Yandex Lyceum
Yandex Lyceum is an educational initiative offering free programming and technology courses for students of different ages and experience levels. Its website brings together a wide range of learning opportunities, helping students discover programs that match their interests and goals.
The project involved a complete website redesign, bringing a new visual identity into a cohesive and intuitive digital experience. As the primary UX/UI designer, I designed eight pages across four responsive breakpoints, developed reusable interface components, and helped simplify navigation and interactions to make the website more accessible to its young audience.
Role
Primary UX/UI Designer
Year
2026
MORE THAN A VISUAL REDESIGN
The project began with a new visual identity developed by another studio. While it established the brand's colors, typography, photography style, and overall direction, it offered few established patterns for web interfaces. Our challenge was to translate this identity into a complete, functional website, creating the necessary components and layouts almost from scratch.
At the same time, feedback on the previous website revealed usability issues, particularly among younger students. The redesign needed to go beyond a visual refresh, making the experience clearer and easier to navigate while preserving the brand's playful personality.
BUILDING A FLEXIBLE UI LANGUAGE
With few existing web components to build upon, I designed reusable interface elements, templates, and layouts that could accommodate different types of content. From navigation and cards to more complex page structures, each element needed to feel consistent with the new visual identity while remaining practical and intuitive.
Working closely with art directors from both the studio and client teams, I developed and refined design solutions through multiple rounds of feedback. The process involved balancing creative exploration with usability, finding ways to make expressive visuals work within a functional interface. I also developed motion concepts and Figma storyboards for animated hero sections, which were later implemented by the animation team.
MAKING COURSE EXPLORATION MORE INTUITIVE
One of the most challenging parts of the homepage was the course catalog. It needed to help students explore a wide range of educational programs without overwhelming them with information. I designed the catalog's structure, organizing filters and course cards into a clear interface that makes it easier to narrow down options and compare programs.
I also developed the layout and visual hierarchy of the course cards, carefully arranging titles, descriptions, skills, and practical details to make information easy to scan. The result combines colorful, expressive visuals with a consistent structure that supports quick browsing and comparison.
MAKING INTERACTIONS INTUITIVE
One of the homepage sections featured playful hover animations that revealed additional information. While the client wanted to preserve this interaction, we also needed to ensure that younger users wouldn't miss important content simply because they didn't realize the elements were interactive.
I initially proposed keeping the first element expanded by default, and through team discussions, we arrived at an automatic reveal after a period of inactivity. For mobile, I suggested removing the animation entirely and displaying the information directly, prioritizing clarity over visual effects.
ONE DESIGN LANGUAGE, MANY EXPERIENCES
Beyond the homepage, the redesign covered individual program pages, content-heavy sections, and reusable page templates. Each presented different challenges, from organizing detailed educational information to creating layouts that could accommodate varying amounts and types of content.
I designed eight pages across four responsive breakpoints, along with additional states and templates. Rather than simply scaling down desktop layouts, I adapted compositions, content hierarchies, and interactions to different screen sizes, maintaining both usability and the distinctive visual character of the website.
