Hard to find your way
There was no clear way around. Feeds, banners and tasks shared one home, and pending work sat behind tabs, so users struggled to find what to do next.
Up-skill
- Product Designer
- GoBetter (formerly BetterPlace)
- End-to-end app redesign
Crafting meaningful learning for blue-collar workers.
Oust was built to help frontline workers learn and grow through courses, assessments, playlists and other learning formats. As the product evolved, however, the experience became harder to navigate, difficult to prioritise, and less engaging for the people using it.
When BetterPlace rebranded as GoBetter and Oust became part of the new Up-skill experience, we saw an opportunity to rethink more than the product's visual identity. We used the transition to rethink how learning was discovered, experienced and completed.
- Team
- Akhil Male · Bijoy Prasad Shah · Sugata Biswas
- Timeline
- 3 months · 2024
A learning platform built around frontline work.
Oust helped frontline workers build skills through courses, assessments, playlists and contests, supporting more than 35 languages. It was designed for people learning alongside their everyday work, often away from a desk and with limited time for long-form learning.
Organisations used Oust to train teams across up-skilling, compliance, work processes and career development. That meant the product had to serve two sides of the experience: organisations driving learning and frontline workers completing it.
1M+
Users
1500+
Organisations
30M+
Users up-skilled
Who were we designing for?
Frontline workers
- Work away from a desk
- Often work hourly or shift-based roles
- Use a range of equipment and tools
- May not have a university degree
Learning isn't their primary activity. It has to fit around the work they already do.
RetailHospitalityE-commerceConstructionFactoryDeliverySecuritySupermarketManufacturing
The problem
Three forces made the redesign necessary.
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01
A new product direction
Oust was becoming Up-skill, creating an opportunity to rethink the existing experience alongside the new product direction.
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02
Expansion into new markets
As GoBetter expanded into new geographies, the product needed a more consistent and scalable experience.
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03
Growing customer dissatisfaction
Organisations were asking for improvements, while the existing experience had remained largely unchanged.
But the bigger question was: what was actually broken?
Unfamiliar and ambiguous
Patterns users knew from everyday apps were missing. Greyed-out answers, an unlabelled arrow and pop-ups over questions left them unsure what to do.
Over-customised
Organisations could restyle almost everything, so colours, type and layouts changed from one screen to the next.
Dated and demotivating
Sparse detail pages with small icons and a lone coin count felt old, and gave users little reason to start.
Neither playful nor engaging
Feedback was minimal. A chosen answer got a small tick and results ended on OVER, with nothing to celebrate or come back for.
Unpolished
Misaligned elements, mixed icon styles and uneven spacing made screens feel unfinished.
Where the journey kept breaking.
The friction looked different on each side. Organisations struggled to drive completion and manage learning effectively, while frontline workers struggled to find, understand and complete what was assigned to them.
Admins
Driving learning was difficult.
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01
Low course completion rates
Average completion was only 13-15%, making it difficult for organisations to ensure learning was completed.
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02
Hard to prioritise what matters
Admins couldn't effectively surface critical modules, making it harder to drive timely completion.
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03
Challenges with content creation
Limited structure and guided navigation made content creation difficult, especially for first-time and recurring users.
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04
Low employee engagement
An outdated experience and unclear guidance made it difficult for employees to understand what to do and why.
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05
Customisation without enough structure
Flexible colour and CTA customisation could lead to inconsistent experiences and weaken brand identity.
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06
No web version
For infrequent learning, asking workers to download an app created unnecessary friction.
Frontline workers
Finding and completing learning was difficult.
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01
Critical modules were hard to discover
Important assigned modules weren't surfaced on the landing page, while learning content was primarily sorted by assigned date.
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02
Low motivation to complete assigned modules
A cluttered, outdated interface and limited guidance made learning less engaging.
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03
Limited visibility into ongoing learning
Resuming a module required users to navigate through the learning listing and filters.
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04
Confusing navigation
Events and mandatory learning were difficult to discover, creating friction in finding what needed attention.
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05
Module types were difficult to distinguish
Courses, assessments and playlists lacked enough visual distinction, making it harder to understand what to start.
