CODECADEMY

2020 → 2023 • NYC

Helping Learners Choose What to Learn Next

As part of a larger catalog revamp at Codecademy,
I led the design of a reusable curriculum card system used across the platform

Codecademy is an online learning platform used by millions of learners to build programming and technical skills through courses, career paths, and hands-on practice.

As part of a broader effort to revamp the catalog and ensure it could scale with continued curriculum growth, I planned and led a design sprint focused on improving discovery and speeding up how we push updates across the catalog. One clear outcome was identifying curriculum cards as a high-impact opportunity - Used throughout the platform, they play a key role in how learners find and choose content.

Set of stickers I made for the team to use in Figjam during sprint sessions :)

As the curriculum and range of offerings expanded, so did the number of course and path card variations across the platform. Over time, this made it increasingly difficult for learners to scan options, compare content, and confidently decide what to learn next.

Cards on the catalog - before

This project was an opportunity to step back and design a single system that could work everywhere.

I led the product design process end to end, partnering with product, engineering, curriculum, and the design system team: We tested what information learners care about most when choosing what to learn, translated those insights into early wireframes, and iterated through multiple rounds until the cards felt clear, scannable, and easy to compare.

Design explorations

Behind the scenes

Dark mode variations on the homepage

Advanced variations based on the base component

The final design elevated existing design patterns and also introduced clearer hierarchy, richer descriptions, structured metadata, and subtle color-coding for easy diffrentiation.
Built as a modular, multi-state component, the cards adapted seamlessly across the platform and were integrated as a crucial base component in our design system.

Base Card final design + variations - After

There was a significant impact in signups and course enrollments, but the bigger win was long-term - The card system became a foundational piece of the catalog, bringing clarity to learners and giving the team a scalable base to keep improving the overall experience.

(And it’s still in use today)