Scaling a bilingual platform for a solo language educator
Case study | 5 min read
Problem
Ellery, an American bilingual language educator based in Taiwan, was losing students due to a clunky course sign-up flow, buried info, and reliance on LINE messages that would attract non-students to message him and often prevent real students from getting access to him.
Solution
I designed and launched his first full site in Framer: a modular, bilingual platform that made it easy to browse, compare, and sign up for courses — while setting the foundation for video orders and merch.
Outcome
The new system streamlined sign-ups (no more missed LINE messages), saved hours of weekly admin work, and gave Ellery the tools to manage and scale on his own. Early feedback from students confirmed the site was easier to use and more trustworthy.
Role & Scope
1 month, launched May 2025
Solo freelance designer
UX/web design | Framer build | content architecture & strategy | bilingual UX | visual design | handoff docs
For this client, I…
Replaced a confusing PDF-based sign-up flow with embedded forms
Built a mobile-first, scalable site in Framer
Created a bilingual content model and visual system from scratch
Advised on business logistics and designed scrappy, DIY order flows to reduce recurring costs
Designed for long-term independence with step-by-step documentation
Project Wins
Transformed sign-ups from friction to flow
Replaced a clunky PDF + LINE enrollment process with mobile-friendly forms, removing blockers and making it easy for students to sign up.
Built for growth, not just launch
Designed modular, no-code components in Framer, allowing Ellery to easily scale courses, video offerings, and future merch without redesigns.
Designed bilingual UX, natively integrated
Created a bilingual-by-default experience that felt natural to both English and Mandarin-speaking audiences, without toggles or duplicated pages.
Empowered a solo creator to own his platform
Delivered a fully editable site and customized handoff guides that turned a non-technical creator into a confident site owner.
An Opportunity
From a PDF flipbook to a real business platform
When I first followed Ellery on Instagram, his course sign-ups pointed to a polished but clunky PDF flipbook. It was hard to scan, slow on mobile, and required students to message him on LINE to enroll — which many didn’t follow through on or they faced LINE's system errors.
These usability issues weren’t just annoying, they were likely costing him business. I reached out with a proposal and quickly uncovered a bigger need: beyond courses, Ellery wanted to offer custom videos and eventually sell merch.
The challenge became clear: how do we turn a solo creator’s scattered tools into one streamlined, scalable platform?
Audit of Ellery's original course sign up flow
🚩 User Struggles
Hard to read and scroll on mobile (small, inconsistent text and interaction)
No way to easily compare courses
Confusing enrollment path (where do I click?)
🚩 Drop-off Triggers
Multiple steps to enroll (PDF ➔ LINE ➔ Chat ➔ Payment)
Manual back-and-forth delays sign-up
Lost trust from unclear process
🚩 Business Risks
Missed revenue from abandoned sign-ups
Heavy admin workload for one-person business
Hard to scale beyond a few offerings each cohort
THE CHALLENGE
How do we turn a solo creator's scattered tools into one streamlined, scalable platform?
Client Goals
Clarifying the chaos: from goals to user flows
I kicked off with a discovery session to unpack Ellery’s goals, pain points, and wishlist. Then I translated that into a clear site architecture and user flows, for both his students and him as a solo admin.
We aligned on what needed to launch now (courses, video orders) and what could come later (a shop), so I designed a structure built to grow with him.
📚
Courses
🎥
Personalized Videos
👕
Merch
Scrappy systems for solo creators
As we explored Ellery’s plans beyond courses, I realized the tech wasn’t the hard part. The challenge was balancing ambition with the reality of being a one-person business.
I initially mapped out flows using platforms like Shopify and other automation tools. But once we talked through his bandwidth and budget, I pivoted.
I proposed a few scrappy, DIY flows that skipped recurring platforms and gave him full control without added cost or complexity. They leaned more manual, but felt more sustainable for where he was in his business.
It was a good reminder: sometimes the best UX isn’t fully automated — it’s the one your client can actually manage.
💰
Admin capacity
I aligned design scope with what Ellery could realistically sustain solo, avoiding expensive subscriptions or heavy automation he couldn’t manage independently.
🛒
User flows
Focused on frictionless customer progression: clear product hierarchy, minimized enrollment steps, and simple forms to reduce cognitive load and avoid order abandonment.
