Modernizing school management for India — designing a dual-sided platform from 0 to 1
As the sole designer at an early-stage startup, I led the end-to-end design of a dual-sided platform: a robust Student Management System (SMS) for schools and a B2C Parent App — both built from scratch.
Our mission was to bridge the communication gap between educational institutions and homes. By replacing fragmented, legacy software with a unified digital ecosystem, we aimed to create a world where parents are active participants in their child's journey rather than passive observers.
"We didn't just need to build a better database — we needed to build a communication bridge that felt as intuitive as the social apps people use every day."
Three critical pain points in Indian school management
The Indian EdTech market for school management was saturated but stagnant. Through competitive audits and discovery, we identified three core issues.
Outdated interfaces
Existing products featured cluttered, Windows 95-era interfaces that led to low adoption rates among time-poor teachers.
Disconnected tools
Schools juggled separate tools for attendance, fee collection, and parent communication — data lived in silos with no integration.
Parent blackout
Parents had little visibility into their child's school life beyond quarterly parent-teacher meetings or emergency calls.
Two distinct but interconnected products, one source of truth
I designed two interfaces that shared a single data backbone — so actions in one (like marking attendance) automatically updated the other (monthly reports, parent notifications).
Aula Edge — School Management System (B2B)
An all-in-one dashboard replacing the "Frankenstein" suite of tools schools relied on. I integrated attendance, grading, fee management, scheduling, admissions, role management, and an AI-powered Analytics Copilot into a single cohesive UI — prioritising cleanliness and clarity over data density.
Aula Connect — Parent App (B2C)
A mobile-first app designed to feel as familiar as a social app while delivering meaningful school data. Parents could track attendance, view announcements, monitor fee status, and stay connected to their child's daily school life in one place.
"Replacing a Frankenstein suite of tools with a unified platform that schools and parents actually want to use."