Context
Paid adult reskilling program, later scaled across UG/Grad digital tracks
Client
Large public university:
HSE Art and Design School
HSE Art and Design School
Period
2019−2021. Core design in 2019, iterative improvement afterward
My role
Learning Experience Designer, Program Manager, Instructor
Impact
Dropout reduced from 60%+ to ~20% (including voluntary exits due to job offers)
Problem
Despite high-quality content, the adult reskilling program faced a critical 60%+ dropout rate. User research (interviews, surveys, observation) revealed that the issue wasn’t the difficulty of the material, but systemic barriers in the learning experience:
- Extraneous Cognitive Load: Learners spent more energy navigating fragmented tools and administrative chaos than actually learning.
- Ambiguity: Lack of a “Single Source of Truth” and opaque assessment criteria caused anxiety in adult learners.
- Relevance Gap: Academic assignments felt disconnected from the real industry skills students were paying to acquire.
Solution
The Pivot: From “Pure Autonomy” to Scaffolded Learning
Initially, we hypothesized that adult learners would thrive in a pure Project-Based Learning (PBL) environment with maximum autonomy. However, user feedback revealed a paradox: for reskillers balancing work and life, the lack of rigid structure caused decision paralysis, not engagement. They didn’t need just freedom; they needed structure.
The Systemic Redesign
Instead of patching isolated issues, I proposed a system-level redesign of the entire learning experience. I engineered a unified educational ecosystem focused on four core pillars: reducing extraneous cognitive load, scaffolding the teaching process, integrating authentic industry assessments, and building a community of practice.
Initially, we hypothesized that adult learners would thrive in a pure Project-Based Learning (PBL) environment with maximum autonomy. However, user feedback revealed a paradox: for reskillers balancing work and life, the lack of rigid structure caused decision paralysis, not engagement. They didn’t need just freedom; they needed structure.
The Systemic Redesign
Instead of patching isolated issues, I proposed a system-level redesign of the entire learning experience. I engineered a unified educational ecosystem focused on four core pillars: reducing extraneous cognitive load, scaffolding the teaching process, integrating authentic industry assessments, and building a community of practice.
Unified learning environment
To eliminate fragmentation and reduce extraneous cognitive load, I designed a single, structured “Digital Campus” shared by both instructors and students. Notion was chosen as the backbone of the system because of its flexibility: it allowed us to build a transparent, easily navigable learning ecosystem that scales rapidly without the constraints of traditional academic platforms.
- For instructors
- “Plug-and-play” module structures with aligned learning objectives.
- Standardized instructional workflows and grading rubrics.
- Centralized knowledge base for teaching standards and protocols.
- Predictable workload distribution and visible peer activities.
- Low-friction onboarding process for new faculty members.
- For students
- A “Single Source of Truth” for all materials, deadlines, and communications.
- Transparent evaluation criteria to guide self-assessment.
- Curated theory, tools, and references mapped directly to assignments.
- Clear, predictable module rhythms that reduce navigational anxiety.
- Open access to high-quality peer examples for benchmarking.
Connecting curriculum to real industry practice
A major source of disengagement among adult learners was the gap between academic theory and real-world application. To address this, I shifted the instructional model from simulated exercises to Authentic Assessment by co-curating the curriculum with industry partners.
- LXD Implementation
- Authentic Tasks: Replaced fictional academic tasks with live business briefs provided by major IT companies.
- Industry Co-Curation: Integrated industry representatives directly into the feedback loops, co-curating assignments and participating in final reviews.
- Market-Aligned Assessment: Aligned evaluation criteria with actual market expectations, ensuring assessment was practical rather than purely theoretical.
- Direct Career Bridge: Created a seamless bridge to employment: top students received direct interview invites, while all graduates built highly relevant, market-ready portfolios.
- Impact on Learner Experience
- Higher Intrinsic Motivation: Adult learners saw immediate practical value in their work, eliminating the perceived risk of “wasting time on academic simulations.”
- Better Transfer of Learning: Students applied classroom theory directly to real-world constraints, building robust, adaptable problem-solving skills.
- Greater Employability: The co-curated format closed the gap between education and the workplace, equipping students with recognizable industry cases and professional confidence.
Press
Selected publications featuring program outcomes and student projects (Russian).
