Scaling an EdTech startup from 0 to 30,000+ users
001. INTRODUCTION
A quick intro
I joined EdVisorly as a Lead UI/UX Designer in 2022, when the company had about 10 employees. During my first year, I experienced the typical startup environment, collaborating closely with stakeholders to rapidly deliver features in weeks that would take other companies months. Since then, EdVisorly has expanded to nearly 50 employees, undergoing major changes in team structure and product offerings.
Although the work pace remained intense, we started focusing more on new strategic directions. As part of the original small team, I played a crucial role in key company milestones such as achieving profitability, designing the app from scratch, the development of V1 of our design system, and numerous feature releases.
Scope
Tools used
002. THE PROCESS
UX Process
Our UX resources were spread extremely thin, especially since I was the only designer. Due to the startup nature, most of our features were designed without the luxury of in-depth research. I worked closely with the Product Manager to get as streamlined a process as possible.
003. inventing eddy
Branding
I helped EdVisorly take their brand from a simple logo to a more character-based brand called Eddy! I worked closely with our illustrator to bring the “Eddy” character to life.
004. CRAFTING COHESIVE DESIGN
Design System
I created the new EdVisorly design system while also designing the app from the ground up. This design system was very much created “on the go” as more and more components were realized. I then had some time last year to go through and clean it up and create all of the necessary variants and states so that future designers can use it along with the devs.
005. THINGS I WORKED ON
Projects
006. PROJECT #1
Onboarding
007. PROJECT #2
Student dashboard
This is the main hub where students can access all of their resources and activity on the app
This checklist allows students to stay on top of all necessary actions they need to take as well as suggestions to get the most out of the EdVisorly app. This also helped engagement rates by giving the student a sense of completion and progress
We provided a deadline section so that students would never miss an important submission date
008. PROJECT #3
EddyNavigate
A really cool feature in EdVisorly is it’s TransferPath. This is where students could upload their transcripts, have our proprietary AI algorithm read it, and then evaluate their credits and what they’re worth. From there, our AI can put together the recommended “Transfer Path” of which courses to take and when to ensure the student transfers with the most amount of credits in the least amount of time.
Showing the results from a UX brainstorm discussing the user journey of the TransferPath and all of it's considerations
The results of a brainstorm covering the Customer Journey during the TransferPath
009. PROJECT #4
Discover universities
I helped to create the first version of EdVisorly’s “Discover experience”, where students can search for universities to find out more information such as group chats, programs, finances, majors, and upcoming events.
010. PROJECT #5
Apply with EdVisorly
One of the main features of EdVisorly is the “Apply” feature. This allows students to apply to universities directly through our app, for free (for reference, university applications cost anywhere from $50-75, creating a disadvantage for low-income students).
The current standard to apply for universities right now is either directly through the university or through the universally known CommonApp, but both experiences are clunky and time-consuming. We made sure our application is quick and easy to submit.
011. PROJECT #6
Student profile
The student profile is where the student can add relevant information in order to accurately get matched to universities, connect with other students, and keep track of their activity.
012. PROJECT #7
Messaging
Another unique feature in EdVisorly is it’s messaging. Community is an important aspect of the transfer journey, so we wanted to give students a reliable resource to cultivate their own communities. Through groupchats, students can create and join those that they most relate to and ask questions, get/give advice, and make friends.
They can also directly message with universities and university counselors. This is super helpful because it gives the student a direct line to transfer knowledge that they might not have yet.
A video showcasing the final designs of the messaging feature
013. PROJECT #8
Roles & permissions
In order to instill a sense of safety for our students as well as prove validity to universities, we wanted to make sure that students verified their education status before participating in group chats and submitting applications.
014. PROJECT #9
EddyAI
EdVisorly’s market is not just students, but also universities. One of our main selling points was the AI Transcript Reader, which allows universities to rapidly validate student’s transcripts without having to spend time manually going through each one. This feature has saved thousands of hours of work for our university clients.
Showcasing the final designs of the EddyAI desktop screens
015. PROJECT #10
Events
We created events so that universities could host in-person and virtual events for students. This aided in student-to-university engagement.
Lizzie A.
Head of Product
