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Platform modernization enabled 3x sales growth for a global edtech leader

  • 135%

    Increase in Active users

  • 29%

    Increase in revenue

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Anthea Strezza

Project Manager, Mcgraw Hill

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About the Client and Project

The client is a world-renowned and longstanding billion-dollar educational publishing and learning technology institution. With a history of over a century, this client offers a comprehensive array of educational resources covering various subjects and disciplines from pre-kindergarten through postgraduate levels.

Its publications include textbooks, digital learning tools, assessments, and online platforms designed to enhance teaching and learning experiences. Through its commitment to quality content, pedagogical expertise, and technological innovation, our client remains a trusted partner for educators and learners striving for academic success.

Industry

Education and Publishing

Project Duration

Ongoing

Team Size

12 to 15

Client Location

USA

Engagement Model

Time & Material Model

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Background and Strategic Fit

Our client, is a distinguished eLearning cornerstone with an extensive academic portfolio. The membership-based platform, tailored specifically for medical students preparing for the United States Medical License Examination (USMLE), boasts an extensive repository with 400+ educational videos and 1000+ study materials.

However, the platform gradually ceded ground to emerging competitors because its sales and user engagement stagnated. This was primarily attributed to the platform’s lack of substantial updates since its inception a decade ago.

Services Offered

#1

Consulting & Planning

Providing strategic project insights

#2

IA & UX/UI Design

Intuitive and engaging user experiences

#3

Application Modernization

Transforming legacy apps into future-ready solutions

#4

DevOps

Accelerating delivery using CI/CD pipelines

#5

Maintenance & Support

24/7 support for continuous performance

Challenges

01
Interactive Video Player
  • Developing an interactive video presented a myriad of challenges that necessitated careful consideration and strategic planning.
  • Optimizing performance and minimizing latency were critical concerns, particularly when implementing interactive features such as real-time comments, polls, or quizzes.
  • Balancing the demand for rich interactive capabilities with the need for efficient video playback required careful resource allocation and optimization of network bandwidth.
  • Integrating interactive elements seamlessly into the video player’s interface without compromising usability or distracting from the viewing experience required a delicate balance of design and functionality.
  • Ensuring compatibility with existing video streaming protocols and standards while innovating to accommodate emerging interactive formats and technologies.
02
Seamless On-Demand Video Streaming
  • Achieving a seamless streaming experience remained paramount to delivering a superior user experience in the development of a video streaming application. However, to accomplish this, we needed to implement a robust infrastructure that could efficiently handle video encoding, storage, and delivery.
  • Advanced video compression techniques such as adaptive bitrate streaming were also imperative to ensure that content could be delivered at the highest quality, while dynamically adjusting to varying network speeds and device capabilities.
  • Implementing features like automatic playback, seamless transitions between videos, and real-time video analytics was necessary to further enhance the overall streaming experience, while fostering user engagement and satisfaction.
03
Data Migration
  • One of the primary hurdles was ensuring the seamless transfer of large volumes of multimedia data from the legacy system to the new infrastructure while ensuring zero downtime and disruptions to user access. This necessitated meticulous planning and execution to mitigate the risk of data loss or corruption, particularly when dealing with sensitive content such as copyrighted videos or user-generated media.
  • Reconciling differences in data formats, structures, and storage architectures between the source and destination systems posed significant compatibility issues. Hence, devising strategies for data mapping, transformation, and validation to ensure that migrated data remains consistent, accurate, and accessible within the new environment was paramount.
  • Optimizing the performance and scalability of the data migration process was essential to prevent bottlenecks and delays that could impede the application’s functionality. This required leveraging efficient data transfer protocols, parallel processing techniques, and scalable storage solutions to expedite the migration of large datasets while maintaining data integrity and reliability.
Project Challenges 5
Project Challenges 6

Client Goals

Modernizing the existing platform, improving its scalability, adaptability, and user-centricity remained a strategic imperative.

  • The platform faced multifaceted challenges, including sluggish operational performance, a lack of adaptability, and limited interactivity.
  • The platform failed to meet the evolving expectations of contemporary user groups, particularly discerning medical aspirants engaged in highly competitive academic pursuits.
  • The platform's inadequacies in speed, flexibility, and interactive functionalities posed significant barriers to engaging and retaining users effectively.
  • Despite boasting a repository of high-quality educational content, the platform suffered from a deficiency in usability-enhancing features, resulting in diminished functional efficacy.
  • The absence of modern tools and features designed to optimize user experience undermined the platform's ability to cater to the diverse needs and preferences of potential users, as well as institutional customers seeking comprehensive educational solutions.
  • An extremely limited content management facility, coupled with deficient platform administration and management capabilities, served as significant impediments to the operational and managerial efficacy of the platform. This operational bottleneck not only compromised the platform's ability to adapt to evolving to new requirements but also undermined its competitiveness in a dynamic e-learning landscape.
  • The platform's deficient administration and management capabilities exacerbated its operational inefficiencies, making tasks such as user management, access control, billing, reporting, and performance monitoring arduous and time-consuming.

