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NEXT TALKS — CASE STUDY
What I did ↓
A product design story
A product design story
How I helped turn an idea into a real product in 3 months.
How I helped turn an idea into a real product in 3 months.
The challenge of speaking with confidence.
The challenge of speaking with confidence.
Next Talks began as a response to a simple problem: students often know what they want to say, but struggle to say it confidently. I led the product design direction and, together with a product designer and an instructor, shaped that insight into a production-ready AI-assisted learning experience.
Next Talks began as a response to a simple problem: students often know what they want to say, but struggle to say it confidently. I led the product design direction and, together with a product designer and an instructor, shaped that insight into a production-ready AI-assisted learning experience.
"I know the answer. I just can't say it."
“I know the answer. I just can’t say it.”
That sentence became the foundation for the product: helping students move from knowing English to confidently using it in real situations.
That sentence became the foundation for the product: helping students move from knowing English to confidently using it in real situations.
We found a gap between learning English and actually using it.
We found a gap between learning English and actually using it.
The opportunity was not to build another vocabulary or grammar tool. The real gap was confidence, fluency, anxiety, and relevance — especially when students needed to speak in interviews, classrooms, and professional situations.
The opportunity was not to build another vocabulary or grammar tool. The real gap was confidence, fluency, anxiety, and relevance — especially when students needed to speak in interviews, classrooms, and professional situations.
The product challenge
How might we create a learning experience that helps students practice speaking without fear of judgment, while adapting to the exact situations they care about?
How might we create a learning experience that helps students practice speaking without fear of judgment, while adapting to the exact situations they care about?
The direction we chose
We shaped Next Talks as an AI-powered confidence partner — a personal practice experience that could understand the learner, adapt to their goals, and help them improve through focused, repeated practice.
We shaped Next Talks as an AI-powered confidence partner — a personal practice experience that could understand the learner, adapt to their goals, and help them improve through focused, repeated practice.
My role in the project
Leading the product design direction
Leading the product design direction
I led the product design direction from problem framing to production readiness.
I led the product design direction from problem framing to production readiness.
My role was to connect the problem, the student experience, the product vision, and the final execution. I worked closely with a product designer and an instructor, using AI throughout the process as an accelerator — but keeping the product decisions grounded in human judgment and real learning needs.
My role was to connect the problem, the student experience, the product vision, and the final execution. I worked closely with a product designer and an instructor, using AI throughout the process as an accelerator — but keeping the product decisions grounded in human judgment and real learning needs.
01
Defined the product direction
Defined the product direction
Framed the core problem, shaped the experience vision, and decided what the product needed to solve.
Framed the core problem, shaped the experience vision, and decided what the product needed to solve.
02
Directed the experience
Directed the experience
Guided user flows, interaction patterns, learning moments, and the overall quality of the experience.
Guided user flows, interaction patterns, learning moments, and the overall quality of the experience.
03
Connected design, learning, and AI
Connected design, learning, and AI
Brought together the team's design and learning expertise, while using AI to move faster through the work.
Brought together the team’s design and learning expertise, while using AI to move faster through the work.
The 3-month journey
From a rough idea to something students could actually use.
From a rough idea to something students could actually use.
The work moved quickly because the team stayed small, decisions were tightly connected, and AI reduced the time spent on repetitive or exploratory tasks.
The work moved quickly because the team stayed small, decisions were tightly connected, and AI reduced the time spent on repetitive or exploratory tasks.
MONTH 01
MONTH 01
Understand & define
Understand & define
We explored the communication problem, mapped the learner's anxiety and fluency barriers, and defined what a meaningful AI-assisted practice experience should do.
We explored the communication problem, mapped the learner’s anxiety and fluency barriers, and defined what a meaningful AI-assisted practice experience should do.
MONTH 02
Shape & prototype
Shape & prototype
We translated the product direction into flows, learning interactions, practice moments, interface concepts, and prototypes — iterating rapidly with AI-assisted exploration and content generation.
We translated the product direction into flows, learning interactions, practice moments, interface concepts, and prototypes — iterating rapidly with AI-assisted exploration and content generation.
MONTH 03
Refine & prepare for production
Refine & prepare for production
We refined the core experience, aligned the learning logic and product behavior, tightened the design system, and brought the product to a production-ready stage for real student use.
We refined the core experience, aligned the learning logic and product behavior, tightened the design system, and brought the product to a production-ready stage for real student use.
Honorable mention
A high-impact team of three
A high-impact team of three
03 People
03 People
In the Prod
03 Months
03 Months
From idea to completion
01 Product
01 Product
Production-ready learning product
What came out of it
What came out of it
The outcome was more than a case study.
The outcome was more than a case study.
The work resulted in a complete product direction and a production-ready experience built around a real learner problem - with the potential to help students practice communication in a more personal and confidence-building way.
The work resulted in a complete product direction and a production-ready experience built around a real learner problem - with the potential to help students practice communication in a more personal and confidence-building way.
01
01
A clear product proposition
A clear product proposition
An AI-assisted confidence partner focused on practical speaking improvement rather than passive learning.
An AI-assisted confidence partner focused on practical speaking improvement rather than passive learning.
02
02
A complete learner journey
A complete learner journey
From understanding a learner's needs to focused practice, feedback, and a personalized path forward.
From understanding a learner’s needs to focused practice, feedback, and a personalized path forward.
03
03
A production-ready outcome
A production-ready outcome
A small team was able to move beyond concept and prototype into an experience ready to be taken to students.
A small team was able to move beyond concept and prototype into an experience ready to be taken to students.
My takeaway
AI did not replace the team. It increased what a small, skilled team could achieve.
AI did not replace the team. It increased what a small, skilled team could achieve.
For me, Next Talks became an example of how product design leadership, domain expertise, and thoughtful use of AI can dramatically compress the journey from insight to execution — while keeping the work human-led where it matters most.
For me, Next Talks became an example of how product design leadership, domain expertise, and thoughtful use of AI can dramatically compress the journey from insight to execution — while keeping the work human-led where it matters most.
Next talks
Next talks