MaiaLearning
MaiaLearning
MaiaLearning
Timeline:
12‑month redesign & phased rollout
Timeline:
12‑month redesign & phased rollout
Role:
Senior Product Designer (IC lead)
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
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 © 2024 Monochromatic Ltd. All rights reserved.
Workhub, 77 Lower Camden Street, Dublin, D02 XE80, Ireland
Copyright © 2024 Monochromatic Ltd. All rights reserved.
Workhub, 77 Lower Camden Street, Dublin, D02 XE80, Ireland
Copyright © 2024 Monochromatic Ltd. All rights reserved.
Workhub, 77 Lower Camden Street, Dublin, D02 XE80, Ireland
