Remind had millions of teachers, students, and parents connected through its network. After witnessing firsthand the positive impact communication had on students through the platform, we made efforts to bring that relationship closer and on-demand. It was our biggest bet since the company was founded—connecting students with teachers through Remind Tutoring.

Research suggested that the primary hurdle students face in succeeding in class isn't a lack of subject matter expertise, but a lack of executive function skills and accountability. Students often struggle with planning, time management, and consistent practice—essential components of academic success.

Remind Tutoring was conceived to address this gap. By connecting students with vetted teachers within the existing Remind network, we aimed to provide not only subject-matter support but also the crucial element of regular accountability, fostering a habit of dedicated learning and practice outside the classroom.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FvtBVmlrR5QeNDfMhKfyx5txieyo1%2FIzMAdVjRpeUV1lDaOnSP%2F9ac346aa-d24a-4e3d-ae70-03eb0d57c78c.png?alt=media&token=596346e4-0ef1-4452-8699-17a1f6ad72df","id":"9ac346aa-d24a-4e3d-ae70-03eb0d57c78c","width":2880,"height":1800,"filename":"image.png","type":"image/png","caption":"The introduction to Remind Tutoring lived where most students would see—in the feed.","border":false}]}
```

Building this new service was a multifaceted challenge. We assembled a team of teacher advisors and an operations lead, and carefully rolled out the service to a select group of schools and grades prioritizing math.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FvtBVmlrR5QeNDfMhKfyx5txieyo1%2FIzMAdVjRpeUV1lDaOnSP%2F51f9b804-95ed-406d-a896-309e5790b9db.png?alt=media&token=3f916340-1e18-4e35-aaf8-ff2d7b6250ba","id":"51f9b804-95ed-406d-a896-309e5790b9db","width":3328,"height":1800,"filename":"image.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Finding the right price point while minimizing time-to-tutor was the challenge to get right.","border":false}]}
```

On the product side, our focus was on creating a streamlined user experience to minimize our leading metric: time-to-tutor. We dissected real-world tutoring sessions, identifying the core elements that could be effectively translated into a remote environment.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FvtBVmlrR5QeNDfMhKfyx5txieyo1%2FIzMAdVjRpeUV1lDaOnSP%2Fe75120aa-478f-4ea1-892c-f92414fd215a.png?alt=media&token=1b30c5da-420c-4e17-a752-de3e7b1b6c14","id":"e75120aa-478f-4ea1-892c-f92414fd215a","width":2880,"height":1800,"filename":"image.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Math was the most in-demand subject for tutoring. It's also the most taught, straightforward to evaluate, and well-known subjects to begin with. We used Zoom and Scribble, a collaborative whiteboarding tool, to facilitate the sessions.","border":false}]}
```

As we developed the MVP, we invited tutors and students to participate in simulated remote tutoring sessions, gathering rapid feedback to refine the experience. With positive validation, we initiated a slow rollout to a small test group, advertising within the app and hiring our first tutors.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FvtBVmlrR5QeNDfMhKfyx5txieyo1%2FIzMAdVjRpeUV1lDaOnSP%2F00a72347-a7a1-4eb2-898b-1f55648c881d.png?alt=media&token=7a73a4bd-5cd9-43a6-b184-2e0242ccd368","id":"00a72347-a7a1-4eb2-898b-1f55648c881d","width":2528,"height":1230,"filename":"image.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Examining the end-to-end experience helped us capture and design for every part of the process.","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FvtBVmlrR5QeNDfMhKfyx5txieyo1%2Fremind-tutoring%2Fe73abe00-2c07-403a-8174-a070bf8513c8.mov?alt=media&token=26028d25-1345-4742-89cb-d8f42798b8fe","id":"e73abe00-2c07-403a-8174-a070bf8513c8","width":296,"height":640,"filename":"feeny-mvp-sm.mov","type":"video/quicktime","caption":"A brief interaction of how a student would experience Remind tutoring.","border":false}]}
```

Supply quickly became the bottleneck. While applications flowed in, we had to build a robust system to hire, evaluate, and manage our tutors, ensuring we could meet the demands of on-demand tutoring.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FvtBVmlrR5QeNDfMhKfyx5txieyo1%2FIzMAdVjRpeUV1lDaOnSP%2Fc71bbaf5-6b41-47f9-a784-aab48e761c5e.png?alt=media&token=10a9bc7f-c339-406a-b4f4-ddfbac496a89","id":"c71bbaf5-6b41-47f9-a784-aab48e761c5e","width":2640,"height":1664,"filename":"image.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Apart from the customer-facing product experience we built the backend operations service to manage tutor matching and scheduling.","border":false}]}
```

As the pilot expanded, we began to witness success stories. One student, initially failing her calculus course, used the service consistently and ended the school year with the top AP Calc exam score among her peers.

Remind Tutoring was more than just a new product or business venture. It was an effort to capture the essence of a genuine tutoring session, providing students with the structure and support needed to cultivate the executive function skills vital for lifelong learning.

Remind Tutoring

Airtable: Building LEGOs again

In 2016, I stepped into the exciting world of [Remind](http://remind.com), an education technology company valued at over a billion dollars, as a senior product designer. I was part of a 14-person design team in a thriving company experiencing the heady days of the tech boom where high valuations were commonplace, despite the lack of a clear business model.

Research suggests students thrive when parents and teachers are highly engaged and invested in their success. Our mission was to connect parents, students, and teachers through a communication network that would support a student's educational career—a Slack for schools.

But, reality set in. We couldn't figure out a way to monetize our hundreds of millions of users and we faced the harsh reality of a down round and attrition. It was a difficult period, but it also presented an opportunity for transformation.

In the wake of these challenges, I assumed leadership of the design team. I hired five talented designers and a researcher, forming a new core to navigate the company's evolution. Together, we embarked on a journey to reposition Remind away from its consumer-facing origins as a teacher's classroom tool into a robust, districtwide communication platform. This pivot marked a turning point and laid the groundwork for a sustainable future focused on enterprise sales.

On our journey to reshape our business we evolved Remind for enterprise-grade security and management features including a SIS sync, connecting back-of-house to front-of-house accounting to our sales CRM, and self-serve upgrade workflows.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FvtBVmlrR5QeNDfMhKfyx5txieyo1%2Fs5UsyYGmFLM5MDEUgFNH%2F7be7899c-0ed3-4b2c-a5ec-aba148d52e6b.png?alt=media&token=3cdb08ec-7224-47c6-995b-c86b44ecb09e","id":"7be7899c-0ed3-4b2c-a5ec-aba148d52e6b","width":2880,"height":1440,"filename":"image.png","type":"image/png","caption":"For Remind to be a successful communication tool, it needed to connect to a district's single source of truth registry for all students, teachers, and parents.","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FvtBVmlrR5QeNDfMhKfyx5txieyo1%2Fs5UsyYGmFLM5MDEUgFNH%2Fe1629a7a-b570-4e93-96fd-3101feed322b.png?alt=media&token=e9c6f60f-09b1-47a7-93e9-a275eb2e0cc4","id":"e1629a7a-b570-4e93-96fd-3101feed322b","width":2880,"height":960,"filename":"image.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Remind had impressive organic growth in classrooms driven by teachers. We built ways for them to influence administrators to leverage Remind throughout the district.","border":false}]}
```

