Revamping the Training Experience for a Leading Beauty Retailer
In 2019, I undertook a pivotal project for a prominent beauty retailer, redesigning the Learning Management System (LMS) homepage to create a more modern, personalized, and effective experience for 17,000 employees. The initiative also involved a complex migration from the outdated Cornerstone LMS to the advanced BigTinCan LMS platform, ensuring a seamless transition while enhancing usability and engagement.
From Overwhelmed to Empowered: Identifying the Challenges
The previous LMS homepage on Cornerstone presented numerous obstacles:
Overloaded Interface: A cluttered design with excessive options left employees feeling lost and overwhelmed.
Low Personalization: Training modules lacked tailored recommendations, making it difficult for users to prioritize content.
Time Constraints: Employees struggled to complete training during their shifts, with many abandoning the experience altogether.
These issues resulted in training completion rates stagnating at just 17%.
A New Vision for Training
To address these challenges, I set out to redesign the LMS homepage with a focus on:
Personalization: Tailoring training recommendations based on user roles and preferences.
Modern Design: Introducing a sleek, user-friendly interface aligned with the retailer’s branding.
Streamlined Navigation: Simplifying the user journey to make training completion faster and more intuitive.
Migrating to BigTinCan LMS
The migration from Cornerstone LMS to BigTinCan LMS offered an opportunity to not only update the backend system but also rethink the user experience. This transition required:
Content Organization: Mapping existing training modules to the new system’s architecture.
Enhanced Features: Leveraging BigTinCan’s capabilities, such as AI-driven content recommendations and mobile-friendly designs.
Seamless Transition: Ensuring no data or functionality was lost during the migration process.
Iterating on the Homepage Design
The redesign journey began with evaluating the existing homepage and gathering user feedback. Key iterations included:
Focus on Key Actions: Streamlining the layout to highlight the top 3-5 training modules most relevant to each employee.
Personalized Dashboards: Introducing a customizable homepage that displayed content based on user roles, such as Beauty Advisors, Store Directors, or Regional Managers.
Modern Aesthetic: Incorporating clean lines, vibrant imagery, and dynamic elements to create an engaging and professional look.
User Research and Feedback
To ensure the redesign met user needs, I conducted:
Focus Groups: Gathering input from employees across different roles and locations.
User Personas: Developing profiles that reflected the diverse training needs of the workforce.
Prototyping and Testing: Iterating on high-fidelity mockups and wireframes based on user feedback.
Insights from this process revealed a need for simplicity and efficiency, particularly for employees who had limited time to complete training during shifts.
Results That Speak for Themselves
The redesigned homepage and migration to BigTinCan LMS delivered transformative results:
Completion Rates Soared: Training completion rates increased from 17% to 75%, thanks to personalized recommendations and a streamlined design.
Reduced Training Time: Employees could now complete daily modules in just 10 minutes, compared to 20+ minutes previously.
Higher Engagement: User satisfaction surveys reported a 92% approval rate for the new interface.
A Testimonial from Leadership
“Working in Learning and Development, I developed a close partnership with Matie since she was the sole producer of our learning management system at Sephora. The contributions Matie has made to revolutionize the look and feel of the LMS has been outstanding! I co-led a quarterly learning event where employees were able to hop onto this platform and immerse themselves in a seamless registration experience that Matie designed to truly capture the essence of our program's brand. This is a HUGE win and contributed to a higher level of employee engagement. Matie also took care to listen to our vision and opportunities we observed, meticulously designing the page to address solutions with both the end user AND our team's wishes in mind. Overall Matie has a true knack for delivering an exceptional user experience with her skill set, and she is a WONDERFUL person to work with!”
-HR Manager @ Beauty Company
