Case Study: Fountain Institute’s research-based learning design
How the UX and design online school have leveraged mixed methods research to evolve their learning design.
This week, Marion spoke to the Fountain Institute’s co-founder Hannah Baker.
The Fountain Institute, an up-and-coming Berlin-based startup, runs cohort-based for mid-career professionals seeking advanced skills in product design.
Over the last couple of years, over 300 alumni have completed their programmes in subjects like in UX Strategy and Continuous Research and their community has grown to over 6,500.
With a unique approach to learner research and design, the institute leverages continuous feedback and iterative processes to refine its courses. Hannah provides an insightful look into how these methodologies are applied and the significant role they play in shaping the institute's offerings.
Founding vision
Hannah and her co-founder started the Fountain Institute with a clear vision: to fill the gap in professional development for mid-career designers. "We noticed there was a lot of support at the beginning and end of careers, but not much in the middle," Hannah explains.
This realisation drove them to create live, online courses tailored to the specific needs of experienced professionals. "Our courses are designed based on continuous research and feedback from our students, ensuring they are relevant and effective."
Learner-centric approach
Learner research at the Fountain Institute is a meticulous process, combining qualitative and quantitative methods.
“We conduct discovery interviews with participants before and after the courses to understand their specific needs and motivations,” Hannah explains. “But most importantly we are in constant conversation with them during their whole learning experience.”
This approach allows the Institute to tailor its experience to the exact requirements of its learners, ensuring maximum relevance and impact.
Experimentation mode and continuous learner research
The iterative nature of course design at Fountain Institute is a testament to its commitment to continuous improvement.
"We started with one general course and noticed through interviews that learners were looking for more specific skills,” says Hannah. “We had many assumptions that we needed to test - especially on these topics and skills our alumni would be interested to learn. We ran one-off workshops on multiple themes to qualify that interest and structure our course portfolio accordingly.”
This led the Fountain Institute to break it down into four specialised courses instead of one course offer.
Getting real-time feedback and speed iterating
Each course iteration also incorporates real-time feedback. "During workshops, we use simple feedback mechanisms like Slack polls and reflective questions to gather immediate insights," Hannah notes. These tools help the team make quick adjustments, enhancing the learning experience for current and future cohorts.
“One thing that I have learnt is that it’s easier to catch learners in the heat of the moment - during the workshop or just after - than to chase them with forms later on”.
Asking feedback at every moment of the course is also a team responsibility. It means that they have to adapt quickly and iterate on what needs to be improved, what can be added, while the learners are still in the experience.
Self-assessment of confidence levels
One effective strategy is the use of confidence metrics. “In my Facilitating Workshops course, I ask participants to self-assess their confidence levels at the beginning and end. This not only helps them see their progress but also provides us with valuable quantitative data," says Hannah.
Operationally, the self-assessment of confidence levels is straightforward yet powerful. Hannah explains, "At the start of the course, I ask participants to rate their confidence in key areas. I ask two questions with a scale from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. This initial assessment sets a benchmark.”
The same assessment is repeated at the end of the course. "Participants rate their confidence levels again, and we compare the results to the initial ratings," Hannah continues.
This comparison provides a quantitative measure of growth and helps identify which aspects of the course were most effective. “It started as a way for learners to see their own progress, but it has become a valuable metric for us to gauge the course's impact,” she adds.
Learning experience mapping
A crucial element in designing these courses is learning experience mapping. Hannah elaborates, “At the beginning of a new course creation, we map out the learner's journey from the moment they consider enrolling to the completion of the course.”
This includes pre-course communications, course content delivery, interactions during live sessions, and post-course follow-ups.
Operationally, this mapping involves several stages:
Pre-Course Phase: “We look at what's happening before they press the purchase button,” says Hannah. This includes marketing materials, onboarding emails, and initial expectations setting.
Course Phase: This involves mapping out the entire course duration. “We detail when and how information is communicated, what interactions occur during live workshops, and when assignments are due,” she explains. This helps ensure a balanced and engaging learning experience.
Post-Course Phase: “We also consider what happens after they finish the course,” Hannah adds. This includes follow-up emails, additional resources, and opportunities for alumni engagement.
By mapping out these experiences, the Fountain Institute ensures that every touchpoint is intentional and supportive of the learner's journey.
As the experience constantly evolves thanks to learners’ feedback, the visual tool of the Learning Experience Map is a way to clarify new experiments and quickly juggle with the different components of an Experience while iterating.
“We adapt our Learning Experience Map to reflect changes and use it as a visual aid to see where we can improve”, mentions Hannah.
Leveraging AI as a sparring partner
While AI is not the centrepiece of their strategy, it serves as a valuable tool for specific tasks.
“I use ChatGPT mainly for writing support,” Hannah explains. “It helps overcome the blank page syndrome by generating initial drafts that I can then refine.”
This approach allows Hannah to focus on higher-level content structuring and creative aspects of course development.
However, Hannah is cautious about over-relying on AI. “You need to understand what good looks like in your field to use AI effectively. It can provide inspiration and initial ideas, but the final judgement must come from human expertise,” she emphasises. This balanced use of AI ensures that the institute maintains high-quality, human-centred content.
Practical recommendations
Hannah offers practical advice for learning designer looking to enhance their learner analysis and research processes:
Conduct continuous research: Regularly interview your learners before, during and after courses to iterate your offering and your experience based on their feedback.
Use mixed methods: Combine qualitative insights with quantitative data, such as confidence metrics, to get a comprehensive view of learner progress.
Speed iteration based on feedback: Be prepared to adapt your courses while performing them based on real-time feedback and emerging trends to keep them relevant and effective.
Map your experience: Clarity and intentionality in every step will help you ensure you are always serving your learner and will facilitate iterating on specific components of the experience which are not optimal/ needs to be added or removed.
Conclusion
At the Fountain Institute, learner analysis and research are integral to creating impactful educational experiences.
Hannah Baker’s approach—combining continuous feedback, iterative design, and learning experience mapping —demonstrates how the Founding Institute can stay responsive and relevant in a rapidly changing world. By deeply understanding and adapting to the needs of their learners, the Fountain Institute sets a high standard for professional education in design.
This case study features in Marion’s programme Designing Learning in the AI Era, the next cohort starts 21 October.