CAFRE e-Learning platform

Designing a short, accessible training programme to help NI farmers cut greenhouse gas emissions

Farmers in Northern Ireland need practical support to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet upcoming Net Zero requirements. As Digital Marketing Officer at CAFRE, I shaped the design and structure of an engaging e-learning programme that helps farmers learn these skills quickly and effectively.

Problem

"The average age of a farmer in Northern Ireland is 59 years old".

- DAERA Data 2018

Due to farmers’ daily workload, they often have little time for online training. Data from DAERA shows the average age of a farmer in Northern Ireland is 59. Therefore, the design challenge was to create a training programme that could be completed in under an hour and is accessible for this older age group.

My Role

I managed communication between CAFRE and the external design agency, scheduling meetings, creating timelines, and handling asset transfers.

While my teammates provided technical agricultural expertise, I leveraged my UX background to ensure the training content was accessible and engaging for farmers. I led decisions on content structure, mapped user journeys, and storyboarded modules to define the look, tone, and flow of the programme. I also produced detailed design documentation to help streamline the agency handover. These contributions meant farmers would receive a concise e-learning experience tailored to their needs and time constraints.

My role

Digital Marketing Officer

Project length

8 months (2024 - 2025)

Goal

Create a concise e-learning experience to suit farmers' needs and time constraints

Skills

Content structure, Storyboarding, UX Documentation, Accessibility Design

Research and Discovery

I conducted research using DAERA statistics, interviews with CAFRE technical advisers, and insights from stakeholder meetings.

Key findings:

Farmers often rely on younger family members for help (anecdotal evidence). Therefore, an accessible, easy-to-navigate interface was a priority.
CAFRE technical advisers confirmed that farmers prefer video modules with practical demonstrations or animations over text-heavy content. Therefore, I focused on visual and engaging ways to present information.
Stakeholder meetings revealed past accessibility issues such as small text and hidden content that required scrolling. Therefore, I recommended a text-size adjustment tool and a clear visual hierarchy to guide the user’s attention.

These insights directly shaped the programme’s tone, language, and visual design to better serve its audience.

Design thinking

I used an iterative design process to help structure the programme and keep the farmer’s needs at the centre of the project’s focus.

Method: Flow Diagrams / Affinity mapping content

Goal: Organise training content into a logical, easy-to-follow flow, grouping similar topics into clear modules.

Finding: One module contained overly technical information on carbon capture, making it longer and harder for farmers to follow within limited time.

Action: Streamlined the content by removing non-essential details, ensuring the module stayed focused on learning outcomes and reducing total completion time.

Method: User Journey Map

Goal: Map the user’s experience through the training, identifying pain points and estimating emotional responses.

Finding: A module presented large amounts of raw data in static tables, which risked overwhelming farmers and reducing their ability to retain what they’ve learned.

Action: Reworked the tables into visually engaging graphs with shapes and images, which could be animated by the agency. This made the content easier to understand and more memorable for farmers.

Method: Wireframes / Storyboards

Goal: Create clear visual guides to communicate the desired look, feel, and accuracy of the training content to the design agency.

Finding: The agency’s first draft used stock footage of cattle that didn’t meet NI farming standards (e.g., no double ear tagging), which could undermine farmers’ trust in the programme’s accuracy.

Action: Collaborated with an AV technician to film stock footage from CAFRE farms, ensuring the visuals met farming standards and reinforced credibility with the target audience.

Impact

Although the programme is still in development, my work resulted in a complete UX documentation package, including content flows, user journeys, and storyboards for every module. These deliverables streamlined communication between CAFRE and the design agency, reducing the need for multiple revisions. The agency was able to progress with a clear vision and accurate assets, increasing the likelihood of delivering an accessible, engaging programme for farmers.

✅ Delivered: Full UX documentation package

✅ Streamlined: Reduced back-and-forth between CAFRE and agency

✅ Ensured: Content accuracy & accessibility standards

Reflection

This project strengthened my ability to translate complex technical content into clear, accessible user experiences. Navigating shifting priorities and stakeholder input taught me the importance of staying focused on the user and what they need. I’m taking forward the lessons I learned in accessibility and content flow design so that future projects I work on are not just practical, but also genuinely engaging for the people using them.