Codecademy

Learn to Code Online · 2019–2022

I joined Codecademy as an IC design lead to incubate a new product. As the team grew fast, I became a hands-on manager, driving big bets like our design system and growing some of our best designers.

Codecademy was acquired by Skillsoft toward the end of my time there.

Role: Design Lead & Manager
Teams: Premium, Gamut Design System, Consumer Business Unit
Site: codecademy.com

Premium: A learning product with a coach

Learners needed more structure and support than the core product offered. Premium paired guided tracks with a 1:1 mentor, weekly goals and a cohort. I designed the pilot end to end.

The learner's week: goals, a guided track, a mentor and a cohort. A light coach nudges before learners get stuck.

The Premium landing page. Geometric illustrations carry the brand instead of stock photos.

Checkout, with a $100 deposit and the balance after 30 days.

Premium learners were more likely to progress than Pro or Free learners. Rather than launching on its own, the parts that worked were folded into Pro.

Cohorts, guided tracks and accountability

Gamut: A design system people trusted

Gamut existed, but nobody trusted it: duplicate components, partial redesigns and no owner. No team could pause its roadmap to fix it, so quality had to go up without slowing shipping.

The audit made the debt visible. The count is illustrative: many near-identical buttons, one component.

Audit and survey Catalogued divergent components and asked every designer what hurt
Sketch to Figma Moved the whole team to one tool, so a shared library was possible
A partner engineer Weekly pairing with someone already frustrated by component debt
Two pitches Engineers heard reuse. PMs heard "10% more scope now, faster shipping later."

Storybook became the source of truth. Every component shows its design and engineering status.

Storybook as source of truth Figma stayed in sync for design work and handoff
Small scope, every project Each roadmap upgraded the components it touched
Systems as a role I shaped and hired a Design Systems Designer to own it full time

Color, type, buttons and cards. Every token has a light and a dark value.

Gamut color: the core palette, guidelines and contrast.

Consistent, not rigid

The Learning Experience needed their own patterns and colors. We extended Gamut with learning-specific rules and an editor palette, while keeping the brand intact.

Instructions, editor and output in one view, with the dark-mode editor palette above. Run is the same Gamut CTA.

Growing the team, not just the product

As Codecademy split into business units, I led design for Consumer. I gave direction and critique, and set up rituals that kept teams aligned. Three designers I mentored were promoted.

Rituals and growth plans.

He brought structure and order to the design process. He has helped a number of designers get their work on track, generate more predictable and trustable timelines, and, ultimately, improve the output.
Head of Design, Codecademy

Yassine has led the Gamut team to a point where it is a stable group that can meet the demands of growing our design system.
Peer Design Manager, Codecademy

Outcome

Gamut became one source of truth that both disciplines trusted, product teams shipped critical projects on it, and design systems became a dedicated team. On Consumer, shared critique and planning rituals made timelines more predictable, and three designers I mentored were promoted. Codecademy was acquired by Skillsoft.

Relationships first Find a motivated partner and show proof. Mandates don't move organizations.
Make debt visible The audit wasn't just discovery. It was the argument.
Grow people on purpose Growth plans and regular critique turn mentorship into promotions.
Hire, don't hustle Some problems need headcount, not more effort.