Multi-functional Digital Educational Platform for DJs

An educational platform with a training materials database where users can learn and become a part of the DJs community. The solution includes an iOS app, a web application, and the Admin panel to create and add educational content.
Industry
Education
Team
28 members
Started In
2021
Country
UK

About a Project

Our customer is a UK-based company that has grown from a creative startup to a successful and fast-growing project of We Are Crossfader. By the beginning of the cooperation, there were already more than 5,000 platform users from more than 100 countries worldwide. The project aims to develop the DJ community and includes a website that sells DJ training courses and a merch store.

Goals set to Cleveroad

  1. Add a new value stream by creating a professional Hub and distributing subscription
  2. Improve the platform functionality while maintaining the existing user base
  3. Enhance the user experience of new and already existing students
 

Solutions we’ve delivered

  1. Create DJ Hub — a digital space for training novice and experienced DJs. Provide the ability of subscribing DJ Hub to explore a new value stream and increase profitability.
  2. Build a new Admin panel to make adding premium (paid) content easier and faster. Transfer existing users with access to previously purchased courses to the new database.
  3. Modernize the web app to abandon the inflexible WordPress solution Develop an iOS app with offline mode to give users convenient access to content via iOS devices.
 

Results for the Customer

  1. The DJ Hub functionality is successfully implemented, all users can join the community. A new solution allows the customer to offer DJ Hub monthly and annual subscriptions.
  2. Admins can quickly add and update premium articles via the custom panel. The platform provides access to all already registered users who can view all courses purchased earlier.
  3. The modernized web app allows buying content and learning with ease. Users can access courses online via a web platform and iOS app and, in addition, offline via iOS devices.

Business Challenges

The existing CMS-based platform was inflexible and didn’t allow adding new subscription services. It was necessary to customize the solution, keeping achieved website indicators.

The customer needed to:

  1. Get rid of the WordPress platform and Admin panel. The solution in use limited a customer and didn’t allow adding new functionality and educational content. The project required an advanced system to attract users, including experienced DJs.
  2. Keep the SEO results already achieved. The existing WordPress site has accumulated organic internet traffic and reached high SEO positions. The customer wanted to keep them after modernizing the web app and adding a new admin panel.
  3. Transfer the existing user base to a new system. All already registered users had to be transferred to the new database. It was also necessary to assign the purchased earlier educational materials to their buyers.

Project Goals

The customer wanted to modernize the platform, master a new value stream (iOS users’ subscription fees), and expand the audience by involving novice and professional DJs.

Develop an iOS application from scratch

The customer wanted to distribute paid content to iOS users. It was necessary to provide the possibility to view bought courses and join the DJ Hub via a new app. iOS users also had to access the web platform and educational materials purchased.

Modernize the web application

The existing web platform was built using WordPress and its plugins only. It was necessary to modernize the solution to allow users to view training materials, buy them, and take courses from their accounts both on the web platform and via the iOS app.

Create a new custom Admin panel

It was necessary to provide the tools to manage educational content, comments, notifications, courses’ sales, and discount coupons. Also, in the Admin panel, we had to add functionality for managing payments and DJ Hub professional community.

Project in Details

We have modernized the web application, developed an iOS app and Admin Panel and transferred the user base to a new platform keeping SEO positions achieved.

iOS Application Built From Scratch

  1. We’ve developed a native iOS app that provides access to the user’s profile, purchased courses, and the DJ Hub. The MVP version is free; the subscription gives access to the DJ Hub and premium lessons (articles and videos).
  2. After signing in a profile, users can view a list of purchased courses and take them online or save lessons for offline learning. The app sends action notifications. All of them are divided according to user groups: all, students, and subscribers.
  3. The app allows commenting on the educational content in the app. All comments are reviewed by teachers (the Administration) personally. Students can get answers to their questions directly from experienced DJs.

A Web App Replacing WordPress

  1. We’ve removed the limitations of WordPress and Vimeo and created a convenient environment web app with authorized access. To improve the user experience, we have added human-readable URLs to the courses.
  2. In account, users are able to view lists of paid courses and all information about lessons. Students can also read and comment on educational articles, get teachers’ answers on comments, etc.
  3. Users can buy courses and subscribe to access all materials and the DJ Hub via the web app. There are two subscription types: Monthly and Annual. Students can use coupons to pay, change subscription plans, and unsubscribe.

A New Custom Admin Panel

  1. We’ve built an Admin panel from scratch. It allows Administration (teachers) to create courses, lessons, and Premium articles. Admins can also manage users, comments, notifications, payments, sales, and discount coupons.
  2. Our web developers created scripts that automatically transferred all registered users’ data to a new database and copied all the links between the students and previously purchased courses.
  3. Administration can also manage the DJ Hub (its community and Premium lessons). The new panel allows admins to create and schedule articles, change their order, save content as a draft, and publish it.

Results Obtained

We’ve completed all tasks, saved SEO positions, traffic, and created a one-piece solution that allows our customer to reach a new audience, get added value stream, and achieve:

Scaling up the target audience.

Our solution offers a better user experience and allows the customer to post content attractive to various students (experienced DJs and novices). At the same time, the existing user base was saved and moved to a new platform, as well as organic Google traffic and SEO requirements.

Project’s operating costs reduction.

WordPress is still used on the Guest side to keep the traffic and positions of SEO, but its plugins and Vimeo service are unnecessary. By canceling WooCommerce (for instance), the client saves from $1000 per year, and we managed to drop a few more other plugins.

Mastering a new value stream.

Our app helped reach iOS users, offer them paid access to the DJ Hub and premium lessons, and gain a new income source. The solution allowed a customer to get rid of the App Store 30% subscription fee and pay only the 3% Braintree fees, increasing the platform’s profitability.