🇹🇼
Local context
I mapped regional e-commerce norms (e.g. preference for direct messaging, local payment methods) to ensure familiar patterns for customers while still simplifying the flow.
Evaluating merch fulfillment options
While the core redesign focused on simplifying course enrollment, I also worked with Ellery to plan future merch sales: balancing budget, item count, technical comfort, and long-term flexibility. It became a key system design decision.
To illustrate one of these trade-off decisions, here’s how I approached merch fulfillment:
🖥 Option 1: Fully Automated SaaS
Customer order ➔ Shopify storefront ➔ Printful on-demand fulfillment ➔ TapPay payment ➔ Automated shipping & tracking
✅ Scalable & professional
❌ Subscription costs add up quickly
❌ Complex setup for solo creator
📦 Option 2: Local Hybrid
Customer order ➔ 7-11 MyShip storefront ➔ Local printer produces merch ➔ Ellery coordinates fulfillment & shipping
✅ Personal touch, fits local buying behavior
❌ More coordination and logistics involved
⚠️ Considered for near-future scale
Chosen Approach
📝 Option 3: Manual DIY Flow
Customer order on Framer form ➔ Google Sheet ➔ Ellery coordinates production with local printer ➔ Payment via bank transfer or Zelle ➔ Ellery handles fulfillment & shipping
✅ Minimal upfront cost
✅ Full control, easy to manage for one-person business
✅ Lean, scrappy, sustainable starting point
Designing for Growth
A flexible foundation built in framer
With no brand system to start from, I designed a clean, playful visual direction that felt true to Ellery’s personality, and easy to expand.
I built modular components in Framer that he could reuse without breaking layouts:
Flexible hero section for promos
Scalable course blocks
Custom video order forms
A shop layout that works whether he has one product or ten
The goal was autonomy: a system Ellery could grow with, not grow out of.
Progression of how Ellery's site (landing) can grow with his business
Why Framer made sense
I chose Framer because it gave me design freedom, and gave Ellery editing power without touching code.
To support that, I:
Labeled editable sections clearly
Created step-by-step guides so he could update content without worry
Designing for Conversion
Redesigning the Course experience for clarity and conversion
Ellery’s original sign-up process relied on a PDF site and LINE messages — a setup that caused real problems. It was hard to scan on mobile, the text was inconsistent and tiny, and enrollment required students to manually message him on LINE, which many didn’t, or couldn’t.
The bigger issue? His courses were solid, but buried in friction, clutter, and mixed signals. Students weren’t dropping off because of the content itself, but because the path to it wasn’t clear.
I redesigned the course experience with a student-first lens — from structure to content to sign-up flow — all optimized for clarity, trust, and scale.
The Before
"Plain text" format, hard to scan, compare options, and unclear registration signals.
Screenshot of Ellery's course "brochure", accessible through his link in IG bio.
Structuring courses for clarity and scale
The PDF layout made it difficult to compare offerings — each course varied in tone, layout, and detail, making things feel more chaotic than they really were.
I rebuilt the course section around three principles: clarity, consistency, and scalability:
Grouped courses by type (e.g. English vs. Mandarin)
Standardized layout with repeatable elements: title, intro, key info, CTA
Applied strong visual hierarchy for easier mobile scanning
Refined copy to keep it warm but focused
The After
Clear view of all course options, easier to compare options, and clear sign up process.
Screen recording of the browsing and signup process. Courses are separated by language on the home page for easy distinction with basic info such as dates and times available for easy overview.
Replacing friction with embedded forms with real-world student behavior in mind
Previously, students had to message Ellery via LINE to enroll — and many didn’t follow through. It created friction, lost sign-ups, and unnecessary admin work.
I embedded native Framer forms for each course:
Collected name, email, and course-specific info
Included bilingual instructions for clarity
Sent entries directly to Ellery’s inbox for easy tracking
The new setup eliminated guesswork and gave students a smoother path, while giving Ellery more control and less follow-up hassle.
Before
Old flow: user-initiated, extra steps
After
New flow: embedded, frictionless
I didn’t just redesign based on best practices, I factored in real-world feedback. Returning students told Ellery they struggled to understand the old setup, especially on mobile. The new structure made it easier to browse, compare, and trust the offerings.
Instead of asking “How do I enroll?”, students now just… enrolled.
