Product Strategy & Vision
Defining the Missing Layer in a Learning Platform
TL;DR
Role: Product Design Manager
Collaborators: Product and Engineering leads
Scope: Learning Tools & Assessments, the core of a higher education courseware platform serving millions of instructors and students
Focus: Defining the pedagogical layer missing from a learning platform's product strategy
Impact: Originated a north star vision adopted across design, product, and engineering — presented to senior leadership as the strategic foundation for a platform serving millions of students
The Problem
Instructors were piecing courses together manually across disconnected tools with no thread connecting any of it to a learning goal. Audit findings confirmed the majority weren't completing core creation tasks.
“The platform often feels like it prioritizes completion and grading automation over real understanding.”
What I Did
I originated this vision independently, then led the process of bringing product and engineering into a shared framework.
Starting with NPS analysis, existing research, and workflow mapping, I developed an instructor mental model that exposed a consistent gap. Content, learning tools, and assessments existed in silos with no clear mechanism connecting them to an overarching learning goal.
Give us the learning goal. We’ll apply the pedagogy.
I then brought product and engineering leads in to pressure-test the framework and build a shared strategic direction across disciplines. The result was four recommendations presented to senior leadership.
Make pedagogy the connective layer
Content and tools exist but we aren’t connecting them
Ground AI assistance in the learning goal
We surface AI before it earns its place in the experience
Surface the right tool at the right time
We have enormous value that instructors can’t find
Make assessment a learning signal
We aren’t giving students feedback that connects scores to understanding
How We Got There
Design
Audit and redesign tools around instructor mental model
Product
Shift to flexible assessment services and scale AI-assisted grading
Engineering
Build modular infrastructure that makes pedagogy operational
Outcomes
Vision adopted as the strategic direction for a product area serving millions of higher ed students
Foundation for AI feature planning and roadmap prioritization across the platform
Presented to courseware leadership and senior executives at a company onsite
UX audits initiated across multiple tools, now actively influencing cross-team roadmap decisions
Presenting the team’s North Star vision at a company onsite