LMS: Gated Content
Enhancements
Overview
Learners in the audit track often felt lost, with unclear boundaries between free and paid content. I redesigned the gated content experience to clarify access, highlight upgrade opportunities at the right moments, and increase transparency—making the path to verified enrollment more intuitive and compelling.
Role
Lead UX designer
and researcher
Timeline
1.5 months
(3 sprints)
Team
UX, product manager,
engineers
Activities
Data audit, workshops, design, testing
Focus
Clarity, motivation, conversion
Problems
Learners struggle to navigate the Audit track due to unclear content boundaries and inconsistent interface design.
Learners do not get timely messaging letting them know the benefits of upgrading to a verified course track.
Learners need new ways to be enticed to upgrade to the verified track.
How Might We…
How might we clarify the structure and navigation of the Audit track so learners can easily understand what content is available and how to access it confidently?
How might we deliver timely and context-aware upgrade messaging that highlights the benefits of the Verified track when learners are most receptive?
How might we make upgrading to the Verified track more appealing through incentives, personalized value propositions, or enhanced feature visibility?
MVP spoiler alert: Course home page
But please read following sections to see my process on how we came to these decisions.
UX Workshop
Attendees
UX lead
Engineering
Product owner
Workshop Results
Quick-win UI enhancements
Make iconography consistent across experience
Add banners with messaging to select pages with consistent placement
Add better upgrade button placement where gated content exists
Indicate which content is gated on the course outline and progress pages
Reimagined gated content strategies
Blurred or partial answer reveal for free users
Social proof or career impact messaging
Drip-fed content (time-based unlocking)
Upgrade-only discussion board participation
Points or gamification based unlocking
Designs
Lo-fi examples
Enhancements shown in purple.
Unmoderated User Study
The “What course modules can I actually engage with for free” test
I conducted an unmoderated study on usertesting.com to validate the design enhancements from the wireframes above. We focused on the course outline page first with goal of confirming that user better understands what course modules are available in the audit track and which ones are available upon upgrade.
Study findings
Users were instantly aware of gated content due to banner messaging
Users were aware that some course modules were unavailable due to UI chips added
Users were also aware that either all or some content was available in some sections due to lock icons and shading of specific units
Users were also given additional CTA’s on or near gated content areas for easier upgrade access
Design Approach
Clear distinctions – Differentiate gated from free content so learners always know what’s accessible.
Targeted prompts – Show upgrade messages at the moments when value is most relevant.
Consistent UI – Apply uniform patterns for icons, CTAs, and messaging across the platform.
Stronger appeal – Highlight incentives, proof points, and clear benefits for upgrading.
Validated improvements – Use usability studies and data-driven experiments to guide changes.
Designs
Hi-fi examples
See screenshot below that provide engineering with notes with arrows where new design elements are being added. Upon hand-off, I had met with them to discuss and ensure a smooth execution.
Next Steps
Continued audit experience research
Conduct interviews to show ideas for allowing users to engage with exams and assignments in a different ways
Survey for reactions and potential engagement to share course enrollment on social media
A/B test the addition of testimonials near gated content
A/B test the addition of course statistics around course enrollment numbers and enrollment goals
Survey for reactions and potential engagement for the ability to participate (view-only) in discussion boards
Test gamification for sequential badging for completing course sections
Constant feedback
Develop feedback widgets for new features and experience