Selected publications featuring program outcomes and student projects (Russian).
HSE School of Design students developed a mobile app concept for MTS.
“Working with students through regular feedback and real project discussions helped structure our own knowledge and processes. The dialogue quickly moved to a more professional level”
— Daria Egorova, Art Director, B2B, MTS
— Daria Egorova, Art Director, B2B, MTS
What students learned in the joint educational program by Yandex and HSE School of Design.
“Students worked with real Yandex design briefs rather than fictional tasks, following the same process used in production teams.”
— Alexander Vsekhvalnov, Product Designer & Program Curator, Yandex
— Alexander Vsekhvalnov, Product Designer & Program Curator, Yandex
HSE School of Design students developed a mobile app concept for M.Video.
“It was important for us to see an unbiased vision of the main screen in e-commerce. Students worked with real user hypotheses, conducted interviews, and tested prototypes at different stages, bringing fresh ideas and new user insights.”
— Mikhail Ostroverkhiy, Product Manager, Mobile Applications, M. Video-Eldorado
— Mikhail Ostroverkhiy, Product Manager, Mobile Applications, M. Video-Eldorado
Events, guest lectures, and community engagement
Isolation from the professional community was a key driver of disengagement. To bridge this gap, I integrated Social Learning and Community of Practice frameworks into the learning ecosystem, designing a structured program of industry-connected activities.
- LXD Implementation
- Expert Integration: Organized guest lectures and hands-on workshops led by active industry professionals rather than pure academics.
- Immersive Field Trips: Conducted company visits and office tours to contextualize learning within real work environments.
- Ecosystem Events: Co-created special events and public talks with industry partners to integrate students into the broader design community.
- Impact on Learner Experience
- Stronger Professional Identity: Shifted learners' mindsets from students to junior professionals by immersing them in industry culture.
- Expanded Social Learning: Facilitated peer-to-peer learning and provided direct networking opportunities with potential employers.
- Ecosystem Growth: Increased program visibility and reputation, creating a self-sustaining loop that aided both student recruitment and partner acquisition.
Industry-aligned practices and learning formats
To prevent the program from drifting into purely academic routines, we systematically aligned our teaching tools, formats, and workflows with agile industry practices.
- LXD Implementation
- Standardized Toolstacks: Replaced outdated academic software with industry-standard platforms (Notion, Miro, etc.) to mirror actual tech environments.
- Iterative Curriculum Design: Continuously updated teaching frameworks based on direct feedback from industry partners and active practitioners.
- Workflow Alignment: Systematically revised internal teaching habits and review formats to match agile, real-world production cycles.
- Impact on Learner Experience
- Reduced Transition Friction: Learners didn’t have to “re-learn” tools upon graduation; they were immediately functional in professional settings.
- Highly Relevant Skillsets: Ensured that the curriculum remained cutting-edge, directly addressing current market demands.
- Agile Mindset Formation: Trained students not just in hard skills, but in modern professional workflows, increasing their adaptability and confidence.
Learner insights
Anonymous student feedback and internal surveys supporting ongoing experience design decisions.
“The learning process became much clearer: it was obvious how to structure a project, where to start, and what to leave for later stages. This significantly simplified preparation and decision-making.”
“Working with real briefs and constraints helped us better understand how design decisions are made in professional environments.”
“Transparent assessment criteria and open discussion of final projects clarified what is actually evaluated and why.”
Results & impact
- Quantitative impact
- Retention: Dropout reduced from 60%+ to ~20% (including learners who left after receiving job offers and no longer needed formal education)
- Efficiency: Instructor onboarding time decreased; support tickets regarding “where to find X” dropped to near zero. Fewer clarification requests about assignments and grading.
- Qualitative impact
- Learner Confidence: Feedback shifted from confusion to professional dialogue.
- Career Outcomes: Graduates were hired directly by partner companies based on the portfolios built during the course.
- Systemic Scalability: The “Ecosystem” model was successfully scaled to undergraduate and graduate digital tracks.
Key takeaway
This case demonstrates the shift from traditional Instructional Design to holistic Learning Experience Design: it’s not just about delivering content, but about engineering the right context. By treating the learning infrastructure as a product and applying user-centered design principles, we turned a high-churn program into a sustainable talent pipeline.
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