Design System and Content Library for the School of AI
Challenge
As artificial intelligence grew in prominence, Udacity aimed to address the skills gap in AI-driven industries. They launched the School of AI, focused on training students for jobs requiring AI expertise. My challenge was to create a cohesive design system and content library that would scale to meet the demands of a rapidly growing student base while maintaining engaging and high-quality educational materials. With over 13.8 million students across 160+ countries, the content had to be streamlined, easy to produce, and diverse enough to keep learners engaged.
Year 2017
Role Motion Designer, Lead Creative Producer
Process
I approached the project by first establishing a foundation of design assets and workflows. I developed script templates for instructors to ensure consistency in educational delivery, created motion graphics templates in After Effects and Premiere Pro for a polished look, and built training guides to streamline the onboarding of new team members. A comprehensive style guide for course content ensured consistency across all deliverables, whether on-camera instructor videos, animations, or screen recordings.
One of the challenges was balancing consistency with the flexibility needed for different content formats (e.g., live instruction, animations, virtual classrooms). To tackle this, I designed a system that allowed for creative freedom within established guidelines, ensuring that content could be adapted while maintaining a cohesive look and feel.
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 School of AI’s design system and content library became a critical asset to Udacity’s expansion, contributing to the development of 28 courses in the program. The content variety: on-camera videos, animations, virtual classrooms, and screen recordings—helped keep students engaged in active learning, addressing the diverse learning styles within Udacity’s global student base.
Feedback from both instructors and students was overwhelmingly positive. Instructors appreciated the streamlined production process, while students praised the clarity and interactivity of the content. The design system allowed Udacity to scale production efficiently without compromising the quality of the learning experience.
Learnings
This project reinforced the importance of creating flexible yet consistent design systems, especially when producing a large variety of content types. I also gained valuable insights into managing global, remote teams and learned how to optimize content creation workflows for large-scale educational programs. Additionally, the feedback loop with both students and instructors highlighted the significance of actively engaging learners through diverse content formats.