Unifying Standards, Elevating Skills.
SkillForge : A Digital Learning Platform for Mechanic Skill Certification
SkillForge is PT. United Tractors’ internal platform for upskilling thousands of heavy equipment mechanics across Indonesia. While the original web-based system had been in use for some time, it started showing its limitations,especially in terms of usability and learning flow.
Mechanics often missed their assigned courses due to confusing navigation. Supervisors had minimal visibility into their team’s learning progress. And one of the most problematic areas? The essay correction feature. Reviewers struggled to manage and evaluate written assessments efficiently.
To address these challenges, a full redesign was needed—not just to improve the user experience, but also to ensure the platform could support the company’s larger goals: aligning with Individual Development Plans (IDPs) and streamlining learning across the field.
User Interview :
We Listen, They Talk.
To understand real-world pain points, we conducted interviews with three key user groups : organic mechanics, outsourced mechanics, certification assessor, and supervisors. Each group provided unique insights into how they interact with the system, their challenges, and what they expect from a better learning experience.
“Sometimes I just don’t know which course is right for me.”
Ahmad - Organic Mechanic
Ahmad wants to grow in his role, but the platform didn’t make it easy. With so many course options and no clear path, he often skipped what might have been useful. He mentioned how helpful it would be if the system could guide him based on his position and needs.
What we changed : The new platform connects directly to each worker’s IDP, so Ahmad gets personalized course suggestions without the guesswork.
"If my supervisor doesn’t remind me, I don’t even open the site."
Budi - Organic Mechanic
Budi is hands-on all day and rarely near a laptop. He logs in only when asked, and even then he's not always sure what to do. The course instructions were confusing, and he found essay tests especially unclear.
What we changed : Clearer task instructions, guided learning flows, and built-in notifications now help users like Budi stay on track without needing constant supervision.
“Correcting essays was a nightmare. Too many clicks, too much scrolling.”
Rini - Certification Assessor
Rini manages a team and handles grading. Her main complaint? The review page for essay tests was clunky and made her job harder. She wanted to grade faster, with a clearer layout and ideally, export progress reports too.
What we changed : A redesigned grading experience with inline feedback, batch reviewing, and export tools lets supervisors like Rini work smarter, not harder.
"I don’t always trust the system to save my progress."
Dedi - Instructor
Dedi spends hours uploading course content, reviewing submissions, and prepping materials. He told us that sometimes after inputting test scores or comments, the system wouldn’t save properly or he wasn’t sure it did. That uncertainty led him to double-check everything, wasting time and causing frustration.
What we changed : We implemented autosave for long-form inputs, clear visual feedback after saving, and real-time syncing status so instructors like Dedi can focus on training, not troubleshooting.
Stakeholder Interview :
To understand the strategic direction behind the certification program, we conducted interviews with several key stakeholders. Their input helped us understand the importance of IDP integration, system scalability, and the need for a role-based course experience.
Details Process
Interview with Stakeholder
We carried out three in-depth stakeholder interviews, each lasting approximately 45 minutes. Participants included HR leads, Learning & Development teams, and Technical System Owners. Discussions focused on platform vision, integration requirements, and real-world limitations from both business and technical sides.
Key Insight
Certification Must Align with HR IDP Structure
Stakeholders emphasized that the platform must seamlessly integrate with the Individual Development Plan (IDP) system to personalize learning paths for each mechanic and ensure alignment with internal upskilling strategies.
Supervisors Need Easier Tracking Tools
There was a strong request for better monitoring tools to help supervisors oversee course progress, assignment completion, and certification outcomes, especially for outsourced mechanics.
Content Library Must Be Modular for Future Expansion
Flexibility was a key concern. Stakeholders envisioned a content library that could scale, allowing for the addition of new courses, media types, and assessment formats without overhauling the system.
Comparative Research
Learning From Industry Benchmarks to Design a Purpose-Built Solution.
To ground our redesign in real-world standards, we conducted a comparative study of both specialized learning management systems and mainstream online course platforms. This helped us identify feature gaps and prioritize functionality that directly supports field operations.
User Persona :
Behind The System.
From our interviews, we distilled user insights into realistic personas that represent key roles within the certification process. These personas guided our decisions across UI design, content structure, and role-based feature logic.
Goals :
Gain certifications relevant to their job, understand course requirements, complete them without friction.
Needs :
Guided course paths, mobile-friendly UI, reminders.
Constraints
Often confused by system navigation, forgets deadlines, lacks clear progress indicators.
Design Response :
Clear dashboard summaries, role-based course assignment via IDP, simplified exam flow.
Goals :
Monitor mechanic progress, assign courses for outsource staff, ensure team compliance.
Needs :
Guided course paths, mobile-friendly UI, reminders.
Constraints
Incomplete tracking tools, slow feedback loop, lack of overview.
Design Response :
Admin panel with summary view, batch course assignment, filters per site/unit.
Goals :
Review submitted tests efficiently, especially essays, give fair and fast feedback.
Needs :
Streamlined grading interface, larger content area, batch correction tools.
Constraints
Cumbersome correction process, especially on laptop or mobile.
Design Response :
esponsive essay review layout, easy toggle between questions, annotation tools.
We Listened, We Observed,
Then We Designed.
After understanding the problem deeply, we moved into the solution space. This is the phase where ideas started to take shape through brainstorming and mapping. Every pain point we found now had the chance to be solved.
One Flow
To Match the Field.
We mapped the flow based on real case, not assumptions.
Each step was crafted to match how users actually work in the field, making the process simpler, faster, and more efficient.
