Case Study: Teacherly - Collaborative Lesson Planning and Peer-to-Peer learning Platform
Project overview
Teacherly is a collaborative lesson planning and peer-to-peer learning platform designed to connect teachers across departments, schools, and countries.
The platform creates clusters of teacher communities to improve workflow, enhance efficiency, and elevate the quality of lesson planning. By providing pre-made, curriculum-compliant lessons and tools for recording and sharing materials, Teacherly significantly reduces the workload for teachers and saves them valuable time. At the school management level, Teacherly aids in compliance and provides insights into the quality of daily teaching.
Target users:
● Teachers ● School management ● Students
Project goals
Reduce the time spent on lesson planning and facilitate collaboration among teachers globally.
Challenges
Create an innovative, one-stop platform for lesson planning and live sessions that caters to various curriculums (UK, US, IB) and supports live collaboration between teachers and students.
Project scope
Platforms:
Web Mobile
Key features:
● Pre-made Lesson Templates
● Lesson Planning Tools
● Live collaboration on lessons
● Live Video Lessons with Teaching Tools
● Student’s Progress Statistics
● Lesson Planning Tools
● Live collaboration on lessons
● Live Video Lessons with Teaching Tools
● Student’s Progress Statistics
Pre-made Lesson Templates
Lesson Planning Tools
Live collaboration on lessons
Live Video Lessons with Teaching Tools
Student’s Progress Statistics
Design process
Initial Research:
The CEO, a former teacher, highlighted the need for an efficient lesson planning and teaching tool.
Conducted over 30 interviews with teachers from the UK and UAE to understand their current solutions and desired features.
Market and competitive analysis with the tech and research teams revealed a lack of all-in-one platforms.
Design Development:
Developed the design concept through UX/UI tests with teachers.
Used Sketch App initially, then transitioned to Figma for design and prototyping.
Created a scalable design system for all design elements with ready-to-go specs for dev team.
Key Insights:
Teachers currently use multiple services with different login credentials.
There is a strong demand for a unified platform that simplifies lesson planning and collaboration.
Design execution
Design principles:
● Emphasize content hierarchy, balance, and clarity.
● Ensure ease of use for both teachers and students.
● Ensure ease of use for both teachers and students.
Dropdown design with all possible cases
Some of the icons
Canvas toolbar
Design challenges:
● Develop a cross-platform solution compatible with various devices (iPads, Android tablets, Surface).
● Ensure smooth performance and adaptive design for different screen sizes and aspect ratios.
● Ensure smooth performance and adaptive design for different screen sizes and aspect ratios.
Tools and Technologies:
Design and prototypes created in Figma.
User testing and interviews conducted via Google Meets, UserTesting.com, and other platforms.
User testing and interviews conducted via Google Meets, UserTesting.com, and other platforms.
Team Composition
● Led a design team of three.
● Worked closely with the development team and collaborated with marketing, customer success, and sales departments.
● 100% remote team using Slack, Zoom, and Jira.
● Worked closely with the development team and collaborated with marketing, customer success, and sales departments.
● 100% remote team using Slack, Zoom, and Jira.
Outcome and impact
Key Outcomes:
Launched in 2018, Teacherly now boasts a community of over 14,000 educators, with pre-pandemic monthly users exceeding 70,000.
Expanded to include teachers from 38% of the world, with significant user bases in the UK, Middle East, and North Africa.
Expanded to include teachers from 38% of the world, with significant user bases in the UK, Middle East, and North Africa.
Funding and Growth:
Raised around £3 million, including £1.5 million in venture capital funding.
Received match-funding from the UAE and investment from US-based Global Village.
Teacherly has been accepted onto the San Francisco based Global Village Network Catalyst Programme, a programme Founded by Erik Torenberge (Co- Founder of Product Hunt) and Anne Dwane (Chief Business Officer of Chegg, GSV Ventures Partner) and backed by the likes of Jeff Bezos, Reid Hoffman, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Mark Zuckerberg. Teacherly is the only Edtech startup to be selected
Received match-funding from the UAE and investment from US-based Global Village.
Teacherly has been accepted onto the San Francisco based Global Village Network Catalyst Programme, a programme Founded by Erik Torenberge (Co- Founder of Product Hunt) and Anne Dwane (Chief Business Officer of Chegg, GSV Ventures Partner) and backed by the likes of Jeff Bezos, Reid Hoffman, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Mark Zuckerberg. Teacherly is the only Edtech startup to be selected
Reflection
Key learnings:
Gained experience in building a multicultural platform with design approaches tailored to different cultures.
Progressed from Freelance UI/UX Designer to Product Lead in 1 Year.
Collaborated with diverse teams across the globe, enriching the design and development process.
Progressed from Freelance UI/UX Designer to Product Lead in 1 Year.
Collaborated with diverse teams across the globe, enriching the design and development process.
Conclusion
Teacherly exemplifies a successful integration of design, technology, and user-centric research to create a platform that addresses the critical needs of educators worldwide. The project's growth and impact reflect its value in the educational technology space, setting a high standard for future innovations.