Unacademy is India’s largest learning platform, connecting top educators with millions of learners to democratise education. I joined as Design Manager in 2021 during rapid scale. I led key projects, helped grow the team, mentored designers, and partnered with leadership on 0 to 1 initiatives. The pace sharpened my leadership and craft while enforcing rigorous design documentation, and it remains one of the most coordinated, talented teams I have worked with.
Role: Design Manager
Platform: Web & Mobile
Duration: 2021-24
Role: Design Manager
Platform: Web & Mobile
Duration: 2021-24
The Live Mentorship feature, a key offering for learners on the Iconic Subscription plan, provided 1:1 guidance from top mentors studying in leading institutes like IITs, AIIMS, AFMC, etc. Learners could book sessions with mentors through the Learner’s app.
The redesign project included a month of research, where we conducted learner, mentors & sales interviews, analysed mentor-learner interactions (recorded calls), and identified key gaps in the old mentorship model.
Design & Product team
Anoop, Sudhikksha, Ashish & Parul
Creative team
Anukriti & Kailash
Leadership
Hardik
Duration
4 months
Design & Product team
Anoop, Sudhikksha, Ashish & Parul
Creative team
Anukriti & Kailash
Leadership
Hardik
Duration
4 months
The old mentorship model faced several limitations that hindered its effectiveness:
Learner-initiated sessions: Mentors were randomly assigned during booking, leading to inconsistent and unstructured interactions.
Lack of continuity: Frequent mentor changes made it difficult for learners to build rapport or receive consistent guidance.
No follow-ups: Learners received minimal support post-session, leading to disengagement and lack of long-term progress tracking.
No flexibility: Learners couldn't reschedule sessions, causing inconvenience and loss of unused credits.
Guided by user research, the mentorship model was changed from a learner-initiated, unstructured interaction format to a mentor-led, personalised experience with recurring sessions, ensuring consistent guidance and fostering stronger, more impactful mentor-learner relationships.
DEDICATED MENTORS
Mentor assignments based on subject expertise, ensuring personalized guidance.
INTRODUCTORY CALL
New learners were introduced to mentors via an automated call within 48 hours, setting study agendas and expectations.
RESCHEDULING FLEXIBILITY
Learners could reschedule sessions, improving convenience.
NUDGING MECHANISM
In-app nudge cards to remind learners to book or reschedule their sessions.
Post-session notes capture a structured summary after every call, turning guidance into clear next steps. Research showed learners wanted mentor-led follow-through, accountability, and transparency. Learner-visible notes plus mentor-only private notes make progress trackable and cut context reset.
Capture structured notes, assign action items, and follow-ups for every learner session.
LEARNER APP
Read mentor notes from the past sessions.
LEARNER APP
Nudge to review mentor notes to stay on track.
A dedicated mentor with an initial ice-breaker established clear ownership from day one. Recurring sessions with simple rescheduling reduced friction and kept momentum. Post-session Mentor Notes created accountability and continuity, while in-app nudges lifted attendance and follow-through.
Leadership decision
Keep Mentorship within Iconic Subscription. Clear learner value and exposure to top-institute mentors; solid upward trend in core metrics.
Next steps
• Reduce no-shows with smarter nudges and better timing.
• Deepen mentor tools and progress visibility.
• Integrate mentorship touchpoints across classes, tests, and practice.