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06
Limited guidance while completing tasks
Assessments lacked clear instructions, hints and guidance for different question types.
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07
Inconsistent and unexpected UI
Excessive customisation changed CTAs and colours, making interactions less predictable.
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08
Lengthy, low-engagement content
Long playlists and limited time made it difficult for users to complete learning.
The moments we chose to fix.
The problems spanned the entire learning journey, from how organisations assign learning to how workers discover, start, continue and complete it. We focused on the moments where clearer guidance, structure and engagement could make the biggest difference.
01Assign
- AdminsFlexible themingGive organisations brand flexibility without compromising the consistency of the experience.
02Discover
- WorkersAn action-focused homeSurface the most important things users need to do, instead of making them search for them.
- Admins + workersClear, linear navigationMake the product easier to navigate, with guidance when workflows become complex.
- WorkersDistinct module typesHelp users immediately understand whether they're looking at a course, assessment or playlist.
03Start
- WorkersRecommendationsHelp users understand what to complete first or next.
04Continue
- WorkersShort coursesBreak lengthy learning into smaller, easier-to-consume experiences.
- WorkersEvents & micro-learningMake learning accessible beyond long-form courses.
05Finish
- WorkersPlayful assessmentsMake assessments more engaging while supporting different question types.
- WorkersEncouraging feedbackMake feedback visual, informative and useful.
The approach
Designing the structure before the surface.
We anchored the redesign around the realities of frontline work, then translated those into clear design principles, a simpler information structure, and focused user flows.
Principles that shaped the experience.
We defined a set of design directions to make learning clearer, more engaging, and easier to complete for frontline workers.
One thing at a timeAction-focusedMedia-firstGuided & personalisedPlayful & engagingBuild familiarityClear feedback & progressStructured customisation
Structuring the learning journey.
We mapped the key moments across discovery, learning and completion to simplify the experience and clarify what users should do next.
The product
Making learning frontline friendly.
A home experience that brings learning, progress, and what needs attention into one clear place.
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01
Learning progress indicator
Overall progress sits on top. It gives users a view of their own learning path and encourages them to finish what remains.
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02
Quick access
Clear, direct navigation to every independent module: mini courses, courses, assessments and playlists.
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03
Task-oriented, contextual content
Whatever users need to accomplish is on top, in priority order, so the next task is always the first thing they see.
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04
Instructive
Each card guides users to one clear action, with visual cues, a prominent CTA and a strong visual hierarchy.
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05
Pending assessments
Assessments due soon show their questions, time and reward up front, with a single CTA to start.
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06
Playlists
Assigned playlists show the level and chapter a user is on, so they pick up right where they left off.
Familiar controls. Clearer paths.
Courses combine video, images and audio across multiple chapters. We kept the experience familiar, with clear controls and a consistent way to move through each chapter.
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01
A new course
A prominent play button starts learning quickly, with View details for those who want more first.
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02
Close to the deadline
A tinted banner and a running countdown capture attention and help users finish pending courses on time.
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03
Several at once
One course is highlighted and the rest stack behind View all assigned courses, so a long list never overwhelms.
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04
The course at a glance
The top of the course page gives a clear overview, with one prominent CTA and the deadline right under it.
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05
Progress, chapter by chapter
Each chapter shows whether it is locked, in progress or completed, so users always know where they stand.
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06
Done, and on record
Once every chapter is complete, the CTA steps aside and the page becomes a record of what was finished.
Built around how people learn.
Courses support video, text and audio, with flexible ways to move through the content.
Learning via video
Full-screen video with familiar controls and progress.
Text with audio
Listen to text-based courses when reading isn't convenient.
Mandatory watch time
Clear indicators show when a section needs to be watched.
One-tap feedback
A quick way to rate the course after completion.
Assessments that feel less like forms.
We redesigned assessments to make each question clearer, more instructive and more engaging.
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01
Assigned assessments
Questions, time and reward sit on the card, so users know the effort before they tap Start.
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02
Close to the deadline
Anything due soon moves to the top, with a tinted banner and a live countdown to add urgency.
