MaiaLearning
MaiaLearning
MaiaLearning
Timeline: Jun 2022–Jun 2023
Timeline:
12‑month redesign & phased rollout
Timeline:
12‑month redesign & phased rollout
Role: Senior Product Designer
Role:
Senior Product Designer (IC lead)
Team:
1 Product Designer, 1 PM, 5 Engineers, 1 UX Researcher
Team:
1 Product Designer, 1 PM, 5 Engineers, 1 UX Researcher
Platform Reach:
2 M+ students & counselors across 40+ countries
Platform Reach:
2 M+ students & counselors across 40+ countries
Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Redesigned core journeys, navigation and the design system for MaiaLearning, then returned for further contract work in 2025. Across engagements, student planning completion increased from 58% to 74% and related support requests decreased by 25%.
MaiaLearning, a global EdTech SaaS platform, saw engagement slide and support costs rise due to a fragmented interface. Over one year, I led a feature‑by‑feature UX transformation that simplified navigation, introduced game‑inspired motivation mechanics, and boosted KPIs: +31 % daily task completions, ‑40 % support tickets, and +20 NPS within 90 days of the final rollout.
MaiaLearning, a global EdTech SaaS platform, saw engagement slide and support costs rise due to a fragmented interface. Over one year, I led a feature‑by‑feature UX transformation that simplified navigation, introduced game‑inspired motivation mechanics, and boosted KPIs: +31 % daily task completions, ‑40 % support tickets, and +20 NPS within 90 days of the final rollout.
Business Context
Business Context
Business Context
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Industry: College & career readiness (K‑12 & Higher‑Ed)
Industry: College & career readiness (K‑12 & Higher‑Ed)
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Revenue Model: Annual per‑seat licences sold to school districts & international schools
Revenue Model: Annual per‑seat licences sold to school districts & international schools
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Strategic Goal 2024: Lift renewal rate to > 95 % and launch in APAC.
Strategic Goal 2024: Lift renewal rate to > 95 % and launch in APAC.
“Navigation is overwhelming; I can’t even find the college list my counselor asked for.” — 11th‑grade student
Pain Point
Pain Point
Pain Point
Pain Point
Over-complex, deeply-nested IA
Over-complex,
deeply-nested IA
-15 % weekly actives → elevated adoption risk
Siloed modules & inconsistent UI patterns
Siloed modules & inconsistent UI patterns
Support calls 28 % longer → ≈ $65 k/yr extra spend
Steep onboarding curve
Steep onboarding curve
24-day median time-to-first-value → slower district ramp-up
Before
Before
After
After
Iterate
Iterate
Iterate
Objectives
Objectives
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Re-ignite user engagement → +20 % weekly actives within 6 months
Re-ignite user engagement → +20 % weekly actives within 6 months
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Trim support costs → cut average call length by 25 %
Trim support costs → cut average call length by 25 %
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Accelerate onboarding → halve time-to-first-value for new districts
Accelerate onboarding → halve time-to-first-value for new districts
Approach & Methodology
Approach & Methodology
Approach & Methodology
Discover
Discover
Pain-point matrix, opportunity sizing, “north-star” journey
Pain-point matrix, opportunity sizing, “north-star” journey
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42 stakeholder interviews
42 stakeholder interviews
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HEUR + analytics audit
HEUR + analytics audit
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Jobs-to-be-Done mapping
Jobs-to-be-Done mapping
Define
Define
4-quarter rollout slate, KPI scorecard
4-quarter rollout slate, KPI scorecard
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Co-created success metrics w/ PM & CS
Co-created success metrics w/ PM & CS
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Prioritized roadmap (RICE)
Prioritized roadmap (RICE)
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4-quarter rollout slate, KPI scorecard
4-quarter rollout slate, KPI scorecard
Design
Design
Design
Solution Highlights
Solution Highlights
Based on user feedback and testing insights, the following design enhancements were implemented:
Based on user feedback and testing insights, the following design enhancements were implemented:
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Unified Navigation – Flattened IA and surfaced most-used tasks in a global left rail.
Unified Navigation – Flattened IA and surfaced most-used tasks in a global left rail.
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Cross-module Design System – Tokens + components reduced net-new UI debt; hand-off docs cut dev rework by 30 %.
Cross-module Design System – Tokens + components reduced net-new UI debt; hand-off docs cut dev rework by 30 %.
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Guided Onboarding – Contextual tours and progress tracker moved “college list” creation up in the first session.
Guided Onboarding – Contextual tours and progress tracker moved “college list” creation up in the first session.
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Data-Driven Iterations – Real-time event tracking allowed weekly micro-pivots (e.g., renaming “Colleges I’m Thinking About” to “My College Ideas” increased clicks by 12 %).
Data-Driven Iterations – Real-time event tracking allowed weekly micro-pivots (e.g., renaming “Colleges I’m Thinking About” to “My College Ideas” increased clicks by 12 %).
Measure
Measure
Measure
KPI
KPI
Base
Base
6mo
6mo
12mo
12mo
Delta
Delta
Weekly Active Users
Weekly Active Users
38 %
38 %
46 %
46 %
55 %
55 %
+17 pp
+17
pp
Avg. Support Call Length
Avg. Support Call Length
16 min
16
min
13 min
13
min
11.5 min
11.5
min
-28 %
-28%
Time-to-First-Value
Time-to-First-Value
24 days
24
days
16 days
16
days
11 days
11
days
-54 %
-54%
CSAT (Support)
CSAT (Support)
82
82
86
86
90
90
+8 pts
+8
pts
Net Renewal Rate
Net Renewal Rate
92 % |
92 % |
94 %
94 %
97 %
97 %
+5 pp
+5
pp
Conclusion
Conclusion
Metrics define momentum – framing UX debt in dollars and risk got exec funding fast.
Staged delivery beats “big-bang” – feature flags kept us shipping while de-risking.
Design ops ≈ leverage – investing early in a library freed 20 % of design capacity for higher-order work.
Metrics define momentum – framing UX debt in dollars and risk got exec funding fast.
Staged delivery beats “big-bang” – feature flags kept us shipping while de-risking.
Design ops ≈ leverage – investing early in a library freed 20 % of design capacity for higher-order work.
This case study highlights how thoughtful UX/UI design can drive real impact, making career guidance platforms more accessible, engaging, and effective for students, educators, and administrators alike.
This case study highlights how thoughtful UX/UI design can drive real impact, making career guidance platforms more accessible, engaging, and effective for students, educators, and administrators alike.
Copyright © 2026 Monochromatic Ltd. All rights reserved.
Workhub, 77 Lower Camden Street, Dublin, D02 XE80, Ireland
Copyright © 2026 Monochromatic Ltd. All rights reserved.
Workhub, 77 Lower Camden Street, Dublin, D02 XE80, Ireland
Copyright © 2026 Monochromatic Ltd. All rights reserved.
Workhub, 77 Lower Camden Street, Dublin, D02 XE80, Ireland