In an effort to give administrators even more visibility into the student and teacher body, we built them the Admin Observatory—a way to traverse across every district, school, and classroom connected through Remind. They had the ability to message or call individuals directly and connect with relatives as needed. Together, this product eliminated two-to-three redundant tools that administrators used everyday.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FvtBVmlrR5QeNDfMhKfyx5txieyo1%2Fs5UsyYGmFLM5MDEUgFNH%2Fdce5a252-f249-4d7b-8147-4983bca433bb.png?alt=media&token=f73f3242-b802-48d1-b70c-f9c7060b6304","id":"dce5a252-f249-4d7b-8147-4983bca433bb","width":2880,"height":1440,"filename":"image.png","type":"image/png","caption":"We provided tools to admins that gave them confidence in their data and clarity in their actions.","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FvtBVmlrR5QeNDfMhKfyx5txieyo1%2Fs5UsyYGmFLM5MDEUgFNH%2F0a4acbbc-9e89-4b9c-a9a4-be3b6c78f4a2.png?alt=media&token=1ac3220a-f3b8-4b9a-b696-93f7dc61a14a","id":"0a4acbbc-9e89-4b9c-a9a4-be3b6c78f4a2","width":2196,"height":1440,"filename":"image.png","type":"image/png","caption":"The sidebar is well understood and provides flexibility in navigating lists for quick context and actions.","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FvtBVmlrR5QeNDfMhKfyx5txieyo1%2Fs5UsyYGmFLM5MDEUgFNH%2Faf2d77a2-d5da-4424-a011-c6f7cfb8b843.png?alt=media&token=06fd6cec-44f7-4429-b64a-36d279c44063","id":"af2d77a2-d5da-4424-a011-c6f7cfb8b843","width":1796,"height":1112,"filename":"image.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Multiple select actions can be more clearly explained and visible.","border":false}]}
```

We didn't abandon all our consumer-facing features. District growth followed classroom engagement and we built phone calls for teachers to talk privately with parents through Remind without making their personal phone numbers known (a common request). At the height of the pandemic, when students were forced to learn from home, we built a white-boarding and presentation tool that made it simple to host an interactive classroom.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FvtBVmlrR5QeNDfMhKfyx5txieyo1%2Fs5UsyYGmFLM5MDEUgFNH%2F5964ff1e-8c4b-4e8d-baaa-9657bdbee03e.png?alt=media&token=5fd90e78-3f4c-4c28-9e8d-7aedb47059b3","id":"5964ff1e-8c4b-4e8d-baaa-9657bdbee03e","width":2880,"height":960,"filename":"image.png","type":"image/png","caption":"VoIP calls worked across desktop and mobile—allowing teachers to make critical calls and stay connected with families.","border":false}]}
```

At around the same time we saw an opportunity to leverage our rich student/teacher graph and build a service that would:

1. allow teachers an opportunity to reach more students while offering an additional income source and,

2. give students a private tutor for a fraction of the conventional cost.

We called it Remind Tutoring and it's a great example of a lean team building a 0 → 1 product with outsized impact. More on that project [here](http://read.cv/john/remind-tutoring).

While we were deploying the Tutoring service, we brought together a team to tackle Remind's core product—the composing and navigation UI. This product didn't hit production before I left, but it's a consideration for how we'd evolve the core product experience as the business grew.

```cv
figma
{"url":"https://www.figma.com/proto/0zZXLgtziTJB0r0ikBvcH7/Composer-2.0?page-id=0%3A1&node-id=1-4216&node-type=canvas&viewport=875%2C513%2C0.1&t=7RHqqVCj0Ub6ToGx-1&scaling=min-zoom&content-scaling=fixed&hotspot-hints=0"}
```

I'm grateful I was able to oversee these efforts and am proud of what the team was able to accomplish. Remind was acquired by one of its longstanding competitors, [ParentSquare](http://parentsquare.com), in 2023.

Remind: Enabling student success

Airtable App Builder

Designer

App Builder

Tutoring

Some friends and I made an ephemeral messaging iOS app. You can't download it anymore, but I think it holds up pretty well. The verbose launch writeup is attached in case the link dies.

John Shin

2023

2020