Leveraging AI to design impactful learning experiences for vocational students
Project Overview
Liby Health is a pre-seed startup. This summer I've had the opportunity to be deeply involved in key ideation, testing, analysis, and design. It's been a unique and fast-paced experience that’s taught me a great deal about both design and the business side of building a product. I'm excited to see how the journey unfolds from here!
Timeline
May 2025 – Present
Skills
Product Design
UX Research
Client
Liby Health
Team
1x Product Designer
Founding team
Context
Re-designing the existing iTELL platform
It's been a unique and fast-paced experience that’s taught me a great deal about both design and the business side of building a product. I'm excited to see how the journey unfolds from here!
Apologies!
This project is under NDA, so details are limited. I’d be happy to discuss more privately. Feel free to reach out if interested!
iTELL / AUG 2024 – Dec 2024
Leveraging AI to design impactful learning experiences for vocational students
TIMELINE
Aug 2024 – Dec 2024
SKILLS
Product Design, UX Research, User Testing
TEAM
1x Product Designer (Me)
2x Engineers
1x Product Manager
CLIENT
LEAR Lab @ Vanderbilt University
This product is in ongoing development. Reach out if you’re curious about where it is headed.
CONTEXT
Re-designing the existing iTELL platform
iTELL was developed by the LEAR lab for vocational students across Nashville
Last year I worked with a team to tackle design challenges for the LEAR Lab's iTELL platform.
iTELL ("Intelligent Texts for Enhanced Lifelong Learning") is an AI-powered interactive textbook framework designed to enhance learning through real-time feedback and user engagement.
MEET THE LEAR LAB TEAM!
PROBLEM OVERVIEW
The old site was functional, but users had some complaints
The existing platform offered functionality, but user feedback highlighted several pain points and areas for improvement. For example, the old site has a cluttered interface, overlapping elements like notes and the chatbot, and a small logo and header that fail to establish a clear visual hierarchy.
↳ THE OLd site, illustrating some of the major issues
Diagnosing the issues
Given the broad scope of iTELL, we concentrated our efforts on the textbook interface, as it is the primary component users engage with.
Overlapping sections
There are overlapping elements such as notes, headers, and chatbots
Cluttered, hard-to-read interface
The overall impression of the textbook page is cluttered, with a lack of whitespace and visual separation between content
Various technical issues
The visual styling and alignment, including text sizes, spacing, and color usage, lacks consistency across the interface
UNDERSTANDING
Scope analysis helped clarify the challenge in greater depth
↳ SOME GUIDING QUESTIONS
While visual improvements were needed, the bigger question is how the design impacts the overall learning experience. What barriers are preventing students from fully engaging with and benefiting from the iTELL platform?
KEY INSIGHT
iTELL’s standout AI questions are overshadowed by an outdated design. Success lies in surfacing this feature through a more seamless experience.
understanding our users
There are multiple users of iTELL, but our focus was on the students
A clear mapping of user goals to business objectives and functional requirements. Highlighted are the 3 main goals we focused on.
Still, it is worth understanding all user groups that will be using the platform
Trade school students
Students engage with the platform by completing readings, writing summaries, and receiving feedback on their learning progress
Instructors
Instructors manage content, track student progress, and use iTELL’s AI feedback to support learning
Educational institutions
The LEAR Lab at Vanderbilt University maintains iTELL, ensuring it is research-driven, functional, and adaptable
LEAR LAB
Visually, all textbooks feature substantial whitespace surrounding text and colored sidebars for contrast
iTELL students are likely to have limited technical or online learning experience
They value straightforward navigation, clear instructions, and minimal distractions to stay engaged with learning content.
INITIAL RESEARCH
Competitive analysis revealed common industry practices and learning enhancements
CENgage
macmillan
tophat
smartbook
Key findings highlight common design patterns that consistently emerged across the platforms
We performed a competitive analysis of some top competitors, including TopHat, Cengage, Macmillan Learning, and SmartBook. Within the online textbook market, there has yet to be an application that utilizes AI for real-time interactive textbook content.
Automated feedback
What makes iTELL unique is its ability to provide real-time automated feedback
Importance of clear navigation
All apps incorporate collapsable sidebar/navigation
Note taking
All apps have inline note taking
Whitespace & branding
Visually, all textbooks feature substantial whitespace surrounding text and colored sidebars for contrast
content & structure
Wireframing and refining iTELL’s interface for improved usability
Generalized & improved structure overview
Intro: chapter/title/image
In-text questions
End of chapter summary
Two structural improvements
From dense to digestible: designing for comprehension
The updated iTELL interface breaks up dense text, adds additional imagery to break up text, and shortens line length for better readability.
Fixing navigation flow
Approved summaries are necessary for users to advance chapters
After reading the chapter's content, users must provide a summary of what they have read in order to advance to the next chapter.
In the earlier iTELL interface, page navigation appeared before the summary, creating an illogical flow where users encountered navigation controls before reviewing the content they were meant to summarize.
A look into our process
Balancing stakeholder needs with user goals & maintaining communication
Some of the techniques we used to stay on track
Client feedback often served as a valuable proxy for user insight
Feedback forms
The LEAR Lab is a large team, so we wanted to make sure everyone was being heard
Meetings
We loosely followed a scrum structure
Team management
We used Notion for task allocation & planning
BRANDING
Minor adjustments to the branding
Some LEAR Lab members were skeptical at first, but ended up liking the new designs
We refined the color scheme for better cohesion, replacing the previous green with a more vibrant orange for buttons and icons, and incorporating calming blue and teal tones for a balanced, trust-building design.
LOGO & NEW COlor palette
FINAL PRODUCT
A refreshed & intuitive learning platform
TAKEAWAYS
What this project taught me
Embracing adaptability
I learned the importance of staying flexible in both design and thought. Adjusting designs was expected, but the real challenge was adapting my approach and being open to new ideas.
Team collaboration
Working with a team, each with their own strengths and clear roles, taught me the value of collaboration. The diversity of skills brought fresh perspectives and made the process smoother.
Balancing user & client needs
I learned the importance of finding a balance between user needs and client goals. While it’s essential to prioritize usability and user experience, I also had to ensure that the design aligned with the client’s vision and business objectives.