BPP mobile app

Enhancing the learner experience

overview

BPP’s existing mobile app offered limited value to learners and frequently redirected them to the web experience, creating friction and low engagement.

With an upcoming decommissioning of legacy desktop systems and a need to modernise the student experience, we were tasked with delivering a mobile app that would meaningfully improve day‑to‑day logistics for students — under tight time constraints.

As the Head of Product Design, I supported creation of the product vision, prioritised the MVP scope, directed research and co‑creation with students, partnered closely with Engineering and Product Management to deliver a feasible, high‑impact release.

the legacy.
the problem.

Our research identified that students primarily used the app to manage the operational side of studying at BPP, rather than for active learning. They wanted a single, reliable place to stay organised — yet the existing experience was fragmented and often redirected users to the web, creating friction and low trust.

Students wanted:

  • A simple way to know where they needed to be and when

  • Live timetable updates and notifications

  • Faster access to support and admin tools

  • Visibility of attendance, payments, and queries

  • Direct communication channels with tutors and coaches

  • A more centralised “single place” experience

We needed to:

  • Deliver a meaningful MVP quickly

  • Reduce reliance on outdated web flows

  • Improve clarity, navigation, and access to core student services

  • Build a roadmap aligned with real learner needs

  • Work within legacy technical constraints and a multi‑team engineering environment

The existing app

Early research showed many students were unaware the legacy BPP app existed which highlighted the need for a useful and engaging mobile experience. A mobile learning companion.

52.9

The lowest CSAT score of all BPP services

Learner engagement was dropping

research & discovery

To ground the design in real student behaviours, we contributed to both quantitative and qualitative research across the student lifecycle.

Research activities

  • Designed and distributed a survey to 800+ students

  • Proposed an in-app CSAT feedback loop to continuously capture user sentiment

  • Conducted student interviews to validate early concepts and gather behavioural insights

  • Reviewed support pain points and recurring usability concerns

what we tested

  • Current app experience

  • Desired features for the new app

  • Notification and alert preferences

  • Appetite for roadmap features

why we tested it

  • To validate roadmap assumptions

  • To identify gaps in the current experience

  • To understand learner priorities and pain points

  • To co‑create and ideate with students

  • To ensure the MVP delivered immediate value

Key insights

Students responded positively to the idea of a more capable mobile experience, but wanted more — more functionality, more personalisation, and everything in one place.

Navigation and discoverability emerged as increasingly critical as the feature set grew. Students consistently associated active learning with desktop, while mobile was seen as an organisational companion.

users wanted

  • Show timetables clearly

  • Provide visibility on fees and outstanding payments

  • Improve access to learning materials on the go

  • Provide a simple way to submit and track queries

  • Self-serve administrative tasks

  • Stay informed through timely updates and notifications

Opportunities

Product Opportunities

  • Improve usability and discoverability across the app

  • Surface more timely and relevant information

  • Reduce friction around administrative tasks

  • Lay foundations for personalisation and self-service

Strategic Opportunities

  • Increase daily active usage and long-term retention

  • Improve student satisfaction and app sentiment

  • Reduce timetable-related support tickets

  • Strengthen mobile adoption across the student lifecycle

Prioritisation & trade-offs

Given the aggressive timeline, we needed to make strategic trade‑offs. For MVP we prioritised features that:

  • Delivered immediate value

  • Reduced reliance on web redirects

  • Were technically feasible within the timeframe

  • Supported core student logistics

We deferred:
Some high‑value features, such as fee payment tracking, required cross‑functional integration with legacy systems that were being decommissioned. Engineering confirmed these would require significantly more time and coordination, so we moved them into post‑MVP roadmap.

How we made decisions

We partnered with Product and Engineering to:

  • Map desirability (student need)

  • Assess feasibility (tech constraints)

  • Evaluate viability (business goals)

  • Build a prioritisation matrix

  • Define MVP vs. future phases

This ensured we delivered a high‑impact MVP without compromising long‑term scalability.

Design strategy

Based on insights, we defined a strategy focused on:

  • Reducing friction in daily student tasks

  • Improving clarity around timetables, attendance, and queries

  • Creating a unified mobile experience that didn’t rely on web redirects

  • Building trust through transparency (payments, attendance, updates)

  • Establishing a scalable foundation for future features like chat, payments, and results

phased delivery

The app was delivered across two MVPs, allowing us to validate core functionality before expanding the feature set.

MVP 1 : Core Experience. Key features included:

  • Real-time timetable access with live updates

  • Redesigned navigation and information hierarchy

  • My Account management for personal details

  • Improved QR code check-in with clearer success and failure states

MVP 2 : Extending the Experience
With the core in place, the second release added:

  • Push and in-app notifications for timetable updates and key events

  • AI chatbot integration for instant support outside office hours

Impact

88%

adoption rate of
the new app

74

CSAT increased
over 30 points

+40%

daily active users

+65%

weekly active users

These early indicators validated our decision to prioritise clarity, logistics, and mobile‑first workflows in the MVP.

+74%

monthly active users