Product Owner & Lead Designerfor WizCouncil
Took a non-technical founder's AI training vision from a domain name to a live, two-sided platform: brand, marketing site, learner product, and CEO-operated admin CMS.
- Role
- Product Owner & Lead Designer
- Team
- Solo lead + 2 engineers
- Tools
- Figma, Notion, Slack, Claude Code
- Scope
- Brand, marketing, learner app, admin CMS
Act 01
Context
setting the stage
A founder, a vision, a blank canvas. What had to be true before anything could be designed.
1.1 Brief
Zero to live platform: every surface owned.
A non-technical founder had a clear vision for structured AI training, but no brand, product, admin tooling, or operating system.
I turned that early idea into a live platform spanning the marketing site, learner experience, and CEO-operated CMS.
1.2 Problem
Three product problems, one platform.
AI learning gap
Professionals across 15+ industries knew they needed AI skills but did not know where to start. Existing options were too technical or too superficial, so the product had to land in the middle.
Two audiences
Corporate teams needed training that integrates AI into existing workflows. One platform had to serve individual learners and enterprise buyers without diluting either.
Founder-led operations
The product had to be operator-led from day one. Non-technical founders should not need engineers to ship a course or update the prompt library.
1.3 My role
Strategy, design, and delivery: owned end to end.
Strategy
Owned product strategy from zero to live.
Design
Designed both products and supervised delivery.
Team
Hired and ran a 2-engineer team: frontend and backend.
Act 02
Execution
three products, one system
Learner platform, marketing site, and a CEO-operated admin. Every surface had to feel like the same company.
2.1 Learner product
One platform, two paths.
Individuals and corporate clients had different buying journeys, but a non-technical founder could not run two separate products. The solution was one learner product with two paths: self-serve for individuals and CEO-led for corporate. Same content engine, same learner area, compressed into three steps: Begin, Learn, Results.
- Begin: assessment and learner intent capture.
- Learn: tools, sessions, lesson playback, and knowledge checks.
- Results: workplace application and proof of progress.
2.2 Marketing site
Convert skeptics in one scroll.
The site had to convince professionals that structured AI training is worth paying for when free YouTube content exists. The hero positions authority in one line, with no hedging. The problem section mirrors the visitor pain, testimonials add proof, and two clear conversion paths separate individuals from corporate clients.
2.3 Admin CMS
The second product: built for the CEO.
The hardest piece was building a CEO-controlled operating system for the entire platform. It supports video upload and auto-transcript flows, course/lesson/quiz authoring with reusable templates, prompt-library control, user and cohort management, payment configuration, and analytics.
- Course authoring, video upload, prompt operations, and quiz management.
- Designed so operational updates do not require engineering tickets.
- Now in maintenance: fixes and feature extensions can ship in hours through Claude Code.
Act 03
Synthesis
scope & lessons
Stepping back: the surfaces shipped, and what the work taught me about shipping with non-technical founders.
What I built
Brand identity
Logo lockups, type system, palette, and motion principles.
Marketing website
Hero, problem section, testimonials, pricing, and two CTA paths.
Public learner product
Dashboard, course player, prompt library, checkout, and progress flow.
Admin CMS
Course authoring, video upload, quiz engine, analytics, and user operations.
Payments configuration UI
Stripe and Polar integration, tier management, and refund flows.
3.2 Takeaways
What this project taught me.
Four principles I would carry into any zero-to-live engagement.
Position with authority from day one.
"Britain's Leading AI Institution" is a bold claim, but the design, testimonials, and structure make it feel earned. Confidence in positioning is itself a trust signal.
Design the product around the objection.
The biggest barrier was not price; it was the fear that AI will replace people. Every touchpoint reinforces empowerment before replacement.
Two products, one brand, one operating CEO.
The public platform and internal admin feel like the same company because one brand system holds them together, and the admin gives the founder real operational control.
Mid-build pivots do not have to slip the ship date.
A legal conflict killed the original brand mid-build. Treating the rebrand as a parallel workstream kept the timeline intact because every surface was already owned.