagement and interaction patterns, validating the design direction.
Following the homepage redesign, we observed measurable improvements in user engagement and interaction patterns, validating the design direction.
Following the homepage redesign, we observed measurable improvements in
user engagement and interaction patterns, validating the design direction.
Project Improvement
50% reduction in bounce rate through improved engagement
30% increase in course discovery and enrollment
25% improvement in task completion rates
Enhanced brand perception of the platform
50% reduction in bounce rate through improved engagement
30% increase in course discovery and enrollment
25% improvement in task completion rates
Enhanced brand perception of the platform
50% reduction in bounce rate through improved engagement
30% increase in course discovery and enrollment
25% improvement in task completion rates
Enhanced brand perception of the platform
Success Metrics to Track 💯
Time spent on homepage
Click-through rates on featured content
Task completion from dashboard
User satisfaction scores
Time spent on homepage
Click-through rates on featured content
Task completion from dashboard
User satisfaction scores