Skill Builder Mobile App Case Study
Cloud Training Anywhere, Anytime
My Role
- Senior UX Designer
- Sole Designer
- User Research
- Usability Testing
Working Group
- Principal Product Manager
- Principal Engineers
- Content Strategists
- Accessibility Specialists
Stakeholders
- Executive Leadership
- Product Team
- Design Team
- Engineering Team
Customer Jobs to Be Done
Understanding what users are trying to accomplish and the outcomes they seek
Learn cloud skills in short bursts
Commutes, breaks, in-between tasks
Build consistent learning habits
Daily goals and streaks
Reinforce skills with active recall
Teach-backs, quizzes, voice exercises
Challenges
Retention Gaps
Training was largely transactional, relying on videos and quick checks without reinforcement to build lasting skills.
Time & Access
Learners struggled to find long blocks of study time, and the web app wasn’t optimized for mobile use even though most already turned to their phones.
Competitive Gap
Other platforms offered pieces of the solution, but none combined AI guidance, habit loops, and micro-learning into a single experience.
Insight & Strategy
We designed the mobile app as a companion to Skill Builder web. It was optimized for short
bursts of learning but tightly synced with desktop. Three pillars shaped the strategy:
Time & Accessibility
Transform idle moments (commutes, scrolling) into meaningful progress.
Habit Formation
Use daily goals, streaks, and reminders to build sustainable learning loops.
Reinforcement & Confidence
Incorporate active recall through AI-driven teach-backs, and knowledge checks.
Execution
Design Leadership
Scoped and designed the end-to-end mobile experience in Figma, adapting Cloudscape components for small screens.
Mobile-First Patterns
Introduced swipeable Skill Bites, audio-first playback, and conversational teach-backs tailored for mobile use.
Technical Collaboration
Worked with engineering on cross-device sync, offline support, and App Store compliance through smart bookmarking.
Stakeholder Alignment
Led design reviews, usability studies, and research-driven prioritization to keep teams aligned.
Accessibility Advocacy
Ensured colors, typography, and voice interactions met WCAG standards for inclusive design.
Designs
Example Scenario
Maya needs to learn on the go
- Morning commute: Swipes through Skill Bites on Lambda triggers and completes a quick quiz.
- Lunch break: Bookmarks a longer course for desktop later.
- Evening walk: Switches to audio mode for AI services training.
- Before bed: Completes one more Skill Bite to maintain her streak.
Over the week, Maya reinforced dozens of AWS concepts in short, consistent sessions. This progress synced seamlessly with her desktop learning.
Results & Impact
We exceeded our beta goals with over 90% learner satisfaction and will be shipping the app in early-mid 2026.