StudyBuddy: from a “cheating app” to a study helper students trust
StudyBuddy is an AI study helper that started as a Chrome extension: it helps students work through problems and understand concepts right where they’re studying.
I was its lead product designer for a year and a half, working with the founder and one developer. Over that time it grew from one extension into a suite of apps used by 50k+ students.
- Role
- Lead Product Designer
- Timeline
- Apr 2023 – Nov 2024
- Team
- Founder, one developer
- Platform
- Chrome extension, web, mobile
What I did
- Rebranded the product from a dark “cheating app” look to a clean study helper
- Designed the extension, website, writer and mobile app on one shared system
- Onboarding, pricing, checkout, tokens, TURBO and referrals; also the ads that drove traffic
Problem
It looked like a cheating app
The original StudyBuddy was black, with sketchy graphics and ads that framed it as a way to cheat. That’s not what it was for, and it’s not what students or parents trust with a payment.
I rebuilt the brand and the product around one idea: a study helper. Clean, white, calm, with the structure of a tool you’d leave open while you learn.
before
Black, sketchy graphics, ads that sold it as a way to cheat.
after
White and calm: a study helper you’d leave open while you learn.
Options and decisions
Onboarding you can’t get lost in
The hardest step was the first one: many students got stuck installing the Chrome extension, and a student who never installs it never sees the product.
So onboarding won’t continue until the extension is added, then explains how to use it with real examples before asking for anything else. It made the whole funnel convert better.
Taller building, or more buildings?
Part of the job was deciding what not to build yet. The recurring question was whether to grow a taller building or build more around it: improve the extension we had, or add new apps.
We did both, in order. The extension came first; the writer and the mobile app followed, and all of them share one account, one subscription, and the same files and data.
The full flow
Shorter, simpler checkout
We never A/B tested pricing, so every change to checkout was held to one rule: make it shorter, easier and clearer about what you get, and keep only what earns its place.
Craft
New ways to pay, not just higher prices
I came up with new ways to charge for premium: tokens for heavier features, TURBO for 24 hours of full access, and referrals that reward students who bring a friend. Each one gave students a cheaper way in and the business more ways to earn.
I also designed the ads that brought students to the site.
Tokens
Pay for the heavier features you use.
TURBO
24 hours of full access.
Referrals
A reward for bringing a friend.
Impact
Relaunched, and at its peak, 50–60k visitors a month
After the redesign of the app and the website, traffic peaked at 50–60k visitors a month, and the product reached 50k+ students across all its apps.
