Leveraging YouTube’s diverse library of user content to create a legitimate educational platform that redefines how we think about online learning.

Case Study | 2023

I designed a prototype for an original concept I call YouTube Learning, a digital product created for YouTube featuring an interface tailored for structured online education.

Platform

Responsive Website

My Role

Product Designer

Timeline

2 weeks

Explore the prototype

Introduction

Problem

Research

Design Audit

Goals

Ideation

Final Designs

Introduction

"The growth of user generated content on YouTube has revolutionised education... YouTube has changed the way people learn. It has brought classrooms in our pockets. We can study anytime, anywhere and at our own pace on almost any topic we are interested in... The online educational channels on YouTube have changed the way education is perceived."

Source: Science Direct, Modelling and statistical analysis of YouTube's educational videos: A channel Owner's perspective, (Link)

Having used YouTube as an informal educational resource for many years, I've often wondered what it would be like if the learning experience was more formal, structured and geared towards serious education.


With time these nebulous daydreams began to crystallise and ultimately came together to form the idea for YouTube Learning.

I envisioned YouTube Learning as a unique educational platform that would compliment the YouTube ecosystem as the educational equivalent to YouTube Music, which offers users a tailored interface oriented towards music streaming.

Imagine a YouTube interface orientated towards online learning featuring Courses, learning paths, notes and all the features one would expect from an online education platform. Imagine being able to create courses with not only your original content, but with the content of others.

This is the product I set out to design and prototype.

I call it YouTube Learning.

YouTube by the numbers

Daniel Goldstone
Clinical Pyschologist

  • In 2023, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music together have more than 80 million subscribers around the world.


  • Music, entertainment, and education are the most frequently watched genres on YouTube.


  • YouTube is the second most visited website in the world.

The Problem

Is it entertainment or education?


As a long-time user of YouTube, I've often been amazed at the quality of educational content available on the platform. You can find lectures from Ivy League universities, as well as surprisingly insightful videos from complete unknowns without formal qualifications. You can learn almost anything from anyone.


With more than 2.7 billion users, there is a lot to learn and a lot of people to learn from. Sounds great, right?


Well, yes and no.


If you want to learn about a subject, you have to seek out individual videos and create your own learning path from scratch. While this can work for short tutorials and basic demos, more serious learning is challenging. If there is no relationship between one video and the next, not to mention a clear goal to work towards, one’s experience can feel aimless and arbitrary.


The key problems are:


  • Unrealised Potential: Despite an unparalleled library of unique educational content, the learning experience on YouTube remains informal, disorganised and unstructured.

  • No Learning Paths: If a user wants to learn something on YouTube they have to create their own learning path from scratch unless they have found a curated playlist.


  • Reliability/Credibility: Because anyone can upload to YouTube reliability and credibility can be issues when trying to learn about a subject. An education interface could help solve this problem by incentivising creators and educators to be as credible, reliable and structured as possible.



  • Playlists are limited: Playlists have limited functionality. For instance you can’t add notes, create a class, establish a detailed learning outcome, leave reviews, or set up a paywall for premium educational content.

  • Overwhelming and arbitrary: Even with playlists, users have to to be incredibly self-driven when learning on YouTube. And for those without a clear sense of direction or understanding of the topic they are learning about, the platform can quickly become overwhelming, confusing and arbitrary. This can result in people quitting their learning journey before they have even started.

  • Relevance: Poor recommendations result in irrelevant information being suggested to the user. For effective learning information should be as relevant as possible in relation to the learning path and goals of the student.


  • Poor Framing: Finally, because YouTube does not frame the educational experience with an education interface, the line between entertainment and education is blurry at best. As a result users who want to learn aren’t encouraged to conduct themselves like students, but rather like people at a movie-theatre or at home watching TV. Effective learning requires the correct frame of mind, otherwise one can easily become distracted and fail to absorb what is being taught. This is why I believe Youtube’s framing problem lies at the center of the general problem I set out to solve.

  • Playlists are limited: Playlists have limited functionality. For instance you can’t add notes, create a class, establish a detailed learning outcome, leave reviews, or set up a paywall for premium educational content.

  • Overwhelming and arbitrary: Even with playlists, users have to to be incredibly self-driven when learning on Youtube. And for those without a clear sense of direction or understanding of the topic they are learning about, the platform can quickly become overwhelming, confusing and arbitrary. This can result in people quitting their learning jourey before they have even started.

  • Relevance: Poor recommendations result in irrelevant information being suggested to the user. For effective learning information should be as relevant as possible in relation to the learning path and goals of the student.


