NextLesson

Agile technical management, strategic UX and creative problem solving were key to evolving, optimizing and maintaining this vibrant app with an enthusiastic customer base.

Challenge & Solution | Takeaway | Approach

Challenge

After XanEdu acquired NextLesson to expand its K-12 portfolio, we faced two interconnected challenges. First: assess inherited technical debt that could constrain development and scalability. Second: create a roadmap for addressing technical limitations while implementing a redesign of the onboarding experience, to support a new subscription model and maintain usability for educators.

Solution

Our team conducted a systematic technical audit to identify critical priorities and create a phased modernization plan. I managed agile sprints ensuring that our work directly supported UX and business goals. The rapid result: a smoother onboarding and an updated codebase ready for further product improvements.

Takeaway

Powerful apps that appear simple and fun on the surface, can present myriad management complexities to technical teams in the form of complex dependency chains and technical debt. Effective cross-functional collaboration is essential for smooth operations and product success. On NextLesson, I was fortunate to manage a small, tight-knit distributed team of talented individuals dedicated to the success of the product. Our practical and agile approach enabled us to not only maintain but also enhance the product while working under strict operational constraints.

Approach

Product Management

NextLesson was one of several apps that I managed in parallel. I participated in roadmap planning and prioritization of feature development, while coordinating agile sprints, quality assurance testing, and code releases. We maintained XanEdu’s commitment to a rapid iteration approach, helping deliver continuous releases with minimal customer service issues.

UX/UI Design

Our lean and agile approach to updating and maintaining NextLesson was complimented by a practical UX/UI design effort. I created mockups and prototypes to support collaboration and goal-alignment on initiatives including eliminating friction in onboarding and navigation and introducing a new subscription model.

Front-End Development

Bandwidth constraints inspired creative approaches to accomplish some tasks. For efficiency, I provided front-end code in a number of ways, including working with an engineer to debug and fix code directly in their Python development environment.