Audio-based eLearning Platform
Year: 2023
Featured Skills:
I built this sample from scratch, working on the design, development, QA, and even some voiceover. Listed below are the key skills that I’ve showcased in this sample.
- Visual Design
- Instructional Design
- Storyline 360
- JavaScript
About Sample:
If you listen to streaming music regularly, you’ve probably used Spotify. It offers an incredibly intuitive user experience. Now, imagine bringing that same experience to workplace learning. That’s what I was inspired to do. The result is Edify, a prototype of an audio-based, workplace learning platform for employees.
With Edify, workplace learning can be made much more accessible to employees through podcast episodes and audio nuggets, which are both easy to create and consume. Employees can listen to them on their commute, when doing their laundry, or whenever they’re in the mood to listen to their colleagues.
Experience Edify by selecting the image below.
Why is Edify different from traditional eLearning solutions?
Edify’s focus is on audio-based learning. This saves both time and budget, in contrast to traditional video-based eLearning.
What can you use Edify for?
Since Edify is audio-based, there are some topics that it is specifically suited to, like onboarding and behavioral training. Apart from training, you could use Edify for a regular broadcast of daily or weekly company announcements. You could also have a Personal stories channel, where employees could share their personal stories with their colleagues so they know a little bit about their lives, beyond the workplace. The possibilities are endless.
What are the key features borrowed from Spotify:
- Minimalist design:
Using screenshots of Spotify as a reference, I crafted a similar minimalist UI for Edify. There are lots of tiny design elements that seem simple but make a huge impact on the final user experience.
- Infinite Scrolling Cue:
The infinite scrolling cue in Spotify involves including a part of the next frame in the current frame. To get the same effect in Edify, I added a small dark, semi-transparent rectangle at the bottom of the screen to cover a sliver of the next frame in the current frame. Upon scrolling, the rectangle’s state changes to become fully transparent and reveal the screen in full color. To pull off this effect, I used variables, JS code, a scrolling panel that extended away from the screen, several triggers, and state changes.
- Time-Sensitive Greetings:
Edify welcomes learners with personalized, time-sensitive greetings. You get a Good Morning, a Good Afternoon, or a Good Evening message depending on the time of day.
This is dictated by the following lines of JS code.
var today = new Date();
var hourNow= today.getHours();
var player = GetPlayer();
if (hourNow >= 18) {player.SetVar("greeting", 'Good evening');}
else if (hourNow >= 12){player.SetVar("greeting", 'Good afternoon');}
else if (hourNow > 0 ){player.SetVar("greeting", 'Good morning');}- Custom Audio Player:
I didn’t use Storyline’s default player and instead designed a custom audio player that looked similar to the one at Spotify. For this, I got ChatGPT to help me with the JS code.
- The Edify Name, Logo, and Tagline:
The Edify logo, name, and tagline are all homage to Spotify. The name “Edify” means to uplift, instruct, and enlighten, but it also rhymes with Spotify.
The parallel waves in the Edify logo are similar to the ones in the Spotify Logo but in this app, they symbolize “brow lines” to indicate enlightenment.
Edify’s tagline is “Learning for Everyone” just as Spotify’s tagline is “Music for everyone.”
Conclusion:
Edify is meant to be more than an eLearning platform. It can be a tool to broadcast a positive workplace culture. It can make learning as enjoyable and accessible as streaming your favorite music. Edify is my ode to the brilliance of Spotify. If you’re interested in exploring a similar solution or have other questions about eLearning, please feel free to reach out.
Anita Kumar 