Snap a question, learn the answer

The problem

CoLearn sells live classes to students in grades 4 to 12. Paid acquisition was expensive, and students who did sign up often missed classes and churned before the semester ended.

How I approached it

• Used the free tool as the front door. Tanya, CoLearn's photo-to-solution homework helper, already lived on WhatsApp: students sent a photo of a question and got a video solution back in seconds, without installing anything. I used it as the entry point to bring students into the app, where ML image matching on a proprietary question bank powered the same experience.
• Turned free users into learners. Iterative A/B tests on the trial-to-paid funnel amplified trial subscriptions 5X in three months.
• Made showing up rewarding. Instant-gratification rewards and in-class engagement experiments raised class attendance from 58% to over 90% for most students.
• Got new students into their first class. The Join button didn't appear when students opened the app 15–20 minutes before class, so they got confused, messaged support or missed their first class. I put the next class and its join button on the home screen so new students could join without help.
• Kept parents in the loop. Parents received a semester report with their child's attendance, poll participation and notes from teachers, which helped retention.
• Removed friction behind the scenes. Automated onboarding, an in-app chatbot and a classroom tracking system that powered a teacher performance index.

Outcome

• Trial subscriptions grew 5X in three months.
• Class attendance rose from 58% to over 90% for 75% of students, and in-class participation grew 12%.
• Semester renewal reached 90% for paid subscribers.
• Onboarding time fell 97% and weekly support time 60%.
• The homework engine reached millions of students every month and, with the WhatsApp entry point, became CoLearn's low-cost top of funnel.

Design