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Bringing a design philosophy into an EdTech platform
The deliverable wasn’t a prototype — it was a way of thinking the team could build from
An EdTech client needed a strategic foundation for their connectivity platform — a way to align product, brand and communication around one shared philosophy instead of separate streams pulling in different directions.
I proposed an unusual but specific source: a book about applying design thinking to your own life. We translated its principles into a product strategy — mindset, positioning, value proposition, and a set of concrete activations the design and engineering teams could pick up next.
Client
EdTech connectivity platform
(Under NDA)
(Under NDA)
Year
2026
My role
Strategy & innovation lead
Focus
Mindset, positioning,
activations roadmap
activations roadmap
Scope
Strategic foundation
for product & brand
for product & brand
Deliverables
Strategy deck
Activations brief
Activations brief
Source
Designing Your Life
Burnett & Evans, 2016
Burnett & Evans, 2016
Approach
Translate principles
into product activations
into product activations
The Challenge
A career platform built on the wrong assumption
Most career platforms operate on the same premise: students input answers, an algorithm processes them, and the platform tells them which career to choose. The output sounds confident; the experience produces anxiety.
To tackle such a complex and human challenge, I spearheaded a strategy rooted in Design Thinking to disrupt the status quo. I knew we had to pivot from delivering a ‘verdict’ to facilitating ‘exploration’. Through this methodology, I aligned the product, brand, and communication teams around a shared, empathetic vision—not only unlocking their potential but turning uncertainty into an actionable roadmap for a real solution.
The Source
A book about designing your life as the foundation of a strategy
The Book
Designing
Your
Life
How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life
Applying design thinking to your own life and career
The book proposes a simple, radical shift: instead of trying to find your one true passion, you prototype, experiment and iterate — building a life that actually works for you by trying it out.
We took that mindset and made it the operating logic of the product. The same shift that helps a person design their life is the shift this platform wants to enable in its young users.
01 · Shift your mindset
From a career-recommendation platform to a career-exploration system
Traditional approach
Input
→
Algorithm
→
Suggested career
This approach
Exploration
→
Experimentation
→
Reflection
→
Iteration
02 · Application
One mindset, applied to three areas of the product
The shift wasn’t just a slogan — it became the operating principle behind the platform’s core value, its brand positioning, and its communication. Each area carries the same logic, expressed in its own form.
B
Brand positioning
Defining the identity and the place the product occupies in the user's mind.
C
Communication
Strategy for connecting with users and the outside world — in the same warm, exploratory tone the product uses inside.
03 · Summary of key concepts
Eight ideas from the book that reshape how the product works
These are the concepts we translated into product principles. Each one became a small lens the team could apply to any decision — a feature, a piece of copy, an empty state.
There is no single passion
The idea that you have one passion you must discover is limiting. Instead, you can develop multiple interests over time.
Think like a designer
Adopt a design mindset: be curious, try things (not just think about them), learn from mistakes and iterate.
Prototype experiences
Don’t just think about what to do — try it on a small scale. Talk to someone in the field. Take a short course. Do a pilot project. Clarity comes from action, not just thinking.
Design your life
Instead of following a linear plan like “step 1 → step 2 → success”, explore different options and adjust based on what you learn.
The three possible lives
Build three different versions of your future life (Odyssey Plans): your improved current path, a parallel alternative, and a more radical option.
Reframing problems
When you feel stuck, change the way you see the problem and question your assumptions. From: “I don’t know what to do.” To: “What gives me energy that I can explore?”
Energy and engagement
More important than prestige: which activities give you energy, and when do you feel most engaged?
Don’t design alone
Conversations create opportunities. Talking with mentors, professionals and friends expands your perspective — early feedback saves months of misdirected work.
04 · Positioning & key differentiator
“We don’t tell you what to study. We help you discover it by trying”
Instead of telling students which career to choose, the platform lets them test possible futures on a small scale, learn from experience, and make decisions with greater clarity. Aligned with a human-centered UX approach — less pressure, more real clarity.
05 · Value proposition
“Learn by trying, not just choosing”
The platform becomes
A safe space to explore
No verdict. No premature closure. A guided experimentation system where trying things is the path forward.