Solutions Provided

We always approach complex business challenges through research, strategic planning, and cutting-edge technology. For this client project, we implemented extensive modernization strategies to transform their eLearning platform. We conducted an immersive discovery and documentation workshop to identify critical project needs and target market dynamics. By leveraging the gathered insights, we built a robust, scalable, and user-centric platform that typified engineered excellence.

Solution Offered
Advisory
Advisory

Unified initiated an immersive discovery and documentation workshop, engaging in-depth with the business process through interviews with various stakeholders, including several medical students who used the platform.

Our approach included thorough market research, competitor analysis, and the platform’s SWOT analysis, ensuring that the project’s scope was firmly rooted in actual needs and market dynamics, eliminating potential risks and assumptions. This rigorous process yielded essential project materials:

  • User Personas
  • Information Architecture
  • User Stories
  • Epic Mapping
  • Detailed Project Scope
  • Technology Architecture
  • Project Plan
  • Migration Plan
  • Acceptance Criteria
Engineering
Engineering
  • Unified meticulously crafted a robust, contemporary eLearning platform leveraging cutting-edge technologies.
  • A complete UI design overhaul was also implemented to ensure a modern-day digital experience for intended users.
  • Through the meticulous discovery and documentation phase conducted previously, significant new features and functionalities that were identified were custom-engineered into the new platform.
  • Furthermore, we optimized existing features to enhance user experience.
  • Key enhancements included major innovations and revamped elements, elevating user experience and platform capabilities to new heights.

Key Functionalities

Streamlined learning with seamless streaming, BI, and more, using a comprehensive platform catering to both administrators and end users

Front-End User Application
Front-End User Application
  • Seamless Video Streaming
  • Student Dashboards
  • Advanced search
  • Interactive Video Player
  • Gamification
  • Flashcards
  • Referral
  • B2B Membership (University Licensing)
  • Ticketing
Back-end User Console
Backend User Console
  • Business Intelligence Dashboards
  • Advanced Content Management
  • Advanced Reporting
  • User Management
  • Invoicing
  • Membership Management
  • Ticketing Management
  • Referral Management

Technology Stack

  • Frontend: AngularJS and TypeScript for dynamic, interactive interfaces, with HTML5 and CSS3 for responsive design and static typing.
  • Backend: Node.js with Express.js for building RESTful APIs, providing scalable and efficient backend support.
  • Database: MongoDB for flexible, document-based data storage, ensuring scalability and speed for unstructured data.
  • Cloud Hosting: AWS for cloud infrastructure and Kubernetes for container orchestration, ensuring efficient deployment and management.
  • Security: OAuth 2.0 for secure authentication and authorization, SSL/TLS protocols for encrypted communication.
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angular
nodejs
mongodb
aws
kubernets
ssl
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Oauth

Results

Sales experienced an impressive 3X increase within a mere six months of the platform’s launch, indicative of its immediate market resonance and effectiveness in driving revenue growth.

User engagement witnessed a remarkable 2X surge within just one month post-launch, reflecting the new platform’s ability to captivate and retain the interest of its audience, establishing a strong foundation for sustained user interaction and loyalty.

135 %

Increase in Active users

29 %

Increase in revenue

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After
Before

Before

After

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Unified Infotech has been our trusted technology partner for the past four years, seamlessly integrating as an extension of our team. Throughout this period, they have consistently delivered high-quality solutions that have significantly enhanced and innovated our business operations. Their unwavering commitment and proactive approach have been particularly impressive, demonstrating their dedication to our success.

Dan Milczarski

CTO, CQ Fluency

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Unified Infotech acted as true partners in the redesign of eShipper’s digital presence, demonstrating exceptional dedication and expertise. Their innovative approach and attention to detail resulted in a solution that significantly enhanced our online presence and generated leads. Their work allowed us to grow our business and establish our brand during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction was evident throughout the entire process, making them an indispensable partner for our digital transformation.

Imran Kermalli

Director of E-Commerce & Marketing, eShipper

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Unified Infotech has consistently delivered exceptional performance and has been a reliable partner for Openreel for the last 8 years. Their proficiency in identifying and addressing unforeseen challenges in development is remarkable. The consulting and recommendations provided by them have been transformative, significantly enhancing our product. Their work exemplifies top-tier quality and professionalism

Joe Mathew

CTO, OpenReel

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Unified has been development partner for the last 6 years, and I couldn't be more grateful. They've played a huge role in helping my business grow and scale. Their team is full of top-notch experts who genuinely care about your business. Their consulting-led approach has consistently delivered amazing features and solutions that have been a fantastic boost for us. I can't recommend them enough!

Mark Wheithorn

CEO, DPI

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    Years in Business

  • Total No. of Satisfied Customers

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    Global Clients

  • projects executed successfully

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