Self-initiated concept · Coursera · EdTech, course discovery · 8 min read
My role
Senior product designer
I owned
UX research, product strategy, information architecture, interaction and UI design, prototyping
Timeline & platform
3 weeks · Coursera web (desktop)
DISCOVERY IN NUMBERS · SELF-INITIATED CONCEPT, NOT SHIPPED
learners interviewed in moderated think-aloud sessions
steps in the old journey from search to enrolling
pain points mapped to design opportunities
core pages redesigned, from home to course page
The redesigned course page, with the information learners decide on above the fold
The short version
The problem
Course cards hid what learners needed to decide: price, duration, skills and who teaches it. People opened course after course, went back, and compared options in their heads until they settled or gave up.
What I did
Ran three moderated user interviews, mapped the current journey, clustered findings into four themes and turned each pain point into a design opportunity before redesigning four core pages.
The outcome
A discovery flow that puts decision-making information up front: richer course cards, smarter search, sorting and filters, a personalised home and a course page that earns trust above the fold.
The problem
01
Compare multiple courses side by side
02
Understand a course’s value quickly
03
Search efficiently
04
Trust the recommendations they were shown
05
Decide what to enroll in
Why it matters
Current journey
Step 01
Search
Curious and motivated
Step 02
Browse
Cards don’t say enough
Step 03
Open a course
Has to dig for the basics
Step 04
Back to results
Loses context
Step 05
Open another course
Repeats the hunt
Step 06
Back again
Losing patience
Step 07
Compare mentally
Holding details in memory
Step 08
Enroll
Relieved, not confident
Issue
Too many clicks
Learners bounced between the listing and course pages just to gather the basics.
Issue
Missing information
Price, duration, skills and instructor weren’t on the course card.
Issue
Decision fatigue
Comparing courses relied on memory, so every choice felt risky.
Research
Udit Kumar
M.Tech student, IIT Delhi · first time on Coursera
Looks for courses that deepen the subjects he’s studying.
What got in the way
Opened every course page and backed out to find the right one
Price, duration, skills and university weren’t on the card
Filters narrowed the list but didn’t make choosing easier
Rahul Vyas
Associate technical lead · 5+ years in full-stack engineering
Collects certifications to strengthen his resume.
What got in the way
Couldn’t sort by latest, trending or highest rated
Found the course page poorly organised
Pricing, his deciding factor, wasn’t on the card
Surbhi Kwatra
Software engineer, early in her career
Wants well-rated courses with certificates that level up her resume.
What got in the way
The home page felt generic despite her profile
The course page was far too long
A ‘free’ course asked for card details to start a subscription
Remote think-aloud sessions: participants searching for a course on Coursera
Synthesis
Decision making
Learners didn’t have the information they needed to decide.
Missing price
Missing skills
Missing duration
Discoverability
Finding the right course took too long.
Poor search
Poor filters
No sorting
Personalisation
The home page and recommendations ignored learners’ goals.
Generic home page
Weak recommendations
Information architecture
Course pages buried what mattered under a long scroll.
Course details
Long scroll
Each pain point became a design opportunity, tied to the benefit it should create.
Missing price
→ Price on the card
Faster decisions
No sorting
→ Sort by rating, reviews and date
More relevant results
Poor search
→ Search suggestions
Faster discovery
Poor filters
→ Clearer, faceted filters
Easier narrowing
Generic home page
→ Goal-based modules
More relevant content
Weak recommendations
→ Recommended for you
Higher engagement
Long scroll
→ Key information above the fold
Quicker comprehension
Heuristic review
Home page
The ‘My learning profile’ card stays pinned and takes space without serving anyone’s goals
Course cards don’t carry enough information to spark interest or a decision
The layout gives learners little reason to explore
Course listing
No price, no duration and no key skills on the card
Filters don’t meaningfully narrow the list
There’s no way to sort results
Course page
The hero doesn’t build trust in the course or the provider
Lecture details, which learners rely on, sit far down the page
Long descriptions push the important information below the fold
Approach
01
Information first
Surface important information before learners open the course page.
02
Reduce cognitive load
Help learners compare courses without remembering details.
03
Recognition over recall
Make relevant information immediately visible.
04
Progressive disclosure
Reveal deeper information only when it’s needed.
05
Personalised discovery
Recommend courses aligned with each learner’s goals.
06
Fewer dead ends
Let learners compare and decide without bouncing between pages.
The old flow sent learners back to search after every course page. The new flow adds recommendations, smart suggestions and in-list comparison, so every step moves them forward.
Before
7 steps, 2 loops back to search
Home
→
Search
→
Course
→
Back
→
Search again
→
Course
→
Enroll
After
8 steps, no loops back
Home
→
Recommendations
→
Search
→
Smart suggestions
→
Course listing
→
Compare
→
Course details
→
Enroll
Key design decisions
01 · Home page
Courses are arranged around the goals in the learner’s profile, so the first screen is already relevant.
Cards now show price, skills and rating up front
A dismiss control on ‘My learning profile’ once it stops adding value
Degree programmes get their own row, so they don’t crowd out courses
02 · Search
Search suggests related queries as learners type, and jumps straight to a course when the keywords match it exactly.
Related query suggestions while typing
A direct course result for exact matches
Fewer empty or irrelevant result pages
user experience
G
Google UX Design
Professional certificate · Google
⌕
User Experience
⌕
User Experience Design
⌕
User Experience Research and Design
⌕
User Experience: Research and Prototyping
03 · Course listing
The listing does the comparison work, so learners no longer need to open each course to find the basics.
Price, duration and key skills on every card
Clearer, easier-to-use filters
Sorting by most relevant, most reviewed, highest rated and latest
04 · Course page
The page leads with what learners decide on, and gets shorter so they reach it sooner.
A hero with the provider and enrol action builds trust from the first screen
What you’ll learn, skills and the course list move to the top
A shorter scroll keeps learners engaged
Expected impact
Faster course discovery
Search suggestions, clearer filters and personalised recommendations cut the time spent browsing.
How I’d measure it
Time from first search to first course page
Easier comparison
Ratings, duration, price, skills and university on the card mean fewer trips into course pages.
How I’d measure it
Bounces from course pages back to results
Lower cognitive load
A clearer hierarchy and progressive disclosure make evaluating a course feel lighter.
How I’d measure it
Task success and time on task in usability tests
More confident choices
Key information up front helps learners understand a course’s value before enrolling.
How I’d measure it
Conversion from listing to enrollment
A more relevant home
Goal-based modules help learners find courses that fit their career plans.
How I’d measure it
Click-through on home recommendations
Less scrolling
Course pages surface skills, credibility, reviews and outcomes earlier in the journey.
How I’d measure it
Scroll depth before the enroll action
What I learned
