ClassRanked: Scaling Data-Driven Course Discovery for Students

Introduction

ClassRanked is a leading EdTech platform designed to help university students make informed decisions about their education. By aggregating course ratings, grade distributions, and professor feedback, ClassRanked brings transparency to the course registration process.

Challenge

ClassRanked faced the challenge of managing massive datasets from hundreds of universities while maintaining a fast, intuitive user experience. They needed a partner who could optimize their database architecture, improve site performance during high-traffic registration periods, and modernize the user interface to appeal to a tech-savvy student demographic.

Solution

Our team implemented a robust technical overhaul focusing on three core areas:

• Database Optimization: Re-engineered the backend to handle complex queries across millions of data points with minimal latency.
• UI/UX Modernization: Designed a clean, "student-first" interface that makes navigating complex grade distributions simple and visual.
• Scalability: Implemented cloud-native infrastructure to ensure the platform remains stable when thousands of students access it simultaneously during enrollment weeks.

Results

The collaboration resulted in a significantly more powerful and reliable platform:

• Enhanced Performance: Reduced page load times by 40%, leading to a smoother browsing experience.
• Data Integrity: Improved the accuracy and speed of data syncing from university registers.
• Increased Engagement: User session duration increased by 30% due to the new intuitive search and filter features.

Customer Feedback

"Working with this team was a game-changer for ClassRanked. They took our complex data requirements and turned them into a seamless, high-performing platform that our students love using."

Key Takeaways

• Scalability is essential for EdTech platforms during peak seasonal usage.
• Data visualization is the key to making "big data" useful for the average user.
• A mobile-first approach is mandatory when building tools for the modern student.

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