Laser Academy - Designing a Better Learning PLatform for Technical Clientes

Overview

Laser Academy is a fictional mobile and desktop learning platform created to serve the clients of a stakeholder-owned product line. The app offers accessible, on-demand training content that teaches users how to operate, maintain, and get the most value from their devices—whether they’re in the field or offline.

The goal: to move away from a clunky, third-party content hosting solution and build a user-friendly, branded, in-house platform designed around real user needs.

The Problem

The stakeholder’s training content was previously hosted on a third-party LMS with limited customization options and a frustrating user experience. Key issues included:

  • Inability to access content offline

  • Limited control over functionality, data, and support

  • Friction during onboarding and login

  • Dependency on vendor uptime and customer support

  • Poor usability across devices

The stakeholder needed a scalable, branded solution—one that prioritized accessibility, flexibility, and user control.

Research

To understand user behavior, pain points, and expectations, we sent a 10-question survey to a segment of the stakeholder’s global client base. Because users were geographically dispersed, digital surveying was the most efficient approach.

Out of the responses received, a few key insights stood out:

  • 83% of users relied on the platform regularly

  • 70% wanted offline access to avoid using mobile data in low-coverage areas

  • 92% found the content helpful for quick refreshers in the field

  • Only 12% had no issues with the current platform’s navigation

These findings reinforced the need for an improved experience that prioritized offline functionality, streamlined UX, and greater ownership over the platform.

Design Strategy

We approached the design with a user-first and accessibility-focused mindset.

Exploration & Inspiration

We began by evaluating the current platform—identifying what worked and what didn’t. We also gathered inspiration from best-in-class learning platforms and explored design systems that emphasized clarity, simplicity, and inclusivity.

Key goals included:

  • Simplicity over feature overload

  • Scalable IA for future content growth

  • Accessibility features, including transcripts, captions, and multi-language support

  • Visual hierarchy and intuitive navigation

Design Process

Wireframes

I sketched and designed wireframes for the most critical user touchpoints:

  • Home/dashboard

  • Content library and course view

  • Offline content download interface

  • Video player with accessibility tools

  • In-app support and contact options

These wireframes were designed in low fidelity first, to focus on layout and user flow before layering in UI polish.

Prototyping & Visual Design

After wireframes were validated internally, I moved into high-fidelity mockups. Adobe XD was used to build an interactive prototype. Photoshop and Illustrator supported the creation of any custom visuals.

Following the stakeholder’s brand guidelines (colors, typography, tone), the final mockups struck a balance between clarity, professionalism, and warmth. I kept placeholder imagery minimal to ensure the focus stayed on usability and information flow.

Final Design Highlights

Offline content access to reduce data usage and support remote users

  • Transcripts and captioning for all video content

  • Language toggle and accessibility tools for diverse user needs

  • Modular content structure for easy navigation and content updates

  • Branded interface to strengthen product identity and customer trust

Takeaways

User feedback is everything. The project was shaped directly by user insights at every stage—from identifying frustrations to validating design choices.

  • Accessibility isn’t optional. Designing for offline use, different languages, and varied data access levels created a more inclusive product.

  • Iterating in the open (even with a small test group) helped create real engagement and build confidence in design decisions.

  • Future-focused design meant laying the foundation for features like comments and in-app messaging without compromising the MVP.

Looking Ahead

The Laser Academy prototype laid the groundwork for a full-featured, proprietary training platform. While commenting features and integrated analytics are slated for future releases, the MVP already delivers a more reliable, accessible, and branded experience for technical users in the field.