Foundations A-Z

The Problem
Schools and educators lacked a unified, scalable way to access structured foundational learning resources. Existing solutions were fragmented, hard to navigate, and not aligned with how educators actually plan instruction.

The Challenge

This wasn’t a redesign—it was a brand new product concept/build.

Key challenges included:

  • No existing patterns or product foundation
  • Aligning multiple stakeholders (learning + product + business)
  • Designing for multiple user types (teachers, admins, etc.)
  • Ensuring the system could scale over time

ROLE

Lead UX Designer & Front-end Engineer

Timeline

2 years

Team

Product Manager + Learning Designers + Engineering

Impact

Transformed a fragmented set of learning resources into a cohesive, scalable product experience. By aligning content structure, navigation, and user workflows, the platform significantly improved how educators discover, access, and use materials—while laying the groundwork for long-term product and content scalability.

My Approach

1. Understanding Educator Needs

I worked closely with Learning Designers and stakeholders to understand:

  • How educators plan lessons
  • How they search for and use content
  • Where existing tools created friction

Key insight:
Teachers don’t think in “content structures”—they think in instructional flow and outcomes.

2. Defining the System

Instead of designing isolated screens, I focused on:

  • Structuring content in a way that scales
  • Creating consistent patterns across the experience
  • Supporting both discovery and guided use

This required aligning:

  • Content models
  • Navigation systems
  • Metadata structures

3. Designing for Flexibility

The platform needed to support:

  • Different user roles
  • Different teaching styles
  • Evolving content over time

I prioritized:

  • Modular design patterns
  • Flexible navigation
  • Clear hierarchy of information

4. Cross-functional Collaboration

This project required deep collaboration with:

  • Learning Designers (content structure + pedagogy)
  • Product Managers (prioritization + scope)
  • Engineers (feasibility + scalability)

A key part of my role was translating between disciplines and aligning on decisions.

Design Evolution

Early concepts focused heavily on structured navigation, but testing and feedback revealed:

Users needed a balance between structure and flexibility.

This led to:

  • Iterating on navigation patterns
  • Refining how content was grouped and surfaced
  • Simplifying interaction flows

Outcome

The result was a scalable platform that:

  • Provided a clear, structured way to access foundational content
  • Reduced friction in finding and using resources
  • Created a foundation for future growth and expansion

Reflection

What I Learned

  • Designing systems is more about structure and relationships than screens
  • Early alignment across teams prevents major downstream issues
  • Flexibility is just as important as clarity in complex products

If I were to approach this today, I would:

  • Invest earlier in validating content structure with users
  • Explore more lightweight testing earlier in the process
  • Push for clearer success metrics from the start

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

DON NORMAN

“If the user can’t use it, it doesn’t work.”

SUSAN DRAY

“Great design isn’t just seen—it’s understood, usable, and built to work in the real world.”

JAMIE LARSEN

Let’s Work Together

Tell me about your project, team, or opportunity.

I design experiences that turn complexity into clarity—and ideas into products people actually use. Whether you’re looking for help with a website, SaaS product, or UX strategy—or exploring a full-time role—I’d love to connect and see how I can help.

Feel free to reach out using the form below, or download my resume