EdPlace, a London-based educational technology (EdTech) platform that helps kids improve their skills in English, Science, and Mathematics, was in a high-growth stage but struggled with legacy systems. Net Solutions worked with EdPlace’s back-end team to extend the backend, rewrite the legacy code, and deliver an award-winning iOS app, helping EdPlace maintain its position as one of the UK’s most successful EdTech companies.
EdPlace’s legacy coding was not up to the task of scaling to support both feature expansion and increasing volume, and bringing in a new team at this critical phase involved real risk. They had over 10,000 families using their system. Their existing outsourced team was focused on maintaining the system and fixing bugs, and EdPlace did not have the budget to rebuild the entire infrastructure.
EdPlace started with a core idea and built on it, but the system was not designed or built for rapid growth or scale.
The outsourced developers who had brought EdPlace to its current stage were focused on maintaining the system and fixing bugs. They could not simultaneously scale the infrastructure and deliver new features.
EdPlace had a product that over 10,000 families were already using. Any misstep from a new team could lead to problems and a loss of business, making the decision to bring in Net Solutions a significant leap of faith.
EdPlace needed an iOS app for use on iPhones and iPads that gave parents quick, seamless access to information about their kids’ progress. There were all sorts of challenges in building an app that integrated with the existing platform.
The app had to allow users to access an enormous amount of content without getting confused, offer a sleek, usable design without compromising functionality or UX, enable memory-efficient downloads and uploads so users experienced no lag, engage students and keep them motivated, and make it easy for reviewers hired by EdPlace to evaluate student performance and upload feedback in a variety of formats.
Net Solutions knew that a successful launch would begin with high-level planning, with the expertise of a Business Analyst (BA), a User Experience (UX) Analyst, and a Technical Architect (TA) to work with EdPlace to create an app that facilitates efficient data transfer using drag-and-drop controls. Rather than taking over the backend directly, Net Solutions worked with EdPlace’s existing backend team to extend the backend under Net Solutions’ consultation. This allowed the Net Solutions team to learn the back-end system without losing themselves in the code during the initial development period. The result was a fully integrated app. Technologies used: Objective C, Laravel, MySQL, jQuery, AWS, Lumen.
Net Solutions delivered a fully integrated iOS app with innovative features, and subsequently rewrote EdPlace’s legacy code to make the platform far more scalable.
The app automatically delivered new tasks to students based on their past performance. Students always had relevant, appropriately leveled work ready, without requiring parents to assign it manually.
A dashboard allowed parents and students to evaluate progress at a glance. All the key information was organized and accessible in one place, reducing the time parents spent tracking their child’s development.
Badges and rewards were built into the app to keep students engaged and motivated to continue learning. Gamification elements encouraged students to take on new challenges and reach the next level.
Benchmarking functionality enabled parents to compare their child’s performance with that of other students at their grade level. This gave families meaningful context for understanding how their child was progressing relative to peers.
The app was built to facilitate efficient data transfer with drag-and-drop controls. This made it easy for reviewers hired by EdPlace to evaluate student performance and upload feedback in a variety of formats.
Following the app’s success, EdPlace hired Net Solutions to rewrite the legacy code, making the platform far more scalable. This enabled improvements, including additional subjects beyond EdPlace’s initial core offering of Math, English, and Science, enhanced assessments to provide parents with more comprehensive and actionable information about their child’s progress, and a revised signup configuration that made it easier for parents and teachers to sign up and monitor each child’s account.
Selecting the right vendor was quite a long process. Net Solutions was the company that stood out from the outset. And all the way through to the details, it was clear that they understood what we were looking to do. They were the ones that impressed us the most.
After the successful launch of a well-received MVP, EdPlace relied on Net Solutions to implement changes that improved not only the app but the entire platform; the product later went on to win awards.
The MVP was successfully launched and well-received, validating EdPlace’s value proposition at a critical phase in their development. Its success gave EdPlace the confidence and foundation to invest in improving both the app and the broader platform.
The engagement produced an innovative, comprehensive, and award-winning product. The iOS app delivered on its promise to greatly enhance EdPlace’s value proposition.
The legacy code rewrite made the platform far more scalable, enabling EdPlace to respond to growth in a timely and efficient manner.
The rewritten platform enabled EdPlace to add more subjects beyond its initial core offering of Math, English, and Science. As a result, the product became more comprehensive and competitive.
Enhanced assessments gave parents more comprehensive, actionable information about their child’s progress. The revised signup configuration made it easier for parents and teachers to sign up and monitor each child’s account.
EdPlace continues to rely on Net Solutions to improve its platform, helping it maintain its place as one of the UK’s most successful EdTech companies.
After a long selection process, Net Solutions stood out from the outset. Net Solutions demonstrated calm confidence and a commitment to building the product properly and to a very high standard. Their willingness to work collaboratively with EdPlace’s existing team, rather than displacing them, and their ability to learn the backend system while simultaneously delivering the app, gave EdPlace a partner they could trust at the most critical moment in their growth.
Net Solutions has a calm confidence about them, that they’re going to build the product properly and to a very high standard. That’s is hugely reassuring to me when working with them.
Your growth should not be held back by the code that got you here. If your EdTech platform is running on legacy infrastructure that cannot keep pace with your growth, we have the experience to scale it without putting your existing users at risk. Let us show you how – the right partner makes all the difference at your most critical stage.
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