DesignGrounds 2026 — ongoing
Turning a design reference archive into a learning product
DesignGrounds began as a collection of design references. I wanted it to answer a more practical question: after reading a principle, how do you use it? I rebuilt the archive around lessons, exercises and decisions someone can practise.
- Project
- Independent, free learning product for product designers
- My work
- Learning structure, interaction design, visual system and direction of AI-assisted development
- Core journey
- Choose a starting point → learn → practise → review → apply
- Evaluation
- Heuristic evaluation and checks of responsive and recovery states
In this case 4 decisions + outcome
01
Lessons connect references to practical exercises
The original archive made material available but left the learning path to the reader. I connected lessons, terms, interface patterns, questions and sources so each piece has a useful next step.
The structure supports both a guided route and a quick reference visit. A person can follow a track, look up a term or return to the source behind an explanation.
02
A short diagnostic suggests a learning route
I added a short diagnostic that recommends a learning route and opens the first lesson.
Inside lessons, interface examples and exercises let someone try the idea immediately. The visual system uses tactile objects for entry points and a quieter reading layout around the actual work.
Watch the flow
03
Quiz feedback links back to relevant lessons
A quiz answer should explain what to revisit. I connected feedback to the relevant lesson and added a review queue, keeping the source close to the explanation.
Progress is saved locally without an account. Returning learners can resume their work or review a weak topic from the saved progress screen.
Watch the flow
04
A final brief asks learners to explain their design decisions
A final brief asks the learner to apply the material to an interface decision and explain the reasoning. It brings the path back to the kind of work a designer does.
I used a heuristic evaluation to review the learning experience, alongside checks of empty, returning and recovery states on mobile. Observing learners is the next step in understanding where the teaching needs to change.
Watch the flow
Outcome
Where the work stands
A live learning product with connected lessons, 13 types of interactive exercise, quiz explanations and saved progress. I designed the curriculum structure, content, interface and implementation.
Scope & next steps
Evaluation so far combines a heuristic review with checks of interface behaviour. Learning retention and the experience of real learners still need to be studied.