User Researcher
4 Researchers, 1 Design Director
4 weeks
Challenge
Udacity noticed a significant and steep dropout rate: 66% of students were not completing their courses. Initial feedback revealed surface-level frustrations, but the underlying causes weren’t fully understood.
Working with a small team of researchers, we began our investigation through qualitative research to identify the deeper issues that were leading to poor retention. Ultimately, our goal was to generate actionable insights to support product and content teams but more importantly to align with student's needs.
Key Findings
We interviewed 109 churned students to gather as much qualitative data as possible. From that sample size we broke it down to 4 primary obstacles preventing them from finishing their programs:
Data Collection & Synthesis
All interviews were transcribed and tagged in Dovetail, where we tracked recurring language, frustrations, and themes. Each researcher cross-reviewed peer interviews to strengthen pattern validation and reduce bias. Tags were clustered into thematic categories that fed directly into our synthesis sessions.
We synthesized findings collaboratively in a shared Notion workspace, ultimately identifying four core challenge areas across learners. Many students expressed difficulties in more than one category, so we layered each insight by whether it was a primary or contributing factor to drop-off.
Insights Report
We created a company-wide insights report, which included:
User journey maps showing moments of friction
Direct student quotes, organized by theme
Key “How Might We” questions to spark ideation
Actionable recommendations for product, content, and support teams
The report was shared cross-functionally and used to inform roadmap discussions and pilot solutions.
Jennifer's Journey
Jennifer represents a highly motivated learner who begins with excitement but quickly encounters multiple friction points from steep content jumps to delayed help. While she initially pushes through, her motivation steadily drops as competing responsibilities and lack of support compound. Her story highlights the need for better scaffolding and flexible pacing.
Insight #1: Conflicting Priorities
Many students enrolled in Udacity’s Nanodegree programs while juggling full-time jobs, caregiving responsibilities, or other academic commitments. While they were highly motivated at the start, real-life responsibilities often derailed their progress. The fixed-term structure and lack of flexibility became a critical barrier to course completion.
This wasn’t a case of students giving up, many expressed a desire to return when life allowed it. The issue was that the program couldn’t pause when they needed it to.
