The Challenge

The problem went beyond just scattered content. Keysight's most valuable resource - their extensive library of application notes (including the industry-standard "Application Note 150", considered the Bible of Radio Frequency (RF) engineering) - was buried in Adobe Digital Asset Management (Adobe DAM). Webinars lived on BigMarker, courses in Uberflip, and various other technical resources were distributed across different systems.

If you were looking for content on 5G testing or quantum computing, you might have some webinars over here, some other things over here, and you had to know where to go.

This fragmentation created several critical problems:

• Engineers couldn't discover related technical content across platforms

• No way to track learning patterns or gather insights about engineers' needs

• Technical content management was resource-intensive

• Impossible to implement a cohesive monetization strategy

• Regional access issues, particularly in markets like China

My Role

I joined this 10-month project as Senior Product Designer, initially taking sole responsibility for the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) design phase. As the project expanded, I collaborated with our product design team on the extended platform while contributing to a shared design system. This position at the intersection of various initiatives gave me unique insight into how the learning platform could integrate with Keysight's broader technical ecosystem.

The Process

Discovery & Strategy

I began with a thorough analysis of the technical education landscape. Looking at platforms like Cisco U, IBM, and National Instruments revealed a clear opportunity: while competitors were charging $4,000-6,000 annually for their learning platforms, none had Keysight's depth of technical content or industry authority.

Through stakeholder interviews and platform analysis, I identified several key insights:

• Engineers were naturally curious and wanted to dive deep into technical topics

• The platform needed to support organic exploration while preserving valuable technical content behind authentication

• Content needed to be easily accessible while gathering intelligence about engineers' learning patterns

• The solution needed to scale across global markets and serve different engineering disciplines

Technical Challenges

The complexity of the project became clear early on. Adobe Learning Manager (ALM) would cost $9 per user per month, making it expensive to put all content behind ALM. Additionally, ALM's out-of-box interface wouldn't support the sophisticated technical content discovery experience we envisioned.

This led to one of our most crucial early decisions: adopting a headless approach that would give us greater control over the user experience while allowing us to strategically gate premium content. Working with the development team, we developed solutions for:

• Elasticsearch integration across both ALM and Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) content

• Sophisticated authentication flows with multiple user tiers

• Region-specific content handling

• Custom learning path creation

MVP Development

As the sole designer on the MVP phase, I focused on three core experiences:

First, I designed a unified technical content discovery system bringing together all resource types under a consistent information architecture. This required careful consideration of how different content types would be presented and filtered. The solution needed to work equally well for quick-reference application notes and in-depth technical courses.

Second, I developed a tiered access system that would:

• Allow engineers to browse content freely

• Provide authenticated users access to basic technical resources

• Gate premium content for paid subscribers

• Enable future team-based features

Third, I created the foundation for personalization with the "My Learning Hub" dashboard, giving engineers a home base for tracking their learning journey and discovering relevant technical content.

Platform Evolution

The success of the MVP led to an expanded vision for the platform. I helped evolve the system to support more sophisticated learning journeys through:

Industry Hub Pages

• Curated entry points for specific engineering sectors (automotive, aerospace, etc.)

• Flexible templates supporting different technical content types

• Dynamic content recommendations based on engineering interests

Custom Learning Paths

• Ability for engineers to create and share learning sequences

• Integration with certification programs

• Progress tracking and bookmarking

Global Access Considerations

• Region-specific content management

• Localization support

• Solutions for markets with restricted access

The Solution

The final platform transformed how engineers engage with Keysight's technical knowledge through:

Content Discovery

• Unified search across all technical resources

• Smart filtering and categorization

• Personalized recommendations

• Clear premium content indicators

User Experience

• Seamless authentication flows

• Custom learning paths

• Progress tracking

• Bookmarking system

Advanced Features

• Team management capabilities

• Usage analytics

• Integration with existing systems

Impact

Beyond the immediate improvements in technical content discovery and user experience, the platform provided Keysight with valuable insights into how engineers learn and what content they find most valuable.

The scalable design system and headless architecture we developed set the foundation for continued evolution, allowing Keysight to adapt as engineering needs change and new opportunities emerge.

Looking Forward

This project reinforced my belief in the power of thoughtful, user-centered design to solve complex technical challenges. By focusing on the engineer's learning journey while considering business goals and technical constraints, I helped create a platform that serves both user and business needs effectively.