Background
During my time at Peace Corps I was responsible for designing user interfaces for both the Learning Management System and the Well-Being App. I’m especially proud of the redesign of the Peace Corps Learningspace platform—a global hub serving over 40,000 staff and volunteers. The original system was outdated, difficult to navigate, and visually inconsistent. My goal was to create a cleaner, more intuitive interface that made learning more accessible, especially for users in remote regions with limited internet bandwidth.
My approach began with extensive user research. I gathered feedback from staff, volunteers, and local Peace Posts across various countries to understand their challenges and pinpoint critical features. This insight informed the development of wireframes, mood boards, and low-fidelity prototypes, which helped secure early buy-in from stakeholders. I then led iterative design sessions, continuously refining the interface based on feedback.
A key element of the project was empowering local Peace Posts to customize the platform. To achieve this, I designed a flexible dashboard template and created a suite of multimedia assets that allowed Peace Posts to build out their own dashboards tailored to their volunteers’ needs. To ensure smooth adoption, I also built an online course and produced microlearning videos that walked users through the dashboard template and other assets. This comprehensive approach ensured that every local office had the tools and training needed to maximize the platform’s potential.
Throughout the project, I maintained alignment with my team by hosting regular design reviews and cross-functional meetings with content leads, developers, and global trainers. This collaborative approach ensured that our design met technical requirements and resonated with end users.
Tools
Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere
Unique Challenges
One of the biggest hurdles for the LearningSpace project was getting a testing environment for the custom LMS app before the launch date. Before switching over to the Totara Learning Management System we had to enable a new security login system to become FedRamp compliant. This required a lot of backend discussions with the Peace Corps Information Technology Office, United States Department of Agriculture and Totara teams. Once setup I was able to design a working dashboard and test out the new LMS features. Unfortunately development on the app was delayed so I focused on the web version of Totara's LMS by quickly updating the original dashboard layout.
Conclusion
We measured success through increased course completions, a significant reduction in support tickets related to navigation issues, and overwhelmingly positive user feedback. Witnessing local Peace Posts effectively customize and leverage the dashboard, supported by the training materials I developed, was the ultimate validation of our work.
Overall, this project demonstrated how thoughtful design and targeted training can drive user engagement and make learning more equitable on a global scale.
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