ShoMe.how was a small startup with big ambitions of reshaping how people learn online. We set out to build a platform that gave learners the tools to design their own personalized curriculums and progress at their own pace.
Role
UI/UX Designer
Timeline
2022-2023
Outcome
Designed and released a beta that showcased personalized, node-based learning paths before funding ran out.
Thanks to
Kevin Wang & Mindy McTeigue
Challenge At Hand
How might we allow users to create their own personalized learning experiences?
RESEARCH
What Did Our Users Need?
Learners told us they didn’t want rigid, one-size-fits-all curricula. Many described frustration with irrelevant topics, slow pacing, or detours that distracted from their actual goals. For example, someone who just wanted to design graphics for T-shirts didn’t want to wade through a full graphic design curriculum. Across interviews, the pattern was consistent: traditional courses felt too structured and consumed time learners wanted to spend on their true interests.
Research Goals
Our research aimed to uncover why traditional curricula failed learners and what a more flexible system might look like. Specifically, we wanted to understand learner motivations, identify friction points in existing platforms, and validate whether modular, self-directed learning paths could better align with user goals.
We defined three core goals to guide our research, focusing on motivation, friction points, and the viability of self-directed learning paths.
DEFINE
Framing Learner Needs
I synthesized interview insights into three learner personas that captured distinct motivations, frustrations, and behaviors. Each persona represented a common pattern we observed — such as hobbyist seeking quick wins and a career changer needing efficient paths. By framing their needs and pain points, I was able to define clear problem spaces and translate them into ‘How Might We’ questions that guided our ideation.
Market Research
We analyzed Khan Academy, Duolingo, and Skillshare to understand their strengths and gaps. While each serves learners differently, all fall short on flexibility, depth, or structure—revealing clear opportunities for ShoMe.
How Might We…
While our market research highlighted gaps in flexibility, structure, and depth across existing platforms, our personas revealed the lived frustrations behind those gaps. To frame these into actionable design directions, we translated their needs into ‘How Might We’ questions that guided ideation.
IDEATION
Brainstorming Solutions
Guided by our How Might We questions, we brainstormed solutions to make learning paths more flexible and motivating. Our ideas spanned from modular playlists to gamified streaks and social feeds for peer accountability. We explored flows where a learner could start at a primary topic node, branch into subtopics, and expand into related topics only when relevant.
Inspiration came from Khan Academy’s topic explorer, Duolingo’s progress streaks, and Notion’s modular structure. The overlap of these ideas evolved into a node-based learning map with progress indicators, expandable subtopics, and a dashboard that balanced personal goals, learning streaks, and social motivation.
Why Node-Based Maps Worked
Through iteration, the node-based map emerged as the strongest solution. It allowed us to answer our HMW's by offering modular depth on demand, so users could choose between surface-level exploration and deeper dives.
OUTCOME
The Resulting Platform
ShoMe reached beta as a node-based learning map where learners could start with a broad topic, branch into subtopics, and track progress through milestones. The dashboard added goals, streaks, and social features to balance flexibility with accountability. While funding ran out before a full launch, the beta proved the concept’s potential and showed how real learner needs could inspire a differentiated platform.
REFLECTION
Looking Back
Key Learning
Interested in working together?
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