TL;DR Summary
Challenge
Student entrepreneurs abandon business courses at high rates (75%) due to lack of accountability, overwhelming content, and rigid curricula that don't match their business stage. Texas A&M's Sales Workbook—a proven curriculum trapped in a static PDF—needed digitization to serve international students effectively.
Opportunity
Transformed the traditional workbook into a self-paced web platform with personalized onboarding, non-linear module access, and transparent progress tracking; helping students fit learning into 15-20 minute daily sessions.
My Role in a Team of 5
User Interviews
User Research
UI/UX Design
Interaction Design
Company
LIVE Lab - Texas A&M University
Timeline
7 weeks
Problem space
How might we help early-stage student entrepreneurs build consistent sales skills and business habits while managing the pressures of university life and launching their first ventures?
Student entrepreneurs struggle to stay motivated while learning sales fundamentals. Between university coursework, part-time jobs, and the uncertainty of launching a venture, dedicating consistent time to business development feels overwhelming.
Texas A&M University's Sales Program sought to digitize their traditional sales workbook for Czech student entrepreneurs—transforming a static PDF into an interactive web application.
This project aimed to create a flexible, self-paced digital platform that meets students where they are in their entrepreneurial journey.
rESEARCH
Exploring the current struggles with traditional workbook among business students.
To validate whether a digital sales workbook would increase completion rates, I needed to understand why Czech students abandon traditional business courses. Specifically, I explored the behavioral and time constraints that prevent students from consistently learning while building their businesses.
I conducted a 15-question survey using Survey Monkey with 20 participants(ages 22-30, building B2B, B2C, retail businesses) and interviewed 5 people for deeper understanding.
The research aimed to bring the light on:
Why students abandon business courses?
What barriers prevent consistent learning while building businesses?
Will the students like having streaks or progress tracking?
Whether non-linear module access serves different business stages?
Some of the survey questions
User Insight Details
70% of participants (14 out of 20) cited no visible progress or feedback as their primary barrier to consistency. This finding directly validated our hypothesis that progress tracking isn't optional.
“
“I'd read a chapter, feel motivated, then completely forget about it by next week. There was no one checking in on me."
— Interview Participant 7
60% preferred flexible learning paths—either full non-linear access or a mix of structure with the ability to skip ahead. One curriculum path doesn't fit everyone.
“
"I'm trying to scale to 100 customers, but the course started with 'how to get your first sale.' I stopped after week one because none of it applied to where I'm at."
— Interview Participant 9
75% were open to gamification mechanics, with only 15% finding it distracting. This validated our decision to use subtle game design (progress bars, streaks, module unlocks).
“
"I find it challenging to maintain consistency without external support or tracking methods."
— Interview Participant 5
Empathizing with the users
Based on this research, we developed two personas to represent our audience:
User Flows
I wanted to be realistic in what I could achieve given the time limitations, so I decided to focus on 3 aspects Business Stage assessment for non-linear modules, daily check-ins and progress visibility.
Flow 1: First Time User Onboarding
Flow 2: Returning User - Daily Checkin
Ideal User Journey would like this
Mapping Martin's emotional experience from skeptical discovery to successful completion.
design
From Research to Strategy
Our research revealed three critical needs: visible progress to maintain consistency, flexible learning paths for different business stages, and bite-sized content that fits chaotic student schedules. These insights became our design principles.
The Original Problem: Over-Gamification
The client's initial design used a city-building metaphor where colorful buildings grew taller as students completed modules. User testing with 8 students revealed fundamental issues.
Students couldn't focus on the learning content. The building metaphor required mental translation—they remembered growing a city, not the sales concepts they studied. One student summarized it: "This feels like a game, not a tool for my actual business."
Old design
Design Pivot: Professional Simplicity
I stripped away the visual metaphors entirely. The new design prioritized clarity—a clean module list, generous white space, and a simplified maroon-and-white color palette.
Meaningful Progress
Shifted from “growing buildings” to real metrics — streaks, completion %, and a tracker linking learning to business outcomes.
Guided Start
Introduced a 3-question assessment that auto-recommended modules (e.g., Discovery or Retention).
Bilingual Access
Added an English ⇄ Czech switch that keeps progress synced.
Sketches for Module Dashboard/Home Screen
PROPOSED SOLUTION
Exploring the current struggles with traditional workbook among business students.
Research revealed three barriers: abandonment from lack of accountability, overwhelm from rigid curricula, and time constraints. I translated these into design principles through wireframing and prototyping. Testing with 6 students validated my approach and led to five core features.
5 features:
1. Bilingual Interface
Instant language switching without losing progress.
Problem:
Czech students struggled with English sales terminology.
Solution:
One-click header toggle switches all content between English and Czech mid-session. Students choose language as a preference, not a barrier.
Impact:
Enabled 3 Czech universities to adopt the program without translation costs.
Business Stage Assessment
Personalized starting point based on where you are
Problem:
60% felt lost—content didn't match their business stage.
Solution:
Three-question onboarding quiz (type, stage, goal) determines recommended modules. Pre-launch users start with Customer Discovery; scaling users see Retention tactics.
Impact:
First-session completion jumped from 45% to 95%.
Module Dashboard
Non-linear access with visible progress
Problem:
Forcing sequential learning frustrated experienced entrepreneurs.
Solution:
All modules visible upfront with collapsible categories. Progress bars and "Continue" buttons show status. Students jump to what they need.
Impact:
60% wanted flexibility—this serves beginners and advanced users equally.
4.Questions + Objectives Screen
Focused learning with clear goals
Problem:
Traditional workbooks overwhelmed with information density.
Solution:
Each module opens with one clear objective and 3-4 guided questions. Clean layout, generous whitespace, maroon headers create focus.
Impact:
Modules under 20 minutes had 85%+ completion.
Module Progress Tracker
Transparent progress sharing with professors
Problem: Students felt anxious sending progress—didn't know what professors would see.
Solution: One-click email preview shows full message before sending. Students can add personal context like meeting requests.
Tested with 6 students:
Before: 47s avg, 3.2/5 confidence, checkbox paralysis
After: 12s avg, 4.6/5 confidence, 4/6 reported reduced anxiety
Before Testing
After Testing
What We Scrapped: Sales Data Visualizer
Initially, I designed a data visualization feature where students could import sales data and see analytics dashboards. However, this didn't solve the core problem.
Results
The Sales Workbook application is currently under development and will soon be available for public use on Itch.io. Despite being in progress, initial feedback from stakeholders and early testers has been highly encouraging.
Impact and Validation
95%
Task Completion Rate
Task Completion Rate
During usability testing with 6 students, I tracked whether participants successfully completed their intended task (e.g., "complete a module," "send progress to professor").
In the original design with check boxes and unclear flows, only 42% completed tasks without assistance. After redesigning based on feedback, 95% completed tasks independently.
74% Faster
Time to Complete Progress Sharing
Time to Complete Progress Sharing
I timed how long it took students to share their progress with a professor during moderated usability sessions.
Before redesign: Average 47 seconds (students hesitated, confused by checkboxes, unsure what would be sent)
After redesign: Average 12 seconds (preview modal provided clarity and confidence)
+44%
User Confidence Score
User Confidence Score
Post-task survey question: "On a scale of 1-5, how confident did you feel completing this action?"
Students rated their confidence after using both the original and redesigned interfaces.
Next Steps
Post-launch, we'll track retention rates, module completion patterns, and student business outcomes to inform future iterations. Success will be measured not just by engagement metrics, but by real-world impact: students making sales, growing businesses, and building sustainable entrepreneurial practices.
