Galaxeeds.

Client & context

The client set out to build an online learning network for three groups at once: students, teachers and employers. The name - Galaxeeds - was part of the product, and the client wanted the design to carry that sense of an expanding galaxy of seeds of knowledge.

The challenge

Three-sided platforms are hard. Each group needs its own reason to join, its own tools and its own way to pay or get paid, and the platform has to connect them without becoming confusing. Timeframes were tight, and the design had to be distinctive rather than a standard course catalogue.

What we built

We designed and built a web platform with three roles:

• Students take online courses, interact with teachers and get fast feedback on their work.
• Teachers teach remotely and earn by selling educational videos, courses, books and other media.
• Employers and recruiters join the network to find talent and work with teachers on professional training and upskilling.

The visual design - published by our team on Behance - carries the galaxy theme through navigation, illustrations and course pages.

Process & timeline

Discovery defined the three user journeys and the content-selling model before design started; design and build then ran in parallel sprints to hit the client's deadline. The project was delivered within stringent timeframes, in 5 months.

Results

Galaxeeds launched as one network for learning, teaching and recruiting, with a design that made the brand recognisable.

Students, teachers and employers met on one platform, and teachers could earn from their own content from the first day.

At our current rates, a build of this scope would cost about £40–70k — an estimate from the feature list, not the original invoice.

If we built it today

Today we would build the three-sided model on a modular platform - courses, payments and payouts, messaging and talent search as separate services - and add learning analytics so teachers can see where students drop off. A first release of a product like this typically takes 6–8 weeks; our rates start from £49/hour per developer, and £65–£70/hour for a full team with QA and product ownership. Discovery starts from £3,000.

Building something similar? See our education and e-learning development services, or estimate your project in the cost calculator.