Fullmind Educator Marketplace

Automating a once-manual process to create a scalable, efficient Network Marketplace

Challenge

Fullmind is a K-12 virtual education company that connects certified teachers with schools nationwide. Previously, this matching process was entirely manual—employees would coordinate with school administrators, assess their needs, and then search for an educator based on certifications and availability. This often involved extensive back-and-forth communication, which became increasingly inefficient as the company scaled.

Solution

To streamline and scale the matching process, I was tasked with designing a Network Marketplace that would enable school administrators and educators to connect seamlessly. The platform needed to go beyond just matching based on qualifications—it also had to support the exchange and confirmation of key details such as course requirements, student needs, schedules, and credentials, all within a structured and efficient workflow.

Team
Cory Rae Shaw - Lead Product Designer
Cheryl Wang - Advisor
John Kealy - Head of Engineering
Ysiad Ferreiras - CEO

Cross-functional Partners
Fulfillment
Customer Success
Operations
Sales

Mapping the flow

To automate this manual process, we first needed to define each step from both the user and business perspectives. What seemed simple on the surface revealed a complex workflow.

Enrolling students and setting up course details

A guided, efficient flow reduces friction and accelerates course creation from start to launch.

To guide users through a complex, multi-step flow, we introduced a 4-step progress bar. Progress indicators help reduce cognitive load, set clear expectations, and give users a sense of control—key for keeping engagement high in longer tasks.

To guide users through a complex, multi-step flow, we introduced a 4-step progress bar. Progress indicators help reduce cognitive load, set clear expectations, and give users a sense of control—key for keeping engagement high in longer tasks.

For course details, we streamlined the course details form to include only essential inputs, merging or removing fields wherever possible without compromising the backend matching logic. The result is a clean, user-friendly experience that minimizes

For course details, we streamlined the course details form to include only essential inputs, merging or removing fields wherever possible without compromising the backend matching logic. The result is a clean, user-friendly experience that minimizes friction while capturing the data needed to drive accurate matches.

Research revealed a major bottleneck in student enrollment, delaying course start times and impacting revenue. To address this, we built enrollment into the initial flow—prompting users to add students early, while still allowing flexibility to compl

Research revealed a major bottleneck in student enrollment, delaying course start times and impacting revenue. To address this, we built enrollment into the initial flow—prompting users to add students early, while still allowing flexibility to complete this step later if needed.

Building the Credit System

To support automation, we introduced a new payment model tailored to how schools operate. Instead of pay-as-you-go, we created a flexible credit system that better aligned with district purchasing workflows.

Why credits made sense:

  • Most users were school admins who didn’t directly control school budgets.

  • Schools could purchase credits up front through larger contracts, then distribute them as needed for individual courses.

How we got there:

  • Partnered with Sales to understand existing contract strategies and align with broader business goals.

  • Worked with the Fulfillment team to avoid dollar-based complexity—since course estimates could shift, credits offered a simpler, more predictable system.

Schedule Matching

Scheduling was one of the most complex aspects of the marketplace experience. Courses typically occur once a week, and we needed a way to identify overlapping availability across three parties: the school, the student, and the educator.

To ensure schools had a strong pool of candidates, we designed the system to support multiple time slot submissions, maximizing flexibility and increasing the likelihood of a successful match.

Set Availability

We introduced an intuitive calendar interface that allows school administrators to define multiple blocks of availability. The design mirrors familiar calendar tools to reduce friction and increase adoption.

Educator Bidding

Educators then apply for open courses, submitting their own availability within the provided time ranges. This structured approach filters out unqualified matches and surfaces only viable options.

Finalize Schedule

Once applications are in, school administrators review the overlapping schedules and finalize the course time, inviting the selected educator to confirm the match.


Strategic Foundation for Scale

Designing the Fullmind Educator Marketplace was a major milestone in the company’s shift from a human-gated system to an automated platform. It also laid the foundation for expanding beyond B2B into new B2C opportunities.

To support this evolution, I also led a complete rebrand that directly informed the product experience. You can explore that work in my brand design portfolio.