Grokool Case Study

Where Learning Becomes a Shared Experience A UI/UX Case Study by The Ideoholics Design Studio

Project’s Overview

Grokool is a group-based learning SaaS platform that bridges the gap between learners, coaches, and parents. It offers a unified space to learn, teach, collaborate, and track educational journeys—all within one ecosystem. Whether you're a student eager to explore new topics, a coach building your own learning group, or a parent wanting to stay connected to your child’s development, Grokool delivers personalized tools for every user profile.

Studio Ideoholics was brought on board to conceptualize, design, and prototype an all-encompassing user experience that’s both robust in functionality and delightful in interaction. Our goal was to turn Grokool into a go-to digital campus that feels intelligent, motivating, and inclusive.

The Challenge

Most e-learning platforms are either instructor-led or self-paced—rarely both. And they often ignore the support systems that learners rely on, like peer groups or parents. Grokool set out to change that.

• Learners who want engagement and flexibility.

• Coaches who need intuitive tools to manage content and student progress.
• Parents who seek visibility and reassurance.

Designing for such a diverse user base—each with different goals and daily workflows—meant building distinct yet interconnected journeys while maintaining visual and experiential consistency.

Key Objectives:

• Develop seamless onboarding and dashboard experiences for all four user types.
• Enable flexible group-based learning with real-time collaboration and progress tracking.
• Allow both live and recorded class options within every course.
• Design tools for coaches to easily manage course content, learners, and feedback loops.
• Create insightful reports and growth-tracking features for parents.
• Build a modular, scalable UI system that supports growth and future enhancements.

Discovery & Research

We studied successful SaaS platforms in the edtech space (like Teachable, Udemy, and ClassDojo), then conducted stakeholder interviews to understand Grokool’s unique positioning: learning as a collective, monitored experience.

• Key Insight:

  • Students thrive when learning with peers in guided communities.
  • Parents feel left out of digital education ecosystems.
  • Coaches want easy tools to manage engagement, not just distribute content.
  • Hybrid roles (Parent + Coach) need flexibility without interface clutter.

Information Architecture & User Flows

We created four tailored user flows:

Learner Flow:
Join/Start a group → Enroll in course → Attend live/recorded sessions → Collaborate → Track progress.
Coach Flow:
Create/manage course → Add groups → Host classes → Track learner activity → Share feedback → Upload resources.
Parent Flow:
Connect with child → Monitor progress → View attendance/performance → Communicate with coach.
Hybrid Flow:
Switch roles on demand → Perform parent/coach actions without logout → View both dashboards simultaneously.

Navigation was simplified to reduce friction—each dashboard emphasizes the most immediate and relevant tasks for its user. The left-side modular panel helps toggle between Courses, Groups, Progress, and Profile Settings with ease.

Visual Language

We built Grokool’s design on a clean, bright interface that emphasizes learning without distraction. Bold accent colors are used for call-to-actions, while soft pastels ground the experience in calmness and clarity. Iconography is geometric and friendly, aiding users across all ages.

Typography combines a modern sans-serif for headlines with a highly legible body font, ensuring readability across screen sizes.

Design principles followed:

•  Multi-role accessibility
•  Scalability with modular components
•  Focus on group collaboration and motivation
•  Color-coded role distinction (Learner, Coach, Parent)
•  Layered content hierarchy for maximum clarity

Key Features Designed

Role-Based Dashboards

Each user type sees a tailored dashboard with their own set of cards, insights, and action items. For instance, learners see upcoming sessions, course progress bars, and group discussions. Coaches see student engagement metrics and class scheduling tools. Parents view detailed growth analytics of their children.

Group-Based Learning System

Users can either create or join learning groups based on shared interests or subjects. Each group functions like a mini classroom, where learners can chat, attend sessions, share resources, and view each other's progress—making the learning social, not solitary.

Live + Recorded Class Integration

Every course comes with the option for real-time live teaching and recorded classes. The UI clearly distinguishes between upcoming live events and saved recordings. Coaches can schedule sessions and upload videos with just a few clicks, while learners can revisit them on-demand.

Role Switching for Hybrid Users

For users who are both Parents and Coaches, Grokool provides a seamless Role Toggle at the top of the dashboard. No need to log out or manage multiple accounts—just one click to switch contexts and responsibilities.

Insightful Parent Reports

Parents receive periodic, color-coded reports showing their child’s learning trajectory, attendance, test scores, and coach feedback. The UI makes even complex data digestible and reassuring.

Group Chat + Notifications

Each group includes a built-in group chat system for peer communication and coach announcements. Notifications are categorized (reminders, progress updates, chat alerts) and can be muted or customized per role.

Special Touches by Ideoholics

• Adaptive onboarding: Each role has a unique welcome sequence using warm, conversational microcopy to familiarize users with the platform.
• Smart progress badges: Designed custom icon sets that reward consistency, engagement, and collaboration—not just test scores.
• Parent-coach dual dashboards: We built an intelligent dashboard that adapts its layout based on which role is used more actively.
• Visual group dynamics: Group pages include visual indicators of activity, participation level, and sentiment (via emoji reactions).
• Mini learning paths: For learners, we introduced a guided path within each course, helping them navigate lessons one milestone at a time.

Outcome & Impact

Grokool is more than just an edtech platform—it’s a social learning ecosystem that empowers users to grow together. With an emotionally aware interface, a role-sensitive UX structure, and scalable SaaS logic under the hood, Grokool is designed to evolve alongside its users. By designing relevant experiences, motivating, and easy to navigate, Studio Ideoholics helped turn Grokool into a digital campus where learning is fun, community-based, and transparent.