edvisorly
designing an edtech app from 0 to 1
EdVisorly is an early-stage EdTech startup helping community college students successfully transfer to four-year universities.
THe core product problem
The Problem
The transfer journey asked students to make consequential decisions without enough context. The design challenge was to reduce ambiguity, create momentum, and help students understand what to do next without making the product feel like another administrative burden.
Fragmented information
Students had to search across colleges, advisors, university sites, financial aid resources, and application portals.
Unclear requirements
Transfer pathways were full of hidden rules, repeated courses, missed credits, and expensive mistakes.
Limited guidance
Advisors were overloaded, leaving students without the personalized support they needed at key decision points.
“Transferring to a 4-year university shouldn’t be this hard.”
THE CORE CONSIDERATIONS
Balancing comprehensive guidance without overwhelming students
Making a complex transfer process feel approachable and manageable
Helping students understand what to do next with clear, actionable guidance
Building trust through transparent recommendations and accurate information
Product Principles
Principles that kept the product from becoming another confusing portal.
Reduce Uncertainty
Every screen should clarify the student’s path or next decision.
Ask with intent
Every data field needed a clear reason, owner, and moment in the journey.
Create momentum
Progress indicators, small wins, and next steps made the process feel doable.
Example User Flows & Maps
Due to the complex nature of the transfer process, there were many days/weeks spent exploring different user flows and structures to really simplify the process for our students as much as possible.
Research
I spoke to hundreds of college students across America to truly find the root problem within the existing transfer process.
Key Features & Decisions
Key decisions that guided the design
design decision 01
Defer non-critical data collection
University and sales stakeholders wanted extensive information upfront. I worked with the team to separate required fields from optional data, creating a phased approach that preserved lead quality without punishing students on day one.
design decision 02
Use progressive disclosure instead of one massive form
Transfer requirements are inherently complex, but the interface did not need to feel complex. Multi-step onboarding reduced cognitive load by showing only the questions relevant to the student’s current context.
design decision 03
Build the design system while shipping features
As the first UX hire, I designed feature-by-feature while building reusable foundations in parallel. This created consistency without slowing the early-stage product down.
feature 01
Discover universities
feature 02
Apply with EdVisorly
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Increase
Increase in transfer student applications as reported by Texas Tech University
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Less time
Less time spent on EdVisorly application than CommonApp
feature 03
Student Dashboard
feature 04
Messaging
feature 05
EddyAI
feature 05
Roles & Permissions
In order to instill safety for our students as well as prove validity to universities, we wanted to make sure that students verified their education status before participating in group chats and submitting applications.
feature 04
Events
Another unique feature in EdVisorly is it’s messaging. Community is an important aspect of the transfer journey, so we wanted to give students a reliable resource to cultivate their own communities. Through groupchats, students can create and join those that they most relate to and ask questions, get/give advice, and make friends.
Result
Within 2 years, EdVisorly went from 0 users to over 30,000 users. Universities across the nation are implementing the app into their workflows to gain more credible student transfers.
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Students
Are currently using EdVisorly to easily transfer to their dream university
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Universities
Are implementing EdVisorly into their transfer workflows and applications