Helping Circus Street learners feel at home in a new learning platform.

My role on the project

As the sole product designer, I focused on simplifying content pages, using data and internal interviews to guide design decisions. The work ranged from small UI tweaks to larger structural changes, done in close collaboration with multiple teams.

My role on the project

As the sole product designer, I focused on simplifying content pages, using data and internal interviews to guide design decisions. The work ranged from small UI tweaks to larger structural changes, done in close collaboration with multiple teams.

My role on the project

As the sole product designer, I focused on simplifying content pages, using data and internal interviews to guide design decisions. The work ranged from small UI tweaks to larger structural changes, done in close collaboration with multiple teams.

Some Context

At the end of 2023, QA Group began migrating clients from Circus Street to the Cloud Academy platform. These learners were used to a much simpler, more intuitive experience—one they genuinely liked. The switch introduced new complexity, and with it, the real risk of disengagement. Improving usability wasn’t just a UX goal—it was a business-critical move to prevent churn.

We took an incremental approach to improve the platform’s user experience, starting with the core: Courses and Lessons. The redesign aimed to simplify and create a smoother experience that would feel less like a disruption—and more like an upgrade.

Some Context

At the end of 2023, QA Group began migrating clients from Circus Street to the Cloud Academy platform. These learners were used to a much simpler, more intuitive experience—one they genuinely liked. The switch introduced new complexity, and with it, the real risk of disengagement. Improving usability wasn’t just a UX goal—it was a business-critical move to prevent churn.

We took an incremental approach to improve the platform’s user experience, starting with the core: Courses and Lessons. The redesign aimed to simplify and create a smoother experience that would feel less like a disruption—and more like an upgrade.

Some Context

At the end of 2023, QA Group began migrating clients from Circus Street to the Cloud Academy platform. These learners were used to a much simpler, more intuitive experience—one they genuinely liked. The switch introduced new complexity, and with it, the real risk of disengagement. Improving usability wasn’t just a UX goal—it was a business-critical move to prevent churn.

We took an incremental approach to improve the platform’s user experience, starting with the core: Courses and Lessons. The redesign aimed to simplify and create a smoother experience that would feel less like a disruption—and more like an upgrade.

How might we help Circus Street learners adapt quickly to a new platform—without overwhelming them or risking churn?

Both the Course and Lesson pages had cluttered layouts, unclear hierarchies, and low-value content in prominent positions. For instance, author link only had 0.2% user engagement but was taking up a good amount of space. Useful elements like the syllabus or description were partly hidden or hard to scan, while actions like enrolling or rating were inconsistently placed. Misleading UI elements and structural inconsistencies (highlighted with a purple dot in the image) made the experience feel disjointed. Most importantly, Circus Street stakeholders and learners described the pages as overwhelming—too much content, not enough clarity.

How might we help Circus Street learners adapt quickly to a new platform—without overwhelming them or risking churn?

Both the Course and Lesson pages had cluttered layouts, unclear hierarchies, and low-value content in prominent positions. For instance, author link only had 0.2% user engagement but was taking up a good amount of space. Useful elements like the syllabus or description were partly hidden or hard to scan, while actions like enrolling or rating were inconsistently placed. Misleading UI elements and structural inconsistencies (highlighted with a purple dot in the image) made the experience feel disjointed. Most importantly, Circus Street stakeholders and learners described the pages as overwhelming—too much content, not enough clarity.

How might we help Circus Street learners adapt quickly to a new platform—without overwhelming them or risking churn?

Both the Course and Lesson pages had cluttered layouts, unclear hierarchies, and low-value content in prominent positions. For instance, author link only had 0.2% user engagement but was taking up a good amount of space. Useful elements like the syllabus or description were partly hidden or hard to scan, while actions like enrolling or rating were inconsistently placed. Misleading UI elements and structural inconsistencies (highlighted with a purple dot in the image) made the experience feel disjointed. Most importantly, Circus Street stakeholders and learners described the pages as overwhelming—too much content, not enough clarity.

I cleaned up the content pages!

By removing redundant information and highlighting only what learners care about most the pages were much easier to scan. All secondary informations were organized under dedicated tabs, creating a structure that’s flexible enough to accommodate all our current (and future) use cases.

I cleaned up the content pages!

By removing redundant information and highlighting only what learners care about most the pages were much easier to scan. All secondary informations were organized under dedicated tabs, creating a structure that’s flexible enough to accommodate all our current (and future) use cases.

This is how

We moved related content suggestions and author information into a dedicated tab. This keeps them easy to find, without distracting from the main content. The "Credits" tab was designed with flexibility in mind. QA and Circus Street content rarely includes author details, but in Cloud Academy, authors are well-known figures in the cloud space—and showcasing them helps keep the content relevant. Our content creators also requested the ability to feature multiple authors. So, we built the tab to support different cases: no tab, a single author, or multiple authors, depending on the needs of each course.

We also made content completion clearer by introducing a new variant for content steps. Previously, there was only a “Complete” label, and some users mentioned they missed it. Now, users can also choose to hide completed steps. The certificate section, which used to appear on the landing page from the start as an empty state showing progress, now only appears once the content is fully completed. It’s also more visually prominent, making it easier for users to see when their certificate is ready to download and share on LinkedIn.

The redesign had a positive impact!

The migration was smooth, with no significant issues or learner complaints—something we see as a success, given the scale of the transition. The absence of negative feedback and support requests suggests the redesign achieved its goal: reducing friction and making the switch feel seamless.

Helping Circus Street learners feel at home in a new learning platform.