  • Poor Framing: Finally, because Youtube does not frame the educational experience with an education interface, the line between entertainment and education is blurry at best. As a result users who want to learn aren’t encouraged to conduct themselves like students, but rather like people at a movie-theatre or at home watching TV. Effective learning requires the correct frame of mind, otherwise one can easily become distracted and fail to absorb what is being taught. This is why I believe Youtube’s framing problem lies at the center of the general problem I set out to solve.

The current interface for YouTube.

"YouTube has negative aspects as well as educational benefits. The most important issues that are seen as a problem are content reliability, accuracy and quality of videos."

Source: International Technology and Education Journal, Using Youtube as an Education Environment: Examining Follower Views (Link)

Research

The education space


I kicked off research by gathering examples of education experiences on popular online learning platforms such as Coursera, Skillshare, Domestika, Udemy and LinkedIn Learning. My aim was to understand how lessons were presented, how learning paths were structured, and how features such as notes and Q&As were displayed.


I didn't want to reinvent the wheel with YouTube learning and introduce revolutionary concepts. Nor did I want to unnecessarily disrupt the current YouTube interface. That wasn't my goal. I was on a mission to incorporate the best features of popular, tried and tested online learning platforms into the YouTube experience. I envisioned a learning experience that felt unmistakably familiar to YouTube users and yet fresh and new at the same time.

Coursera's interface which shows lessons organised into weeks.

Key Features


Ultimately I envisioned a YouTube learning experience that made learning more structured, formal and engaging. I envisioned course creators making courses with both original content and content made by other creators.

The features that stood out in my research included:

  • The concept of a course - ie, a collection of videos in units or modules that produce a specific learning outcome

  • A course summary or learning path that orients the learner and prevents confusion about next steps

  • Notes

  • An official question and answer section

  • Course overview

  • Context

Domestika's interface featuring a course summary on the right.

Interfaces from Coursera, Skillshare and Udemy.

Constraints


I wanted YouTube Learning to feel like an organic extension of the YouTube platform. I therefore needed to work within the constraints of the well established YouTube brand and user interface designs. For this reason my research focused primarily on the general user experience of an online learner as opposed to the specifics of interface design.


However, this constraint was itself a significant challenge given that my designs would involve the creation of new UI elements that did not exist in the official YouTube UI. The YouTube Learning UI would therefore have to blend in perfectly with the current YouTube UI while at the same time being entirely original and new.

YouTube's Premium user interface without ads. Note the absence of a learning path.

User Research


To validate my hypothesis and improve my understanding of the problems I wanted to solve I created a questionnaire which I sent to seven users of YouTube between the ages of 25-35.


Key Findings


  • 86% of the respondents use YouTube to educate themselves and learn new skills.

  • Top three pros of learning on YouTube:

    • Free

    • Variety of content

    • Accessible

  • Top three cons of learning on YouTube:

    • Arbitrary or irrelevant recommendations

    • Getting distracted by recommendations

    • Credibility of content



  • 75% of the respondents use formal education platforms such as Coursera and Udemy


  • When asked what platforms such as Coursera and Udemy have that YouTube lacks the top responses were:

    • Structure. For example modules, course overview etc

    • Quality Control

    • Fewer distractions

  • 71% of respondents reported that if YouTube offered structured courses with concrete learning outcomes they would make use of them. 29% said "maybe".

  • 86% of respondents indicated they would be open to paying for a course if they could get a formal certificate after completing a YouTube course.

  • 75% of the respondents use formal education platforms such as Coursera and Udemy


  • When asked what platforms such as Coursera and Udemy have that YouTube lacks the top responses were:

    • Structure. For example modules, course overview etc

    • Quality Control

    • Fewer distractions

  • 71% of respondents reported that if YouTube offered structured courses with concrete learning outcomes they would make use of them. 29% said "maybe".

  • 86% of respondents indicated they would be open to paying for a course if they could get a formal certificate after completing a YouTube course.

86%

of users use YouTube to educate themselves and learn new skills.

71%

of users would make use of structured courses if they were available on YouTube. The remaining 29% would be open to using them.

57%

of users consider YouTube to be a legitimate education platform compared to platforms such as Coursera and Udemy.

86%

of users use YouTube to educate themselves and learn new skills.

71%

of users would make use of structured courses if they were available on YouTube. The remaining 29% would be open to using them.

57%

of users consider YouTube to be a legitimate education platform compared to platforms such as Coursera and Udemy.

86%

of users use YouTube to educate themselves and learn new skills.

71%

of users would make use of structured courses if they were available on YouTube. The remaining 29% would be open to using them.

57%

of users consider YouTube to be a legitimate education platform compared to platforms such as Coursera and Udemy.

86%

of users use YouTube to educate themselves and learn new skills.