The platform becomes
A facilitator, not a decision-maker
It doesn’t tell users who they should become. It hands them the tools, prompts and reflections to figure it out themselves.
The platform becomes
An anxiety-reducing companion
Reduces pressure, increases engagement through active learning, and aligns with real-world decision-making instead of pretending to predict it.
The shift, in one sentence
We’re shifting from a “career-recommendation platform” to a career-exploration system. Instead of telling students what to choose, we help them prototype different futures, reflect on the experience, and build clarity through action.
06 · Translating into product
Interactions & Communications
Support & exploration strategies
Eight specific moves across the product surface
Each strategy ties back to a concept from the book and lands in a specific moment of the product experience. Together they form the texture of the platform — the way it speaks, suggests and supports.
01
Reframing
Reframe blocking questions when the user gets stuck — a direct impact on reducing anxiety in young users.
“You don’t have to choose now. What could you try this week?”
02
Anti-decision
Avoid premature closure with limited exploration. Emotional support, validation of uncertainty, less pressure.
“You’ve only explored 1 path. Want to see alternatives?”
03
Multiple passions
Guided exploration based on real curiosity. Exploratory onboarding, multiple paths from the start, focus on trying without needing to be “good” yet.
04
Personal journey map
Make the process visible — key for motivation. A map showing paths explored, prototypes completed and personal insights.
“You’re not lost: you’re exploring.”
05
Trade-off game
Teach that choosing means giving something up. Build your ideal life with limited resources — time, energy, money.
“You prioritize flexibility over income. You tend to choose impact over stability.”
06
Energy and engagement
Emotional feedback after each activity. We teach self-awareness, not just provide information.
“Did this give you energy or drain you?”
07
Discover
Explore without pressure — interests, curiosities, desired lifestyle. Without forcing decisions.
“You don’t need to have everything figured out right now.”
08
Iteration loop
An engine that always suggests the next step. The platform should always answer one question: what can I do next?
“Try a similar path. Go deeper into this one. Talk to someone in this field.”
07 · Concrete activations
Proposed activities on the platform
01
Real-world validation · Don’t design alone
Connect — prototype conversations
Automatic suggestions of who to talk to based on the user’s explored interests. Concrete question guides for each conversation. Real stories from professionals already in the field.
Suggested questions like “What surprised you about your job?” or “What do people get wrong about this career?” — aimed at understanding daily reality and validating the user’s interest from the inside.
02
Post-experience reflection · Micro-interactions
Energy tracker — capture flow in real time
Immediate reflection through interactive components: mood sliders (“What did you enjoy most?”), challenges (“What felt hard but interesting?”), and feedback to capture flow states in the moment.
The energy dashboard then visualizes the user’s profile — what activities energize them, where their strengths show up — building self-knowledge based on real evidence, not abstract surveys.
03
Multiplicity of paths · The 3 lives framework
Odyssey plans — three futures, not one
Instead of presenting a final outcome, we explore multiple realities. Path A — creative continuity (the expected path). Path B — analytical alternative (close, but different). Path C — radical, outside the norm.
The goal isn’t the “right answer” — it’s a map of exploration. This builds cognitive flexibility, openness to the unexpected, and reduced fear of making mistakes.
04
Detail and big picture · Progress without pressure
Zoom in, zoom out — switch perspectives
Two views in one tool. Zoom in on a specific career or prototype. Zoom out to see the full path and compare options. Switching between them prevents users from getting lost in either extreme.
We also change the success metric. Instead of % completion or linear steps, we show paths explored, changes in direction, and insights gained. Moving forward ≠ deciding. Moving forward = exploring better.
Reflection
What I’d carry into the next one
Learning
Addressing a challenge as complex and deeply emotional as career guidance and professional reinvention required more than clean interfaces; it demanded a product strategy grounded in action, experimentation, and continuous iteration.
The integration of the Design Thinking for life methodology from Designing Your Life (Bill Burnett & Dave Evans) with Connectivity’s AI engine completely transformed our vision of the product. Some of my key learnings throughout this process were:
Designing Connectivity became a powerful example of how strategic thinking can be applied to complex human challenges. We did not build a job-search tool; we designed a system that teaches people to think like designers of their own lives, using technology not as an end in itself, but as a bridge toward their next meaningful step.
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