Lumia
Led end-to-end product design for an educator community platform — from research through launch — adopted by 500+ teachers in the first month.
Client:
Lumia / Tucson Values Teachers
Category:
Product Design, UX Strategy, Design Systems
My Role:
Head of Product
Collaborators:
Tech. Director: Dillon Walker
The Problem
Arizona loses 1 in 7 teachers every year. The biggest driver isn't pay — it's isolation. Teachers lack access to peers who share their context, and existing tools offer either content without connection or community without structure.
I was brought on to design a platform that could be both.
Research → Structure
Teacher interviews revealed that educators don't think about professional growth the way institutions do. They think in three layers: what's relevant to me, who's like me, and what's happening around me.
Those three mental models became the product's architecture.
Discover
A personalized feed filtered by subject and grade level. Teachers see relevant content immediately — no searching, no noise. I chose a feed model over search-first because research showed teachers wanted to stumble onto useful resources, not hunt for them.
Matchups
The core research insight: teachers want to find someone who gets it. Not a formal mentor — a peer.
I designed a low-friction browsing experience where teachers scan profiles by subject and grade, then start a conversation with a single tap. No public signal, no rejection mechanic. The interaction model prioritizes psychological safety over engagement metrics.
Groups
Peer-led spaces organized by subject and grade level with dedicated content streams and event infrastructure. Designed to feel like a small community, not a subforum — voluntary, warm, low-pressure.
Design System
Built a full component library and token system from scratch. The goal was visual consistency across features and faster engineering handoff on a team with no dedicated front-end resource.
AI in This Project
One designer. No dedicated researcher, copywriter, or front-end engineer.
AI closed every gap — research synthesis, UX copy iteration, production prototyping in Framer, stakeholder presentation materials. This was the project where I learned how to use AI not as a convenience but as a force multiplier. The design decisions were mine. AI made it possible to ship like a team of five.
Impact
500+ educators adopted in month one. Platform live across Arizona. Selected as finalist, IdeaFunding 2026 pitch competition.
What I'd Do Differently
I'd push for structured usability testing earlier. Teacher interviews gave strong directional insight, but I leaned on stakeholder feedback loops more than formal moderated sessions in the first design phase. Earlier testing rounds would have caught interaction friction sooner.
"The attention to detail and thoughtful approach made the process smooth and enjoyable."
Dr. Teresa Hill
Founder, Tucson Values Teachers
