Learning Made for Everyone: How We Made Oefenen.nl More Mobile-First and Accessible
Designing for a broad and diverse audience sounds logical but people with little digital experience really put your design to the test. Oefenen.nl works every day to support this group, with a mission to create a society where everyone can participate. To make their platform more accessible and scalable, we conducted a UX assessment and explored where improvements could be made.
"“We want every (young) adult who needs a little extra help to be able to learn and develop in an easy and accessible way. To build their confidence and feel more at home in a rapidly changing society. Individually, and at their own pace. That’s our mission.”"
"– Oefenen.nl"
Oefenen.nl is a digital platform that helps adults improve essential skills such as literacy, numeracy and digital literacy. In 2024, 65,187 learners used the platform to improve their skills at their own pace. They can practise real-life tasks, like filling in forms, using a computer or strengthening their language and maths abilities. This boosts their self-sufficiency and helps them participate more confidently in society.
"“We focus on people who lack the basic knowledge and skills needed to keep up with a rapidly evolving world—native Dutch speakers with limited education, non-native speakers learning Dutch, and people with insufficient digital skills. For many in these groups, formal education isn’t an option. It’s too complex, too rigid, or too expensive. What they need instead is non-formal education: flexible, guided, remote and available 24/7. They often juggle jobs and family, and want to work on their skills in context, in ways that improve their independence. Oefenen.nl and its practice materials meet those needs.”"
"– Oefenen.nl"
Designing for Self-Reliance
Oefenen.nl already had a strong following, but it was time for an update. The challenge was to improve user-friendliness and optimize the mobile experience, as many users access the platform via their phones. We focused on a mobile-first approach with a fresh look and feel and an intuitive interface to support learning even better.
Accessibility in Practice: Lessons from the Library
An inclusive learning environment
Accessibility was central to our design. Field research in a local library—where users come weekly to practise—underlined this. Participants worked independently on language, math or digital skills, using library-provided laptops and headphones.
Independent, with a little help
What stood out was the autonomy of learners. After an intake with library staff, users received recommendations but chose their own learning paths. Volunteers helped them log in, start laptops or print certificates—which were proudly collected and handed out. Social interaction played a big motivational role: participants chatted, shared experiences, and helped each other with tricky exercises.
Digital skill struggles
We also saw users struggle with digital environments. In the “Klik & Tik” program, for instance, they often clicked images at random—unsure which ones were interactive due to missing visual cues. Drag-and-drop exercises also posed problems, especially when no instructions were provided. Many users took notes by hand or snapped photos of the screen, but when an exercise auto-advanced, they didn’t always have time to write things down.
From Insights to Design Decisions
These insights shaped our design:
- Large buttons, strong contrast and logical structure became essential for users unfamiliar with complex interfaces.
- We improved in-exercise feedback so users wouldn’t get stuck or rely on guesswork.
- Our goal: a learning environment that feels digitally safe and enables learners to move at their own pace.
A Personal Dashboard
Navigation challenges
We noticed that while some users navigated Oefenen.nl easily, others got stuck when logging in or choosing exercises. This raised a key question: how do we ensure everyone starts in the right place without feeling overwhelmed?
A clear starting point
We redesigned the information architecture and introduced a personal dashboard—a clean overview showing users which exercises fit their level and goals. Instead of an overwhelming menu, they now get a guided route. Coaches can preload exercises, making it easier for learners to continue where they left off.
A Scalable Mobile Solution
The mobile learning trend
One of the biggest challenges was optimizing exercises for mobile. While many users still work on desktop, more people now expect to practise on their phones—either by choice or necessity. But some exercises didn’t work well on small screens: drag-and-drop tasks would glitch, and buttons were too small to tap.
Analysis and redesign
We mapped all exercise types to identify which interactions worked well and which needed redesign. The result was a consistent structure that works across desktop and mobile.
Key design principles
- Modular structure Exercises now open in full-screen mode on mobile. A fixed header shows which task and lesson the user is in. The middle of the screen contains the question content (video, text, image or audio), and the bottom always holds the answer field and navigation buttons.
- Consistent feedback and navigation Clear “Next” and “Back” buttons help users stay oriented. “Check” becomes “Next” after an answer is reviewed. If the user skips a question or gives an incorrect answer, a banner offers guidance.
- Touch-friendly interactions We replaced tiny clickable elements with large, clear buttons. Drag tasks now begin with a short animation showing how it works. This not only improves accessibility but also allows new exercises to be easily added in the same structure—ensuring mobile consistency long-term.
Learning From Users
Test and iterate
Design doesn’t happen on paper. We returned to the library to test our prototypes. Did the changes actually help the people who use Oefenen.nl?
Smooth onboarding
Account creation went well overall, though some users were unfamiliar with terms like “account” or “username”—reminding us how important plain language is.
Guided tour: helpful or overwhelming?
We introduced an optional wizard. Half the users appreciated it; the other half found it too much. However, all users understood its structure, so we made it optional—available when needed, but not required.
Overview and flow
The personal page was a hit: users found it logical and easy to use. The “add a program” button felt intuitive and naturally led them into their lessons.
Gamification: motivating or confusing?
We added elements like crowns, levels and stickers to encourage motivation. But only one of six users responded positively to the stickers. We realized these elements need clearer explanations—or a different approach altogether.
Accessibility and readability
Some users found the text too small. They didn’t distinguish between headers and body text. This showed the importance of contrast, font size, and—above all—keeping text minimal.
Key takeaway? Calm helps.
Participants said the new layout helped them focus better. With less visual noise, they felt more in control of their learning journey.
From Testing to Delivery
More logical, attractive and accessible
A good design supports you without you even noticing. It guides you smoothly, clarifies your choices and prevents you from getting stuck. That’s what we wanted for Oefenen.nl.
We aimed for a learning path that feels as natural as opening a book: every exercise now follows the same structure—no confusing detours, no obstacles. Accessibility doesn’t stop at the interface. Words matter, too. That’s why we write at B1 level, so texts are clear and usable for everyone.
We used user feedback to refine the design. Those insights were built into the final version, along with further recommendations. After these final adjustments, the new design was deployed. While not all optimizations have gone live yet, Oefenen.nl confirmed they’ll be implemented soon.
The results show our approach worked: mobile and tablet usage has risen significantly, lowering the barrier for learners. The redesign’s main goals have been achieved: a truly accessible learning environment—regardless of users’ digital skills or devices.
"“We continue listening to the needs of our customers, participants and coaches. And we will keep improving our platform while staying on top of edtech trends.”"
"– Oefenen.nl"
What did we learn from this process? That good design doesn’t happen for users, but with them. A learning environment only becomes truly effective when people can move through it effortlessly and with confidence. Involving users from the start reveals issues you wouldn’t spot on your own. Their feedback makes the difference between something that works and something truly valuable.
Curious how Humanoids can help make your digital products more accessible?
Feel free to contact us!