PWMI - Academy Platform
background.
PWMI (De Professionele Werkplaats Maatschappelijke Impact) is a hybrid learning environment where students, educators, and partners collaborate on real-life social challenges in Eindhoven’s Woensel-Zuid neighborhood. PWMI Academy is the next step - a digital platform designed to enhance knowledge sharing, streamline onboarding, support hybrid learning, and improve visibility for social initiatives.
problem definition.
PWMI currently relies on Microsoft Teams and scattered files, which creates confusion and inconsistent communication. There’s no single place to access resources, track projects, or showcase impact. New members struggle with onboarding, and external visibility is limited.
- Lack of structure and centralization for projects and documentation.
- Inefficient onboarding process for interns and educators.
- No clear external platform to highlight impact or opportunities.
project goals.
- Research LMS best practices for community-driven learning.
- Identify needs of students, educators, and social partners.
- Design a user-centered digital platform that supports collaboration and onboarding.
- Increase visibility and engagement around PWMI initiatives.
- Deliver a validated concept and prototype for implementation.
discovery & research.
- Interviews with interns and partners to uncover real challenges.
- Benchmarking LMS tools and hybrid learning solutions.
- Stakeholder workshops and kickoff sessions.
- User needs mapping and feedback validation.
The research phase revealed a strong need for structure, clarity, and a shared space for collaboration. The final concept needed to unify knowledge, learning, and community.
analysis & ideation.
With the research findings in place, we translated user needs into actionable design directions. We defined platform goals, personas, and user journeys, then developed low-fidelity wireframes and visual language guidelines.
- Personas & user journey mapping.
- Low-fidelity wireframes for early validation.
- Platform structure and visual language system.
- Exploration of onboarding flows and storytelling features.
prototyping & validation.
- Created interactive low- and mid-fidelity prototypes.
- Tested with users and stakeholders for feedback.
- Improved navigation and hierarchy based on results.
- Delivered high-fidelity prototype for final validation.
The prototype validated usability and alignment with PWMI’s mission, ensuring clarity, simplicity, and scalability.
realisation.
- Developed initial components (homepage, onboarding, calendar, events, blogs).
- Set up scalable Vue + Tailwind architecture.
- Ensured responsiveness and WCAG accessibility from the start.
- Laid groundwork for future CMS integration.