Estela Gaspar, UK-based UX/UI and Service Designer

Context and challenge

The Defence Learning Environment (DLE) is a digital training platform supporting learning across the Royal Navy, Army and RAF. Personnel need to access training in varied environments, often with limited time and connectivity.

Navigation and usability issues made it harder for users to find relevant training and engage with learning effectively. The challenge was to understand these barriers and identify improvements that reflected real training needs.

My role and approach

I worked across research, service design, UX strategy, prototyping and testing. I engaged with recruits, trainers and stakeholders to understand the existing experience, identify pain points and explore potential improvements.

Discovery and user research

Research visits and workshops helped uncover user needs, current behaviours and barriers to accessing e-learning. Activities included stakeholder mapping, personas, empathy maps, user journeys and process mapping.

Service design

I mapped journeys and explored how the wider service could better support learning, considering the people, processes and technology involved, not just the interface.

Prototyping and testing

Iterative prototyping and testing helped explore improvements to navigation, accessibility and the learning experience within the existing Moodle-based environment.

My contribution

My contribution focused on making user needs and service challenges visible, translating research into actionable recommendations, and helping shape a clearer, more user-centred learning experience.

The work provided a foundation for further improvements to the DLE, with a stronger focus on usability, accessibility and the realities of learning in military environments.