I started by testing the assumption that completion was a content problem. It was not. Surveys with 40 learners and interviews with 10 course creators kept pointing at the same three things keeping people from finishing: nobody knew they were falling behind, nobody else was doing it with them, and progress disappeared after the first session. So instead of adding more content, I designed the accountability layer — cohort-based learning paths with a fixed rhythm, small peer groups, progress that stays on screen without being asked for, discussion threads attached to the lesson instead of a separate forum, and live session rooms. Then I ran it with a 20-person beta cohort for four weeks, measured engagement and retention on every key flow, and cut the features that cohort ignored.