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The D2L Desk

Education Has Evolved. Students’ Learning Platform Should, Too.

D2L doesn’t sell desks. But if we did, we’d start our design with a simple question: If every student is unique, why are so many using the same desk?

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The D2L Desk Collage

Why Did D2L Build a Desk?

Traditional desks aren’t built with every student’s needs in mind—they’re all the same. At D2L, we believe in making learning accessible for everyone, no matter who, how or where they like to learn. Our mission is to transform the way the world learns, and with D2L Brightspace, we help educators create learning experiences that are more meaningful, engaging, and personalized.

With this in mind, we created a desk that students could customize and personalize, just like how educators use Brightspace. So, we partnered with the industrial design studio Dystil and the creative agency Zulu Alpha Kilo to reimagine the standard desk and create the ground-breaking D2L Desk.

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Where Did We Get Our Inspiration?

  • Teachers

    We asked teachers and students what they liked and didn’t like about their school desks. And what their dream desks could look like.

  • Students

    Some students like to work together. Others like to work alone. Each student needed something different out of the same desk.

  • Agreed

    They all agreed: Students needed a learning platform that was personalized to them. Not your standard desk.

What Did Early Designs Look Like?

We had a lot of ideas about what the desk could look like. We came up with designs of all shapes and sizes. Some initial design concepts looked more like traditional desks; others looked nothing like one.

The goal was to create a desk that students could customize for themselves. But most of initial concepts didn’t hit the mark.

First desk sketches

First desk sketches

The D2L Desk Concept 1

Concept 1

The D2L Desk Concept 2

Concept 2

The D2L Desk Concept 3

Concept 2

The D2L Desk Concept 4

Concept 4

First desk sketches
The D2L Desk Concept 1
The D2L Desk Concept 2
The D2L Desk Concept 3
The D2L Desk Concept 4

The D2L Desk is a metaphor, showing a tangible example of how people benefit from being able to adapt their learning environment to better fit their learning needs.

 – John Baker, CEO, D2L

This desk is symbolic as to how D2L is reshaping the narrative of learning, and hopefully inspires educators and students to rethink the future of learning.

 – Brian Murray, Chief Creative Officer, Zulu Alpha Kilo

What Is the Final D2L Desk Design?

We realized that should be up to each learner to mold the desk to fit their needs.

The final design allows students to create their own vision of a desk to match how they like to learn. We made something that can be personalized to each unique student.

Some students like to lie back and read. Others like to stand up. Some like to work alone or in pairs. And others want something new every day.

This desk, a versatile learning platform, can do it all.

Every Student is Unique. Their Learning Platform Should be Too.

Brightspace is a flexible and powerful learning innovation platform built for learning at every stage of life, and every stage of learning from kindergarten to the working world and beyond.

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