Designing a learning platform from scratch
This project involved designing a complete learning platform for the Open University NCU from the ground up. The focus was on creating an e-learning experience that supports course enrollment, content access, and communication for three user groups: participants, lecturers, and administrators. The entire design process, including information architecture, visual system, responsive interfaces, and accessibility considerations, was completed within one month.
For what:
NCU
Role:
UX/UI Designer
Year:
2025
Challenges
Designing from scratch under a tight deadline
There was no previous platform, no existing design system, and no reference screens. Within just one month, I had to define the full information architecture, design system, and responsive interfaces for both desktop and mobile. The short timeline forced me to prioritize what really mattered for the first release, focusing on clarity, scalability, and speed of implementation.
Balancing multiple user roles
The platform needed to work seamlessly for three very different groups (course participants, lecturers, and administrators). Each had unique tasks and expectations, so I structured the system to keep their flows separate but connected within one cohesive platform. This separation helped avoid complexity while ensuring every role had tools tailored to their needs.
Design Process
Understanding Requirements
In the initial phase, I conducted a thorough analysis of the provided documentation to understand client goals and user needs, with a focus on smooth course registration, clear course presentation, and effective communication tools.
Collaborative discussions with developers and stakeholders ensured alignment on the project plan and deadlines. At this stage, foundational elements such as the color scheme and typography were also established in Figma to create a consistent design base.
Information Architecture
I mapped out a sitemap with three clear areas:
Public (course catalogue, news, documents),
Participant dashboard (registrations, materials, certificates),
Lecturer & Admin dashboards (management and communication).
During early discussions, stakeholders suggested placing constant links to user and lecturer panels in the top navigation. I challenged this idea and proposed a cleaner solution: moving them behind the login/registration flow. This way, the navigation stayed focused on public content (courses, news, documents), while dashboards became accessible only after authentication.
Design System and Interface Design
I created a consistent design system from scratch with 62 UI components including buttons, forms, cards, navigation elements, and layout templates, defining colors, typography, grid, and icon styles. Based on these, designed 50 responsive views for desktop and mobile, encompassing:
Homepage with course search
Course details and registration flows
Authentication screens (login and registration)
User dashboards for all three roles
Document downloads and contact forms
Project outcomes
Fully designed platform interface starting from zero
50 responsive views for desktop and mobile
62 unique UI components forming a cohesive design system
Clear, user-centered information architecture tailored to three distinct user roles
Project delivered and undergoing client implementation
Reflection
The toughest part was finding the right balance between three very different user groups without making the platform feel overwhelming. To solve this, I simplified the information architecture so that each role had a clear, focused flow, while the shared navigation remained intuitive.
Because the project had to be delivered in just one month, I built a scalable design system from scratch. This not only guaranteed visual consistency across 50 responsive views but also gave the client a flexible foundation for future development.
For me, this project was more than just designing screen. It was a full end-to-end UX/UI challenge, from clarifying requirements to handing over a system that is now being implemented.