Ascent

2021 Davey Award Winner | 2021 Hermes Creative Award Winner

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has found an increased number of women business owners who have struggled to grow their small businesses.

SBA is looking to create a free, online learning platform for female entrepreneurs all over the country to gain tips and guidance on how to elevate and grow their businesses.

ROLE / ACTIVITIES PERFORMED

Lead UX Designer

  • User Research / Interviews / Testing

  • Stakeholder Pitching

  • Cross-Team Collaboration

  • Establishing UI System with React

  • Learning Asset Designer

  • 508 Accessibility Testing

Choosing Your Journey

Research interviews revealed that there are four types of learners. Whether they choose to construct their own course or follow a linear path, the decision should ultimately be based on what best suits their business needs. It’s crucial to provide them with the freedom to make that choice. Based on these findings, several features were identified as important for the Minimum Viable Product (MVP):

1. Multiple navigation options for exploring topics.

2. The ability to track or bookmark topics and progress.

3. Concise learning tools that are easily digestible in a short time.

4. A series of courses that can be taken either in a linear sequence or randomly.

Accessible and Approachable

Our team worked in tandem with the visual branding team for this project where the e-learning platform name, logo, tone, and color palette were created from the ground up. For a platform dedicated to scaling small businesses, creating a color palette that exudes approachability was essential for us to foster an inviting learning environment.

The commitment to 508 compliance elevates this platform, ensuring that all learners, regardless of visual impairments, can access and benefit from the content. By thoughtfully implementing colors and interactions with adequate contrast and consideration for colorblindness, the UI not only cultivates a welcoming atmosphere but also embraces inclusivity, empowering every learner to thrive in their entrepreneurial journey.

The Ascent of Entrepreneurs

Drawing insights from our user research and stakeholder input, we unveiled our final product, Ascent. As the name suggests, it implies upward movement or a leap from the ordinary to the extraordinary advancement. When it came to an e-learning platform tailored to business topics, the amount of content related to the subject was extensive. It was important to categorize that content into easily distinguishable tiers. “Each topic is called a ”Journey” and the objectives of that topic are called “Excursions”. Each Excursion will incorporate “Paths” that come in various formats that cater to the schedules of our users, ensuring every moment elevates their ascent to success.

Homepage

Dashboard

Dropdown Navigation – A robust dropdown menu was necessary to add in addition to the amount of topics on the Homepage. We want to enhance engagement by encouraging exploration and discovery– especially for those who aren’t interested in linearly going through the Journeys.