Referrals
Team
1 designer,
Year
01/01/000
Company
Outschool
Year
2024
Client
Name here
Year
8 engineers, 1 product manager
Company
Outschool
Year
2023
Successful referrals come from storytelling
To enhance our referral program, my UX researcher and I interviewed parents who had successfully referred friends to Outschool, whether through our program or independently. A common thread in these conversations was that parents loved sharing personal stories about how Outschool benefited their child, which made them more enthusiastic about recommending the platform. Unlike typical consumer referral programs, where the product isn't deeply personal and motivation is driven by monetary gain, Outschool is tied to their child's education, making these testimonials and stories even more impactful. We realized that our current referral program wasn’t leveraging this key insight, as it wasn’t equipping parents with tools to share their stories, and referred users were simply being directed to a generic landing page that missed this critical emotional connection.
Finding the right approach with storyboarding
After analyzing interview insights with my UX researcher, I realized the need to explore the different scenarios in which parents refer friends and share their experiences with our product. To bridge the communication gap with stakeholders—who didn’t fully grasp why our referral program needed to be distinct from others—I crafted detailed user stories. These stories illustrated the current referral journey and contrasted it with ideal scenarios that represented successful referrals. By using AI-generated storyboards, I brought these user stories to life, which not only deepened my understanding of the motivations behind referrals but also served as tangible tools to engage stakeholders. These storyboards helped build shared empathy across the team and acted as experience blueprints, guiding my design solutions before I even sketched any mocks or flows.
Profiles as shareable artifacts
When brainstorming how to create shareable artifacts for parents to showcase their Outschool journey, I looked to other digital platforms that excel in user storytelling. I noticed that viral sharing often stems from user profiles, which highlight personal stories through activity and engagement. On platforms like Instagram, Spotify, and LinkedIn, users effortlessly share slices of their lives through their interactions, preferences, and statistics. This insight led me to envision a similar approach for Outschool, where parents could easily and automatically share their family's experiences. By tapping into their own stories and testimonials, parents could naturally promote Outschool without needing to overthink the process.
UGC, class history, reviews paint a picture
For the first iteration of the parent profile, I focused on a creative approach that leveraged existing site content to build something new and shareable, without requiring extra effort from parents. My goal was to construct the profile using data and content already generated by parents through their interactions on Outschool. I began by identifying key elements like class history, submitted photos and videos, teacher lists, reviews, favorited classes, and engagement stats. By curating these existing pieces in a compelling way, I aimed to craft a narrative that would naturally tell the story of each family's Outschool journey, turning everyday activity into a shareable, engaging profile.
Navigating privacy challenges V1
One of the toughest challenges in developing the profile feature was addressing parent and child privacy concerns, which are critical in the education space and require stringent ethical and legal considerations. The goal was to balance user storytelling with the protection of sensitive data. To achieve this, I worked closely with my product manager and legal team, exploring different approaches, from the open profiles of platforms like Facebook to the privacy-focused designs of document-sharing tools. Recognizing that open settings wouldn't suffice, we opted for a default private profile link. This solution allowed families to securely share their stories while maintaining full control over their privacy, effectively balancing openness and security.
Navigating privacy challenges V2
One of the most challenging aspects of developing the profile feature was addressing parent and child privacy concerns, a critical issue in the education space that requires heightened ethical and legal scrutiny. The challenge was to find a solution that balanced the need for users to share their Outschool stories while ensuring the privacy of sensitive data. To tackle this, I collaborated closely with my product manager and legal team, navigating the complexities of both privacy and UX goals. We explored various analogous experiences, from the open and shareable profiles of platforms like Facebook and Instagram to more privacy-focused approaches seen in document-sharing tools. Recognizing that the default open settings of social platforms wouldn’t meet our privacy needs, I was inspired by experiences where information is assumed private by default. After multiple iterations and discussions with the legal team, we implemented a private profile link as the default setting. This solution ensured that families could securely share their stories while maintaining full control over their privacy, achieving a balance between openness and security.
UGC, class history, reviews paint a picture
For the first iteration of the parent profile, I focused on a creative approach that leveraged existing site content to build something new and shareable, without requiring extra effort from parents. My goal was to construct the profile using data and content already generated by parents through their interactions on Outschool. I began by identifying key elements like class history, submitted photos and videos, teacher lists, reviews, favorited classes, and engagement stats. By curating these existing pieces in a compelling way, I aimed to craft a narrative that would naturally tell the story of each family's Outschool journey, turning everyday activity into a shareable, engaging profile.
A vision realized with generative AI
To effectively resonate with our parent user base, I undertook a deep exploration of our value proposition, transitioning from the broad theme of "freedom of learning" to a more targeted, goal-based message: empowering children to achieve and pursue their passions. Recognizing that our existing users appreciated the platform's diversity and range of learning options, the challenge lay in harmonizing this with our new focus. Through iterative design and concept testing, I converged on the idea of centering our messaging around exploring kids' dream jobs, seamlessly blending the value parents currently receive with our aspirational goal of fostering goal-based learning.