71%

of users would make use of structured courses if they were available on YouTube. The remaining 29% would be open to using them.

57%

of users consider YouTube to be a legitimate education platform compared to platforms such as Coursera and Udemy.

Some noteworthy statistics from the research I conducted.

What I hadn't considered


I wanted to include some points raised in my research that I had not considered myself. It's always fascinating to look at a problem from multiple perspectives, especially if you think you have thought of everything yourself!

  • YouTube is convenient and easy to use.


  • YouTube's goal is to maximise watch time, not facilitate a student's success. This is why they push so many recommendations and why the experience can be so distracting for the online learner. Without a formal learning platform and a learning UI, YouTube's incentives may never align with those of online learners.

  • Being able to reliably pick up where one left off makes for a more satisfying learning experience.


  • The only respondent who said he doesn't use YouTube for learning is a clinical psychologist whose credentials depend on formal educational institutions. This reveals that there may be a strong connection between learning behaviour and a user's career path.


  • Ads create a distracting and irritating experience on the free version of YouTube.


  • Clickbait content can often be prioritised over quality content. This can obviously have a negative impact on learning.

Conclusion


My research revealed a number of encouraging facts that supported my hypothesis and also opened my eyes to issues I had not thought of myself.

The most notable points, which would go on to inform my designs, included the following:

  • Though YouTube is used for learning, there is an undeniable desire for a more structured learning experience that supports the goals of the online student and caters to their unique needs.

  • A learning path in the form of modules or units is essential for a structured experience.

  • Users want a learning experience without the distractions that come from endless recommendations.

  • Users place a lot of value on the familiarity and accessibility of YouTube so a learning interface would have to feel organic in the YouTube landscape. That means keeping UI designs consistent with the traditional YouTube UI as much as possible.


  • Credibility is valued by users. This means that course creator information such as qualifications should be available. That said, what makes YouTube unique is that it enables anyone to teach and share their knowledge, regardless of qualifications. Anyone should be able to create a course. It would then be up to the users to leave reviews and ratings to help each other find the most valuable content.

Design Audit

Understanding the YouTube UI


To break down what I wanted to improve and add to the YouTube experience I made notes on three pages in particular: the home page, game page and video page.

Home Page
The home page is where users browse for videos. This design could be replicated for course browsing.

The Game Page
The game page is a dedicated page for games. This page seemed like the perfect template for a course overview.

The Video Page
The video page is obviously where users watch videos. Currently the right side bar is dominated by recommendations. It was clear to me that everything I envisioned could be included in this right side bar.



Playlist Dropdown

Finally, on the video page the playlist dropdown which appears when you're watching a playlist stood out as an effective model for a course overview or learning path.

Summary


In summary, by breaking down YouTube's current user interface and user flow I realised the foundations for what I wanted to design had already been established. I didn't want to reinvent the wheel or create an experience that felt unfamiliar to YouTube users so this process made me think I could create something that felt genuinely organic.

Playlist Dropdown

Finally, on the video page the playlist dropdown which appears when you're watching a playlist stood out as an effective model for a course overview or learning path.

Summary


In summary, by breaking down YouTube's current user interface and user flow I realised the foundations for what I wanted to design had already been established. I didn't want to reinvent the wheel or create an experience that felt unfamiliar to YouTube users so this process made me think I could create something that felt genuinely organic.

YouTube's home page, game page and video page.

The current YouTube playlist UI was the perfect template for a course overview design.

The current YouTube playlist UI.

What I set out to build


After researching education platforms, exploring YouTube's UI and gathering feedback from YouTube users I began to clearly see the product in my mind.

At first I called the product YouTube University, however I would later rename it to YouTube Learning which seemed more inclusive, inviting, and open-ended - much like the YouTube experience itself.


YouTube Learning would feature the following:


  • A tailored interface oriented towards online learning, but which still felt familiar and intuitive to regular YouTube users.

  • Courses which would effectively be like playlists but with more structure and an educational dimension.

  • A learning path that guides the user through various structured lessons and units.

  • A Course home page to browse courses.

  • A course overview page featuring course progress, information, reviews, community posts and related content.

  • A course mode video page which I envisioned as a regular YouTube video page but with modifications to reduce distraction, show the learning path and display relevant information about the lesson.

The goals driving the build


  • Create an MVP (minimum viable product) for YouTube Learning. An MVP is a product with enough features to validate a product idea early in the product development cycle.

  • Clearly demonstrate how the YouTube experience could be broadened to improve the lives of users who use YouTube to learn about the world and upskill themselves.

  • Create an innovative product which blends in perfectly with the existing YouTube landscape.


