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LearnPally is an edtech platform helping African students access learning opportunities. When I joined, the product was functional but lacked engagement, had inconsistent design patterns, and offered little motivation for learners to return daily.
LearnPally is an edtech platform helping African students access learning opportunities. When I joined, the product was functional but lacked engagement, had inconsistent design patterns, and offered little motivation for learners to return daily.
EMPATHIZE
EMPATHIZE
Learnpally's mobile app was struggling with poor user engagement and high abandonment rates, directly impacting revenue and customer satisfaction due to the app being created directly from stake holder's idea to development.
Drop-off
80% of students left after initial signup.
Flat experience
Lessons felt transactional, with no clear progress indicators.
Visual inconsistency
UI lacked structure, and flows were confusing.
No stickiness
No reason to log in daily beyond accessing content.
LearnPally’s biggest challenge was retention, students signed up but didn’t stick around. The goal was to design a platform that could:
User Interviews
28 participants
In-depth interviews with students to understand their learning behaviors, frustrations, and what keeps them motivated.
Analytics Review
4 Month Data
Analyzed platform data to track user flows, drop-off points, and engagement patterns over time.
Usability Testing
20 Sessions
Observed learners navigating the platform to identify pain points around clarity, navigation, and feedback loops.
Competitive Analysis
4 Competitors
Benchmarked against leading EdTech platforms like Duolingo, Elevate, Lumosity and Cousera to study how gamification and progress tracking drive habit formation.
I conducted comprehensive research to uncover why students weren’t staying engaged on LearnPally and to identify opportunities to increase retention and motivation.
Most students registered but stopped using LearnPally after 1–2 sessions due to lack of progress feedback.
Users felt the experience was static, they wanted more interactive ways to test their skills beyond text-based lessons.
Students needed visible rewards, streaks, or milestones to keep them coming back daily.
Learners couldn’t easily see which skills they were building or how they were improving over time.
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Many users compared LearnPally to established platforms like Coursera. They said they would rather learn there (even paying Coursera) because they trust the brand more and see clearer value in certificates.
Armed with research insights, we brainstormed and sketched multiple solutions to help users stay engaged on LearnPally.
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![[digital project] image of website design on a laptop (for a graphic design studio)](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/684805891c92594b6263618d/68a8612ceaa542e171aa5890_wireframe%20(7).png)
After synthesizing our ideas, we moved into prototyping to bring the most promising concepts to life. Our focus was on creating tangible experiences that could be tested quickly with students to validate assumptions.
![[interface]](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/684805891c92594b6263618d/68a889a803230acb45e3fb3b_Log%20In%20mockup%20for%20Rose%20(34).png)
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![[interface] screenshot of the dashboard interface (for an erp company)](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/684805891c92594b6263618d/68a88bc27c810457bd46111c_Log%20In%20mockup%20for%20Rose%20(45).png)
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While the initial plan was to run structured usability tests on the prototypes, the scope of the project shifted. Given the urgency to ship an MVP and the breadth of features being redesigned, we made a strategic decision: move directly into v2 with separated design tracks.
Instead of testing in isolation, we validated ideas in a live environment through the MVP release. This included:
New Design System
A scalable system that unified LearnPally’s UI across web and mobile.
Scholarship Funnel
A growth experiment that drove 1,000+ downloads overnight and validated demand.
Financial Aid & Payment System
Redesigned flows for trust, accessibility, and smoother adoption.
This approach allowed us to test retention mechanics, payment trust, and user motivation in real-world conditions—while keeping momentum and learning from live data instead of only lab testing.
Key Outcomes
The MVP launch allowed us to validate ideas in the real world, quickly gathering data and shaping the roadmap for v2.
📥 +1,000 +
Downloads in first 24 hours (from scholarship campaign)
✍️ 72%
Signup Conversion Rate (vs. 45% industry avg)
📊 63%
Active User Retention within first 2 weeks
Business Impact
User Trust ↑
Payment improvements reduced friction.
Cost-Effective Growth
Organic reach from scholarship campaign.
Feature Validation
MVP confirmed which features users valued most.
User Satisfaction
“Cleaner and easier to use”
Payment improvements reduced friction.
User Trust ↑
Scholarship funnel built trust and credibility.
Feedback
Users requested more interactive way of learning
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![[interface] screenshot of the dashboard interface (for an erp company)](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/684805891c92594b6263618d/68ac5873429fc4003e1f982d_Log%20In%20mockup%20for%20Rose%20(44).png)
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