Red Stream - taking print online

Client Macmillan Education

Sector Publishing & education

Duration22 months

Introduction

Pulse is a learning management system aimed at emerging markets like India and South Africa. We had a challenge on our hands as the the platform had to have an excellent load time, and work seamlessly from browser to small screen and app. It also had a look attractive to learners aged 5-17: a broad cohort.

We were fortunate to work closely with design agency Clearleft on this project. I visited their Brighton office to lead the user research and oversaw the design of the Android app.

The project started with a discovery workshop with all stakeholders in a room to identify the parameters of the project: broad goals, measures of success, obstacles/challenges, the competition, who was responsible for what, and to clearly identify as many unknowns as possible. It was hugely valuable to build a consensus at the start of the project and we often referred back to this document.

Outcomes

1. The product has become a core part of the Pearson’s digital expansion.

2. Debuted the new Pearson branding: the work Clearleft and myself did demonstrated how it can be rolled out successfully into a digital product.

3. Balanced a fresh design with a limited page budget.

4. Stakeholders successfully management: due to this being a high-visibility project, lots of people were keen to input and comment on the UX and UI. I mitigated this by presenting the work with reasons for the designs based on user requirements and evidence, therefore heading off challenges based on personal preference. This built trust and confidence in my work so the team could focus on the bigger picture.

5. I designed the Pulse logo (below).

6. I was hired again by Pearson to work on internal delivery tools.