  • Eliminate distractions to create a more focused learning experience.


  • Display relevant information that orients students in their learning journey and encourages meaningful, focused learning.


  • Create a realistic prototype so users can get a sense for how the product might feel when used for real.


  • Demonstrate how YouTube could create an additional source of revenue through paid courses.

YouTube Learning

YouTube Learning

Ideation

User Journey


To establish a blue print for the pages I designed I mapped out a basic user journey that would enable the user to navigate between four pages.

  • YouTube Home Page

  • YouTube Learning home page

  • Course Overview page

  • Course Video page (Course Mode)



  • YouTube Home Page: features a new navigation button directing users to YouTube Learning.

  • YouTube Learning home page: browse courses, track the courses they've enrolled in and access information about the YouTube Learning experience.

  • Course Overview page: Learn about a course, track course progress, access course information, engage with the course community and leave reviews.

  • Course Video page (Course Mode): Watch videos, comment as well as ask questions in a seperate questions tab, keep track of their progress and learning path.

    In "Course Mode" users would be experiencing YouTube through YouTube Learning. To exit Course Mode and return to the regular YouTube experience users would return to the YouTube Home page.

  • YouTube Home Page: features a new navigation button directing users to YouTube Learning.

  • YouTube Learning home page: browse courses, track the courses they've enrolled in and access information about the YouTube Learning experience.

  • Course Overview page: Learn about a course, track course progress, access course information, engage with the course community and leave reviews.

  • Course Video page (Course Mode): Watch videos, comment as well as ask questions in a seperate questions tab, keep track of their progress and learning path.

    In "Course Mode" users would be experiencing YouTube through YouTube Learning. To exit Course Mode and return to the regular YouTube experience users would return to the YouTube Home page.

Advanced Wireframes


I started wireframing with a basic YouTube UI because I wanted to work within the constraints of the YouTube experience. I also had very set, limited space to work within so it wasn't as if I needed to dramatically reinvent the layout and shift things around.

Feedback and User Testing


To test my early designs I invited two of my friends who work in in design and development to provide feedback on my Figma prototypes.

Their feedback helped me identify blind spots and iterate quickly. With each iteration I would invite them to review the design and give me their honest feedback. Their support proved essential in the process as it revealed solutions to challenging problems.


For instance feedback revealed that the learning path I'd designed wasn't clear and intuitive. My friends weren't sure what constituted a video or a group of videos.

The current YouTube playlist UI was the perfect template for a course overview design.

The first video page design featuring a lot of feedback.

Versions


After each round of feedback I'd create a new iteration. With each new iteration the YouTube Learning experience was slowly but surely starting to emerge.

Units


I divided courses into units. Each unit would contain a selection of videos and would be aimed at achieving particular learning outcome.

On the Course Video page the playlist interface would now read as a Unit interface with a progress bar showing your unit progress.

Version 2 and version 3 of the Course Video page design.

The YouTube Learning Home page and two views of the Course Overview page.

The YouTube Learning Home page and the Course Overview page.

Final Designs

The Finished Product


The final designs of this project demonstrate what a more structured learning experience on YouTube could look and feel like.

I'll be the first to admit that there is room for improvement, but that sense of how the designs could be better is ultimately nested within the work I've done to get to this point. So I personally feel very satisfied with the work, even it simply gets people thinking and inspires conversation.


To anyone interested in making learning on YouTube more structured and meaningful, hopefully this case study illuminates the exciting possibilities and takes you one step closer towards a solution.

Thank you for taking the time to read this case study.

The Prototype


Apart from the final static designs which you can find below, I created a basic prototype for YouTube Learning using Framer.


Please note that the the prototype is not responsive and has been optimised for desktop. If you're dead-set on using your phone to explore the prototype I suggest turning your phone 90 degrees so that your phone is horizontal and your screen is as wide as possible.


The prototype only enables users to navigate the user journey I outlined above. However the purpose of the prototype is not to showcase a responsive, polished, fully-realised product, but rather to showcase a basic, realistic MVP for the YouTube Learning concept.

Explore the prototype

The YouTube Learning Home page where users can browse courses.

A detail of the YouTube University button which is featured in the navigation on the the left sidebar. It sits naturally alongside YouTube Music and Shorts - another relatively new extension to the YouTube experience.

The YouTube Learning Course Overview page where learners can learn about a course and track their progress.

The final Course Video page featuring course information, a learning path, unit progress, and a Q&A section.

A detail of the Unit Progress section which was inspired by YouTube's playlist UI. This makes for an original, yet familiar learning experience on YouTube.

A detail of the Learning Path section which is featured on the right hand side of the video page. Instead of distracting recommendations users are now able to track their learning.