Building a Scalable EdTech Ecosystem from 0→1
Aulas.in is a B2B SaaS platform designed to bring the entire educational ecosystem online for institutions of all sizes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was tasked with building the platform from scratch—designing a seamless experience for students, teachers, and administrators across web and native mobile apps.
“Aulas gives both students and teachers a real-classroom feel, without the need for physical infrastructure.”
With features like Live Classes, Attendance, Digital Library, Test Management, and Classroom Scheduling, the platform helps institutions run fully branded virtual schools, empowering education beyond physical boundaries.
UX/UI Designer & Researcher
Web, Android, iOS
Ed-Tech, B2B
Challenge
Students and teachers experienced confusion, inefficiency, and cognitive overload.
Educational institutions were relying on fragmented tools—WhatsApp for communication, Zoom/GMeet for live sessions, Google Drive for study material, and separate tools for tests.
There was no single, institution-branded digital platform to unify the experience.
Results
Successfully launched a unified EdTech platform used by 100+ institutions.
Enabled schools to run under their own branding, bringing ownership and trust.
4.7★ rating on the App Store and excellent user engagement.
Reduced classroom setup and communication time.
Simplified student-teacher interaction during the pandemic.
3x
Growth in institutional sign-ups in the first 3 months |
4.7
App Store rating
56%
Drop in student queries due to intuitive UI and notifications
🌀Design Process
🔍 Immerse (Research & Discovery)
Objective: Understand user behaviors, unmet needs, and digital learning gaps.
Methods:
Competitive Benchmarking (Google Classroom, MS Teams, Zoom)
Secondary Research on EdTech trends
Primary Research:
User interviews with students and teachers across tier 1–3 cities
Surveys capturing pain points around online class workflows
Mental model mapping on how students use WhatsApp, Zoom, GDrive
Framing with 5W1H:
Who: Students, teachers, school admins
What: Need a reliable, easy-to-use learning ecosystem
Where: Mobile-first, across India
When: Synchronous (live) and asynchronous (recorded) usage
Why: Existing systems are disjointed, causing inefficiency
How: Users juggle between multiple apps with no integration
Quote from user interview:
"I forget Zoom links all the time. Sometimes notes are in WhatsApp, other times in Drive—it’s a mess."
🧠 Define (Problem Framing & Personas)
Key Insights:
Context switching leads to mental fatigue and missed learning
Teachers needed effortless tools for scheduling and attendance
Admins wanted institutional control and visibility
Personas:
Riya, 17, Student — Wants everything in one place and accessible on her phone
Mr. Sharma, 38, Teacher — Needs to conduct live classes and track student progress
Anjali, Admin — Wants to manage branding, users, and school-wide settings
Problem Statement:
“How might we design a unified platform that simplifies teaching and learning by removing fragmentation, while empowering institutions to retain their identity?”
💡 Ideate (Concepts & Information Architecture)
We ran multiple brainstorming sessions, Crazy 8s, and MoSCoW prioritization to identify MVP features:
Unified dashboard with schedules, classes, and resources
Live class integration + attendance
Digital library
Test creation and auto-grading
Admin control panel with full branding options
Information Architecture:
Structured journeys for students, teachers, and admins—designed for clarity and reduced cognitive load.
🎭 Real-World Design Scenario: The Overengineered “Hand Raise” Feature
Midway through design, the CEO suggested an AI-powered feature:
“Let students raise their actual hand on camera, and notify teachers using image recognition.”
While innovative in theory, the feature wasn’t grounded in UCD. We expressed concerns about false triggers and the lack of user need—but it went to development.
Outcome:
On launch, students scratching their head or adjusting hair triggered false “raise hand” alerts.
Teachers were overwhelmed by frequent, unintended requests.
It led to frustration and disrupted live classes.
Learning:
This incident was a classic case of tech-first bias, where feature development lacked user context. A simple button—familiar, reliable, and intentional—was far more usable.
We reverted to a manual hand raise button after user feedback.
🧪 Test (Validation & Iteration)
Methods:
Remote usability testing on Figma prototypes
Think-aloud sessions with 10+ users (students, teachers, admins)
Metrics: Task completion time, error rate, feedback NPS
Insights from testing:
Students were confused between "Resources" and "Library" → Merged terminology
Teachers needed quicker access to attendance logs post-class
Admins requested control over theme colors and logo → Added in customization
Result:
Task success improved by 27% post-iteration
Onboarding time reduced by 43%
Engagement up significantly after personalization controls were added
🎨 Prototype (UI & Interactions)
Tools Used: Adobe XD + Zeplin for hand-off
Created interactive high-fidelity prototypes for Web, Android, and iOS
Followed Material Design + custom scalable design system
Mobile-first layouts for accessibility in tier-2/3 areas
Used card-based layouts and consistent visual hierarchy for ease of scanning
Key Screens:
Class Dashboard
Live Class View with Interaction Panel
Attendance & Progress Tracker
Digital Library & Test Screens
Admin Branding Console
🚀 Deploy (Delivery & Impact)
Handoff & Collaboration:
Delivered annotated design files and edge-case specs
Worked in Agile sprints with weekly standups and retros
Conducted QA reviews to ensure design consistency in dev builds
Launched On:
Web, Google Play Store, and iOS App Store
🔚 Conclusion
Designing Aulas.in was a deep dive into Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) principles and User-Centered Design (UCD) practices. By grounding every decision in user research and iterative feedback, we bridged the gap between fragmented digital behaviors and a cohesive learning ecosystem. The platform's success was not just in features delivered, but in designing for real human needs—ensuring usability, accessibility, and emotional relevance during a time when digital learning became a necessity.
This project reinforced my belief that truly impactful products are born at the intersection of technology, empathy, and design thinking.