#microEd is a microlearning initiative developed for Harvard Catalyst Postgraduate Education that repurposes course content into Instagram Stories to increase awareness, accessibility, and engagement with educational offerings.
I designed the experience to translate dense or abstract subject matter into an engaging, visually rich, and cognitively accessible format—combining instructional strategy, interaction design, and multimedia storytelling to improve clarity and retention.
Digital Learning Product, Social Engagement Strategy
UX design, Product Strategy, Content Architecture, Prototyping, Visual Design, Training Design
Organization
Harvard University
Problem
Traditional instructional formats often overload learners with information and often do not capitalize on the strengths of digital media.
The challenge was to create a microlearning experience that:
- Delivered meaningful learning in a short format
- Increased engagement through intentional interactivity
- Used multimedia strategically
- Increase visibility of educational offerings
- Reach prospective learners outside traditional channels
- Create low-friction entry points into complex educational content
Research & Discovery
- Audited peer institutions’ social learning and marketing strategies
- Analyzed Instagram platform features and engagement patterns
- Evaluated existing course content for modularization opportunities
Solution
Combine marketing + microlearning to create interactive, learner-centered touchpoints optimized for social platforms.
I designed #microEd, a social microlearning content system using Instagram Stories as a lightweight educational platform.
Key Design Decisions
- Designed Modular Learning Architecture: Structured content into digestible learning sequences
- Applied Multimedia Storytelling: Used motion, visuals, and pacing to reinforce key concepts and sustain attention.
- Integrated Purposeful Interaction: Embedded interactive moments to prompt reflection, decision-making, and active engagement.
- Cross-functional collaboration: Worked with the PGE's Marketing Coordinator to develop reusable visual/content templates for scalable production and created staff training and workflows to operationalize the system across teams.
Outcomes
- Increased Instagram from 200 to 1000+ in 60 days
- Expanded from pilot initiative to core component of organizational marketing strategy
- Scaled adoption through internal training for design, development, and program teams
Because the program it was initially designed for is no longer active, the Instagram Stories are no longer live.
Feel free to interact with the prototype by clicking the image below.
This project demonstrated how UX and learning strategy can transform social media from a marketing channel into an educational product ecosystem.
