Gabriel Pauli - Increasing certifications by 8% on a learning platform.

Parceiro da Construção – 2020

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Increasing certifications by 8% on a learning platform.

On a platform with 100,000 users, a small UI change cut course completion time by 40% and increased certifications.

Summary

Design problem

Platform data showed a noticeable drop in course completion and certification rates — key indicators of product retention and user success.

User interviews revealed the root causes: students couldn’t easily find their in-progress courses, and many abandoned them out of frustration. Others struggled to choose new courses, as the content wasn’t clearly communicated before enrolment, often requiring them to watch multiple videos just to understand what a course offered.

Solution

To reduce course abandonment and improve completion rates, we introduced two key improvements to the platform:

A dedicated “In Progress” section to give students immediate access to the courses they had already started, removing friction and encouraging re-engagement.  
Short course descriptions on the course discovery screens, helping students better understand content before enrolling — and reducing the guesswork involved in choosing what to study next.

Together, these changes aimed to simplify the decision-making process and help students stay on track toward certification.

Results

We monitored platform data for 30 days post-launch to track the impact of the changes. Certification rates increased by 8%, and the average time to complete a course dropped from 30 to 18 hours — clear indicators that students were finding and finishing their courses with less friction.

+8% Course certifications

More students completed courses after gaining visibility into their in-progress content.

40% Faster completion

Time to finish a course dropped from 30 to 18 hours, signalling reduced friction and improved clarity.

My role

As the sole designer, I led the project from discovery to delivery — driving research, design, and validation. I collaborated closely with the data analysis team to identify key user behaviour patterns and track impact post-launch. I also partnered with engineering to implement the solutions, aligning usability improvements with technical feasibility and timelines.

Before without Course in Progress section

After with Course in Progress section

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Gabe is open to senior product roles, freelancing or just good conversations.

hi@gabrielpauli.com

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Made by Gabe with Brazilian taste 🇧🇷