Product People Delivered a Data-Validated MVP Prototype and Clear Path to Build

The Client: QS (Quacquarelli Symonds)

QS is a global leader in higher education analytics and student recruitment and is best known for its prestigious university rankings. The company connects students with universities and educational opportunities worldwide, providing data-driven insights to help institutions improve recruitment and retention.

With a presence in over 70 countries and millions of students relying on its platforms, QS plays a crucial role in shaping the global higher education landscape.

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The Mission: Interim Product Managers for Prototype Validation

Background:

QS sought to create a ‘Future Experience’ MVP - a mobile-first, personalized, AI-enabled platform - tailored for employability seekers. The MVP was designed to enhance the student journey, spanning discovery, narrowing options, and applying to universities.

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Why Product People Was Needed:

The QS team lacked the internal bandwidth to drive the prototype phase. They required experienced Product Managers to validate hypotheses, prioritize features, and ensure readiness of the MVP for the build phase.

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Company Expectations:

QS aimed to:

• Validate assumptions and hypotheses about student needs using the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework.
• Create a user-centric prototype integrated with existing QS assets, such as 1Mentor and QSApply.
• Prioritize features to maximize value for employability seekers.

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Our Main Quest: Delivered a Validated and Prioritized Prototype

Launch: Onboarded Very Fast

QS had ambitious timelines for the Future Experience MVP but lacked dedicated product management resources to lead the prototyping phase. We onboarded rapidly, familiarizing ourselves with QS’s existing ecosystem, establishing ways of working with UX Design and aligning with key stakeholders. Within the first week, we established a structured plan to validate hypotheses, prioritize features, and ensure the feasibility of prototype creation within engineering constraints.

First Deliverables and Results

1. Validated set of data points on the highest-risk assumptions. We systematically validated critical assumptions through a combination of surveying, expert interviews, and data analysis. This ensured that our insights were grounded in real user behavior and industry expertise, reducing uncertainty in decision-making.
2. Clear and testable hypotheses. We transformed validated assumptions into structured, testable hypotheses, aligning them with the Jobs to Be Done framework and success metrics. This provided a strong foundation for feature prioritization and user experience design, ensuring the MVP directly addressed employability seekers' needs.

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Explore and Conquer: Solving for QS

Initiative 1 - Validated Hypotheses

Problem:

Unclear assumptions about what employability seekers value most in a university application platform.

What We Did:

• Conducted usability tests with 10+ participants and surveys with 223 respondents.
• Mapped assumptions against key Jobs to Be Done, focusing on personalized recommendations and progress tracking..
• Validated assumptions about decision-making priorities like scholarships and career outcomes.

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Initiative 2 - Feature Prioritization

Problem:

A large feature set needed prioritization to focus on must-haves for the MVP.

What We Did:

• Facilitated several solutioning workshops with QS stakeholders.
• Applied the MoSCoW framework to prioritize features based on impact and feasibility.
• Finalized a roadmap to guide the build phase.

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Initiative 3 - High-Fidelity Prototype

Problem:

A need for a tangible prototype to validate the concept and prepare for the build phase.

What We Did:

• Designed and delivered a high-fidelity, clickable prototype in Figma.
• Iteratively refined the prototype based on usability testing insights.
• Included features such as personalized recommendations, university comparisons, and progress tracking.
• Evaluated low and no-code tools and recommended Adalo as the preferred platform for the MVP build.

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Initiative 4 - Gauging Demand

Problem:

A need to gauge early interest in the MVP to validate demand and refine messaging before investing in full development. Without clear signals from the target audience, there was a risk of building a product that wouldn't attract sufficient engagement.

What We Did:

• Designed and tested various iterations of a HubSpot landing page to determine demand, achieving ~300 sign-ups with a 17.05% CVR.

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Mission Achievements: Delivered Outcomes

💡 Validated key hypotheses about employability seekers using JTBD, usability testing, and surveys.

💡  Delivered a high-fidelity prototype and prioritized features for the build phase.

💡 Prepared a detailed handover document, ensuring readiness for the MVP build phase.