Australian Standard MicroCredential Courses
I designed the website for a microcredential (short courses focused on specialised skills) education company, as well as their brand identity. Included work across WordPress annd Thinkific, as well as designs for course certificates and their brandmark and branding kit.
Micro-credentials are focused courses that specialise in a specific area of study, unlike a traditional Bachelor’s degree. They hone proficiency in one skill or niche in a short amount of time, similar to digital merit badges, offering a fast and practical way to upskill.
Problem
An Australian commercial MicroCredential education company required not only an online presence, but brand identity. They needed a platform to offer information about the company and its range of programs, facilitate course enrolment for students, as well as provide customer support and information for potential students.
Solution
To develop a professional and user-friendly online platform for the company to effectively showcase its services, values, and dedication to student success. The website should facilitate easy enrolment in courses, seamless access to course materials, and efficient customer support for students.
Tools
WordPress, Adobe Illustrator,
Figma, Thinkific
Role
UX designer
Communication designer
Duration
March to June 2023
(3 months)
Design Process
User Research
Client brief
Competitor research
Ideation
Thumbnail sketches
Moodboard
Designs
Wireframes
Mockups
The Recipe
WordPress and Thinkific site
(not yet live)
Brandmark
Certificate designs
Brandkit and identity
Research
Client brief
Project summary
The website is for an online commercial MicroCredential education company. The purpose of the website is to provide information about the company and its offerings, enable students to enrol in courses, and provide informational/customer support for prospective students.
Objective
The goal of the website design is to establish an online presence for the company that is both professional and user-friendly. The website should clearly communicate the company’s offerings, values, and commitment to student success, and provide a smooth experience for students to enrol in courses, access course materials, and receive support.
Target audience
The target audience for the website is professionals looking to upskill or reskill in their careers, as well as companies looking to upskill their employees. For individual customers, most of these will be job seekers, people looking to update and expand on the qualifications within their resumes. For companies, it will be for organisations looking to upskill sections of their employee base in specific skills or knowledge-based fields. The website will need to look appealing to both individuals and companies.
Functionality
- Course catalogue with the ability to filter courses by subject, level, and duration. There will be approx. 6 Course Categories (Business/IT/Personal Development/Marketing/Logistics etc.)
- Online enrollment and payment system.
- Student dashboard with access to course materials, assignments, and grades.
- Contact form for student support.
- Search bar for easy navigation of the website.
Pages
- Homepage with information about the company, its mission, and its offerings
- About us page with information about the company’s history, team, and values
- Course catalog with information about the MicroCredential offered by ASMCDC.
- Enrollment page with information on how to enroll in courses.
- Student support page with information on how to get help & support during the course.
- Blog with articles and resources related to upskilling and reskilling in one’s career.
Requirements
- The website must be optimised for viewing on all devices, including smartphones and tablets.
- Making sure that the website has clear and intuitive navigation bars/menus.
- A strong, formal website footer section.
- A brief overview of the content and functionality that will be included on the student support page, such as contact information, FAQs, and resources.
- A blog section + testimonials for the website would be beneficial (at later stage).
- Expanded course catalogue and functionality of courses must be a major aspect of this website design. Courses must be very detailed with all the required fields from the National MicroCredential Framework. Detailed course descriptions, images, and videos will be required to be implemented through the Teachable or Thinkific system framework.
Ideation
Thumbnail sketches
Moodboards
I wished to communicate three ideas: a predominantly photograph-based site, an illustration-heavy design (without leaning into Alegra!) and a combination of the two – which I termed “mixed-minimalist”. The client approved the mixed minimalist design.
Designs
Computer mockups
Mockups and prototype designs were made on Figma for the following pages: Home, About, Courses, a sample course page (Business Management), a sample course within the page (Project Management), Support and Articles.
Course categories (computer)
Pictured below are further mockup examples of the eight course categories. They branch Business, Design, Education, Environment, Healthcare, Information Technology, Marketing, and Social Sciences.
The Recipe (Outcome)
WordPress and Thinkific website
Over 50 pages were created on WordPress to home the eight course categories. Within in each category were between four and six course topics to help users upskill and reskill their careers.
Both the website and course portals are not yet live. Once launched, I will include a link to the final outcome.
Brandmark
The client requested a logo which would feature on certificates, business cards/email signatures, and other iconography.
The final result is pictured below. Represented are colours used for each course category, and the individual’s cognitive capacity is metaphorically depicted as a tree. Leaves symbolise our potential for ongoing professional growth and development.
Brandkit
Certificate designs
Eighty certificate designs were created for the Thinkific course portals upon completion of user modules, spanning across the eight course categories! For the sake of brevity, four are captured below, showcasing how one certificate can span multiple categories.
Reflection
While the website has not been launched yet, I am pleased with what I produced. The project scope exceeded my initial expectations, as what was initially planned as a few basic pages expanded to over fifty. Developing the brand identity was a rewarding challenge, and I look forward to seeing the project flourish for my client once it is live. I also enjoyed familiarising myself with the Thinkific platform, having had no prior experience with its user interface.
