Building a Scalable Design System
Year 2017
Role Motion Designer, Lead Creative Producer
Challenge
With the rise of AI-driven industries, Udacity launched the School of AI to bridge the skills gap. My challenge was to create a scalable design system and content library to support a rapidly growing student base across 160+ countries while ensuring engaging, high-quality educational materials. The system needed to balance consistency with flexibility to accommodate various content formats, including on-camera instruction, animations, and virtual classrooms.
Process
I developed a streamlined content production system by:
Creating motion graphics templates in After Effects and Premiere Pro for a polished look.
Designing script templates and training guides to ensure consistency and accelerate onboarding.
Establishing a comprehensive style guide to unify branding across all course materials.
The challenge was maintaining visual and instructional consistency while allowing for creative flexibility across different learning formats. To solve this, I built a system that provided structure while enabling adaptability, ensuring seamless content production across live instruction, animations, and interactive videos.
A few of the visual guidelines and templates, created for consistent and engaging learning experiences.
Samples of final content, including: animated GIFS, instructor videos, and animated illustrations.
Impact
The design system and content library became essential to Udacity’s expansion, enabling the production of 28 courses for the School of AI. By incorporating diverse content formats—on-camera videos, animations, virtual classrooms, and screen recordings—the program kept students engaged and supported various learning styles.
Both instructors and students praised the efficiency and clarity of the content. Instructors benefited from a streamlined production process, while students found the interactive approach enhanced their learning experience. The system allowed Udacity to scale efficiently without sacrificing content quality, ensuring a global impact on AI education.
Key Learnings
This project reinforced the importance of flexible yet consistent design systems, especially in large-scale educational programs. I gained valuable experience in optimizing content workflows for global teams, ensuring engaging learning experiences across diverse audiences. Additionally, the direct feedback from students and instructors emphasized the power of interactive, well-structured content in driving effective education.