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03
Before starting
Questions, time needed and how many others have finished it, so users know what to expect.
Theming brand experience with ease
Customisation was a key part of the product, so we redesigned how it could be applied without compromising the learning experience.
How to deliver happiness with your each task
View details
24 people completed
Pick a brand
One pick, a whole brand
Admins choose a colour from the palette and its pattern comes along. The card on home and every question inside take on the brand, while the structure stays exactly the same.
Teal
A playful assessment experience
Each assessment supports a full range of question types and captures every response intuitively.
Ways to answer
Nine ways to take an assessment
Questions can ask for an image, a tap on a photo, a pick from options, a yes or no, or a written answer, with or without a video to watch first.
Feedback on every answer
A timer on every question
A progress bar shows the remaining time and turns red in the final seconds, making the time limit visible throughout.
A clear selection
The selected option is highlighted, making it easy for users to confirm their choice before submitting.
Right or wrong, straight away
Correct answers turn green. Incorrect answers turn red, with the correct option highlighted so users can learn from their mistakes.
Learning, organised into a journey.
A playlist bundles courses and assessments into levels around a single learning goal. Since playlists can be long, we structured them into smaller, manageable steps.
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01
Starting with an assessment
When a playlist opens with an assessment, the card shows its questions and time, with Start playlist right on it.
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02
Racing a deadline
A playlist with a deadline counts down the time left and shows how many levels are pending and done.
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03
Newly assigned
A new playlist opens on its current level, with See all levels to look ahead and one link to every assigned playlist.
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04
A cover with one guiding CTA
The cover gives a clear overview. Levels are listed in order, and Start names the level and chapter to begin with.
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05
Progress inside a level
Finished chapters are ticked and the rest stay locked. The CTA turns into Continue and points to the next chapter.
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06
Completed levels fold away
Finished levels collapse into one group with a count and the next level opens, keeping the current one in focus.
A catalogue of the user's learning journey.
My Learning brings everything assigned into one place, with progress upfront and pending modules grouped by type, status, and importance.
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01
Progress at a glance
The top of My learning shows standing rank, coins, badges, certificates and how many modules are done.
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02
Pending, by type
Pending modules are grouped by type, and each one is labelled as mandatory, to resume or new.
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03
Every type in one place
Assessments and playlists follow the same pattern, each with a count and one link to see them all.
Around My learning
A friendly leaderboard
Everyone in the organisation is ranked, which adds healthy competition, and the user's own position stays in view.
Straight to a category
Quick access opens pending modules by type, with tabs to switch between them and a filter for status and criticality.
Everything completed, in one place
Completed modules are listed by date with their status and rewards, a record of what the user has achieved.
Beyond courses: learning in different formats.
Two more ways to learn: live events that bring instruction into the app, and bite-sized micro-courses designed for shorter moments of learning.
Training using live classes and events
Live classes bring real-time instruction and interaction, in a virtual setting or a physical location. Unlike courses, assessments and playlists, they let trainers and learners interact directly.
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01
Upcoming, one tap to register
An upcoming event on home shows whether it is mandatory, offline or a webinar, when it runs and who has registered, with Register right on the card.
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02
Live, and already in
Once the user has registered and the event starts, the card flags it as live and the CTA turns into View location.
Around events
Every event in one list
My Events gathers every event with its state, from open for registration to already registered and over.
Offline or webinar
The detail page puts the date, time and venue first, with a map and the trainer's contact. A webinar swaps the venue for a join link.
Short courses, built for short breaks
Complex topics are broken into bite-sized slides, with a short quiz at the end to reinforce learning.
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01
One tap from home
Mini courses sit first in quick access, ringed like a story, so something new is always easy to spot and start.
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02
One tip per slide
Each slide pairs a full-screen photo with a single short line, and bars at the top show how far along the user is.
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03
Tap through, like stories
Users tap to move on or close at any time, the same way they already use stories on social apps.
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04
Done within a break
A whole course fits in a few slides, short enough to finish between tasks on a shift.
A clearer path from assigned to finish.
Up-skill moved from a catalogue workers had to search through to a guided learning journey.
Thanks for following along.