Co Product Owner
Lead Product Designer
5 designers
2 developers
Sept. - Dec. 2026
Figma
Illustrator
Jira
One in five Canadian apprentices never finishes their trade program. Not because they lack skill but because the materials designed to teach them were never designed for how they actually learn. Dense code books. Jargon-filled manuals. No visual aids. No structure. Just pages of small text and the expectation that students will figure it out.
Got It is an AI-powered study tool built specifically for electrical apprentices in British Columbia, with a particular focus on the neurodiverse learners who make up a significant, often invisible, portion of every cohort.
As Co-Product Owner and Lead Product Designer, I led this project end-to-end: defining the problem, scoping the MVP, guiding research, making hard prioritization calls, and shaping every major design decision.
The core product decision that set us apart: instead of building another open-ended AI chat tool, we sandboxed our AI to the Canadian Electrical Code. Every output is grounded in verified source material — because for trade workers, inaccurate information isn't just frustrating. It's a safety issue.
Only 19–20% of Canadian apprentices complete their programs on time. Up to 44% drop out entirely within six years. These aren't engagement problems. They're design problems — and we set out to fix them.
As Product Owner, I defined the research direction and ensured findings directly informed product decisions. Research combined qualitative and quantitative methods:
I intentionally scoped the project to one trade—electrical—to ensure accuracy, depth, and relevance before considering expansion to other trades.
Interviewing a BCIT Master Electrician Instructor and electrical apprentices gave us direct insight into how learners navigate dense code material and where they need support. These conversations grounded our design decisions in real study behaviors and pain points.
We conducted surveys with electrical apprentices to understand their study habits, main struggles, and the tools they use. Common difficulties included not knowing where to start, organizing information across sources, and learning from dense, jargon-filled textbooks—all of which contributed to cognitive overload.
These insights confirmed the need for a tool that helps apprentices simplify and structure their notes while maintaining accuracy.
We analyzed seven competitors, including AI summarization tools and trade-specific study resources, to understand what was already available.
Most AI tools could summarize information, but they were not built for neurodiverse learners. Their interfaces were overwhelming, and their answers were not always reliable for regulated trade content. Because electrical standards vary by region, generic AI tools often pulled incorrect or irrelevant information.
Trade study resources were accurate, but they did not help break down dense code into smaller, easier sections to study.
Two clear gaps emerged: AI tools were not trustworthy enough for trade studying, and trade resources did not simplify complex material.
This reinforced our decision to avoid building an open chat tool and instead design a structured study experience grounded in the user's own materials.
Using insights from the competitive analysis, interviews, and survey, two primary personas were developed to represent Got It's target audience, ensuring the team addresses their specific needs and challenges.
Research gave us a long list of problems. My job as Lead Product Designer was to resist the urge to solve all of them. The biggest risk at this stage was not under-designing. It was over-designing. Building a feature-heavy tool for people who were already cognitively overloaded would have made things worse. So I set a clear design philosophy before a single wireframe was drawn.
As Lead Product Designer, I translated research insights into a focused MVP. My core design principles were:
The key product decision was allowing users to upload their own notes and generate simplified versions grounded in the Canadian Electrical Code.
Upload your own notes or pick a built-in textbook. Everything stays accurate because AI only uses the CEC.
Turn dense text into easy-to-read versions or quick summaries.
See content visually and plan your study around your exam date.
Helps students know where to start by breaking content into clear, digestible sections.
Compare original and simplified text side by side.
The visual system was intentionally minimal and calm, using:
The goal was to create an environment that felt safe, focused, and non-judgmental for learners who already feel overwhelmed.
The Site Map structured the website for clear navigation, enabling easy access to note uploads, simplified summaries, and side-by-side comparison. Since all surveyed apprentices study on laptops, we chose a web-based platform to match their workflow.
As Co-Product Owner and Lead Product Designer, during the initial research and ideation phase, I felt overwhelmed by the number of issues uncovered through surveys, interviews, and competitor analysis. The problems were layered and systemic, and I questioned how we could realistically address them within a single product.
To regain focus, I prioritized the highest-impact challenges and defined clear scope boundaries. Instead of trying to solve everything, I focused on core features that directly reduced cognitive overload and improved study clarity. This iterative approach helped shape Got It into a focused, lean prototype grounded in real user needs.
Through this process, I learned how critical it is to separate important problems from urgent ones. As a leader, I had to make decisions that balanced ambition with feasibility, ensuring the team stayed aligned and confident in the direction. I also realized that designing within constraints doesn't limit creativity—it sharpens it. By narrowing the scope, we built something intentional rather than bloated.
Ultimately, I learned that strong scope definition, disciplined prioritization, and decisive leadership are just as important as creativity when building meaningful, user-centered products.