Designing for Different Cultures
Bilingual by design
I designed the interface to be bilingual by default: stacking Mandarin and English together in a single, integrated layout.
While informational sections prioritized Mandarin for content hierarchy, I adapted the stacking order within functional UI (like sign-up forms) to preserve balance and clarity. Since English form labels were often longer, placing Mandarin first allowed me to maintain consistent alignment and avoid visual crowding, ensuring both languages remained easily scannable during task completion.
Examples of how the layout of both languages change based on utility
With Ellery’s core audience is based in Taiwan, I prioritized Mandarin visually for informational content — headlines, course descriptions, and promos lead with larger, bolder Mandarin typography, especially content specifically targeted towards Taiwanese audience (ie. English courses for Taiwanese students).
But for functional UI — like sign-up forms, navigation, and transactional flows — both languages receive equal visual weight to ensure clarity during key user actions.
Examples of how visual hierarchy is used in informational content vs. functional UI
To make that work, I:
Balanced optical sizing between dense Mandarin characters and lighter English letterforms
Chose complementary typefaces that feel warm, approachable, and legible across both scripts
Adjusted spacing and visual hierarchy to avoid overwhelming either language
Designed flexible components that accommodate different line lengths without breaking layout consistency
The result: a seamless bilingual experience that works naturally for both local and international audiences, without adding unnecessary tech complexity.
Using different opacity, color, cont sizes, style, to establish a typography system that is visually balances and communicates properly to target audiences
Two Cultures, One Voice
Helping Ellery communicate clearly across cultural and linguistic boundaries
Designing for two languages meant more than translation — it required cultural sensitivity and thoughtful content restructuring, along with bilingual abilities. We co-edited the content to simplify phrasing for U.S.-based users and to preserve clarity for local Taiwanese students. The result was a unified experience that speaks fluently to both audiences — without introducing unnecessary complexity for Ellery to manage.
This wasn’t just a design challenge, it was a cultural one. I learned to think like a bridge-builder: how do we say the same thing in two voices, and still make it feel like one cohesive brand?
Handoff
Designing for long-term independence
A beautiful site means nothing if your client is afraid to touch it. From the start, I designed the system not just for launch, but for Ellery’s long-term ownership.
Every section was built modularly in Framer so Ellery could easily scale his business without breaking layouts or needing ongoing design help.
To support this, I created a fully customized, non-technical handoff guide tailored to his workflows, comfort level, and language needs. It included:
Step-by-step visual instructions with annotated screenshots
Simple guides for adding courses, updating pricing, reordering content, and launching merch
Troubleshooting tips written in plain, friendly language
The result: a system Ellery feels confident managing, one he can build on as his business grows, without the fear of accidentally breaking things.
The guide I wrote for Ellery to help him maintain his site after we wrap up the project
Outcome
The result and what's next?
While we didn’t have analytics set up, the changes were immediately felt:
The course sign-up flow became smoother, mobile-friendly, and LINE-free: reducing drop-offs and missed inquiries
Ellery gained full autonomy over his site updates, saving hours of back-and-forth and manual coordination
His offerings are now organized in a way that makes them easier to browse, compare, and scale
I’d love to eventually track conversions or admin time saved when course sign up ramps up closer to August (when his courses officially opens), but for now, the clearest sign of success is Ellery’s confidence and his relief knowing that the site is ready for his business expansion later on.
"The new course page is much easier to read, I can actually compare the offerings and signup more effectively"
Potential student (translated from Mandarin)
"Even though I still need help with major updates, I now feel like I can handle small updates without stressing about breaking the site."
Ellery, during handoff call
"I've always wanted to sign up for a course but the flipbook felt like such a pain, the website is much easier to browse"
Potential student (translated from Mandarin)
Post-project Clarity
What I learned: empowerment > perfection
This project reinforced something I believe deeply: great design isn't just about polish — it's about making people feel capable.
Ellery didn’t just need a site; he needed a system he could understand and own. That meant designing with empathy not just for his students, but for him as the admin too. I leaned on my background in systems thinking and multilingual UX to build something approachable, not intimidating.
The most rewarding moment? Hearing Ellery say:
“I didn’t expect to be able to change this stuff on my own — but knowing the tools are there makes it less scary.”
That’s the kind of impact I want to keep designing for: tools that give people confidence, clarity, and control — even when tech isn't their first language.