Fung's Portfolio

At EF Education First, we believe that the world is better when people try to understand one another.

There are different EF language course can help learners talk to the world, in English and other widely spoken languages. We have fully accredited schools in 50 of the world’s most exciting cities, as well as EF English Live – the world’s largest online English school.

At EF Education First, we believe that the world is better when people try to understand one another.

The Challenge: Simplifying Complexity and Enhancing Learning

We faced a big task: creating a user-friendly digital platform while addressing outdated systems and fragmented experiences. Legacy systems had clunky navigation and inconsistent designs, making learning harder than it needed to be. At the same time, we had to meet the unique needs of different business units.

Our mission? To make learning intuitive, engaging, and effective. This meant enabling diverse study options like group lessons, one-on-one sessions, and self-study, while offering clear guidance and measurable progress along the way.

Understanding User Needs: Research & Insights

To tackle these issues, we dived into user research through surveys, interviews, and usability testing. Here’s what stood out:

70% of learners are career-focused, prioritizing results and ROI.

Across all personas and age groups, challenges like motivation, goal-setting, and structured plans were consistent.

We discovered that solving these needs would boost satisfaction and drive referrals. For example, serious learners seek structure, while others prioritize clear directions and motivation to keep going.

Importance ranking from student survey

1,338 EC CN students took the survey. Feature ranking are consistent across student persona/segments

Learning goal

Study plan

Motivation to keeping learning

Rich self-study materials

Teacher feedback

Ease of app usage

Learning with partners

Aesthetics of App UI

Learning goal

Study plan

Motivation to keeping learning

Rich self-study materials

Teacher feedback

Ease of app usage

Learning with partners

Aesthetics of App UI

Top challenges from student survey

Stated top challenges are common across all student persona/segments

It’s hard to stick to goals

Not knowing how to solve problems

Low efficiency

Get bored

Not knowing what to do next

Can’t find learning materials

Being distracted by other mobile apps

No problem

Others

App crash

589

384

378

373

333

319

312

136

129

120

19%

13%

12%

11%

10%

A few follow up interview conducted to understand the reason

These interviews were particularly helpful in uncovering the reasons behind user behaviors, providing qualitative data that added depth to our understanding.

Designing the Ideal Learning Journey

We created a student journey map to outline the ideal learning path. This focused on:

Result-driving planning

Structured course & learning experience revolving around reaching student’ own learning objectives

Continuous motivation

Learning is measured to provide both a snapshot and progress over time, so students always know how well they are doing. Interim milestones that are relevant and encouraging

Learning efficiency

Customized learning path based on students’ profile (persona, motivation, proficiency) for an efficient journey through the course

Clear next steps

Intelligent recommendation system always reminds students what to do next along their personalized learning path

Iterative Design: Wireframing and Testing

Armed with insights, we started wireframing solutions to unify self-study, private lessons, and group learning under one topic.

#1 Personalized onboarding based on persona, goals, and proficiency.

#2 Homepage recommendations to guide students on their next steps.

#3 Progress tracking with clear milestones to keep learners motivated

Mapping Current Systems

We mapped every screen in the old systems to understand user flows and pain points. This thorough mapping gave us a solid foundation for improvement and innovation.

Building Consistency: A Scalable Design System

We created a reusable design system with standardized components and guidelines to maintain consistency and scalability. This ensured a seamless experience across all platforms.

Prototyping and Testing

Prototypes were tested rigorously on web, mobile, and tablet devices to ensure responsiveness. Through iterative testing and close collaboration with developers, we refined every detail to meet user needs and work within technical constraints.