Scholarin
Scholarin is an e-learning platform for students aged 9–18, helping them earn AP credits for college transcripts while offering niche courses beyond traditional curriculums.
I developed the business strategy, established the brand, and designed an MVP clickable prototype for investor presentations. This involved extensive market analysis, user research, and iterative user testing to refine the experience.
100% of this project was done by Adam Lundblad (2022)
The biggest challenge in this project was the tight four-month timeline, within this time, I took the project from concept to delivery while independently conducting my own research and testing. Given the project's immense scope, I had to carefully manage stakeholder expectations, emphasizing that while the visual design/UI was important, it would not be prioritized as highly as other critical aspects.
Research
Competitor analysis was pivotal in shaping our business strategy and design choices for this project. After building the prototype, I conducted user research to identify usability issues and user pain points.
Key Insights:
• In order to break into the e-learning market, a focused niche must be targeted
• User demographics may vary; however, the target market is children/teens between the ages of 9-18
• Today's students are comfortable with the e-learning experience, and in some cases prefer it
UX Development
The UX development process involved creating research-based personas, key user stories, a site map, and a comprehensive feature set. I identified three primary user categories—Students, Instructors, and Free Users—each with distinct personas and user stories. The primary goal was to design a streamlined, intuitive platform tailored to the unique needs of each user group.
Visual Design
I aimed to maintain a minimalist visual design for both aesthetic appeal and due to time constraints. The design system utilizes a combination of the primary red and grayscale colors. The logo features the letter "S" from Scholarin and depicts two books stacked on top of each other, symbolizing education.
Key State Screens
*Please note that the following screens do not outline full features or flows, and only serve to get a better holistic view of the project. If you would like to see the full project, please request the UX architect guide.
Creating Scholarin’s MVP involved developing three key sections: the marketing site, student portal, and instructor portal.
The marketing site engages users and highlights Scholarin’s benefits, emphasizing micro-degrees and AP credit opportunities. The student portal provides access to course materials, assignments, peer and instructor communication, and progress tracking. The instructor portal enables monitoring of individual and class progress, supporting online teaching with insights on students at risk of failing.
Mobile Responsive
While I was unable to fully develop the mobile-responsive screens, I emphasized to the client the critical importance of mobile responsiveness for their project. To illustrate this, I provided examples of how key screens might appear on mobile devices, emphasizing the need for seamless user experience across all devices.
Project Summary
This project had an extensive scope - I translated the founder's concept into a tested prototype and delivered a complete UX architecture guide, all while independently conducting research and testing.
The experience taught me a lot - I honed my project management skills, particularly under the constraints of a tight timeline. While the tight schedule limited the time I could dedicate to visual design, it provided an opportunity to strengthen my strategic and organizational abilities.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the project was outlining the business model. It allowed me to shape product fit and strategy—a rare opportunity for a UX/Product designer. Though I haven’t followed up with the founder post-handover, I was pleased to learn the they had decided to rename the company and platform. I’m deeply grateful to the stakeholder for trusting me with their vision and giving me the opportunity to contribute to such a meaningful project.