Lowman Education

Thumb Drives

to the

21st Century.

Transforming Lowman education’s delivery model to unlock exponential growth.

Project Overview

Lowman Education, founded by Alan Lowman, turned his innovative teaching methods into a thriving business. However, by 2021, delivering these resources via thumb drives had become outdated. My studio, Flux Bucket, stepped in to lead a digital transformation, creating an online platform that streamlined content distribution for schools across Texas.

Team

Myself - Product Manager & Lead Designer
Graphic Designer
Multiple Software Engineers
Lowman Education's Executive Leadership Team

Project Goals

Build a user-friendly online platform for managing and distributing curriculum to all Texas schools
Update Lowman Education’s brand identity to reflect a modern, trusted partner for educators
Enable seamless digital access to materials, replacing manual thumb drive distribution
Develop a subscription-based business model to unlock new revenue opportunities

Results & impact

Grew user base to over 10,000 educators within eight months of launch.
Average Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) surged by over 50%, with total revenue tripling.
1 in 4 Texas Schools now use Lowman Education.
With the new online platform, the Lowman team could now add accounts, update content, and deliver content instantaneously.

Chapter 1

“You need an app. Talk to Flux Bucket.”

Lowman Education had built a thriving business delivering curriculum to Texas schools, but their reliance on thumb drives was holding them back. Our mutual attorney, Monica, saw their struggles and recommended my agency, Flux Bucket, as the ideal partner for a technical solution. When they approached us, their system was stretched thin—updating content meant resending drives, onboarding was slow, and tracking accounts was a nightmare. They didn’t need a fix; they needed a transformation. As Head of Product and Design, I led a team to create an online platform with instant updates, seamless onboarding, and a subscription model, helping Lowman unlock their potential and lead the Texas curriculum market.

Chapter 2

Diving Deep – Building a user-centric Foundation

Our first step was to fully immerse ourselves in the world of Texas educators and administrators. Leading a collaborative effort with designers, engineers, and stakeholders, I launched an intensive research initiative to understand the challenges and needs of our users. Through user interviews, stakeholder discussions, contextual inquiries, and empathy exercises, we uncovered critical pain points and opportunities, synthesizing our findings into actionable insights to drive user-centered design.By developing empathy models, we captured a holistic view of our users—their goals, frustrations, and daily workflows. These insights not only shaped the direction of our work but also ensured the platform was designed with their real-world needs at its core. The synthesis process enabled us to transform research into a shared understanding, laying a user-focused foundation that guided every design and strategy decision.

Chapter 3

Discovering a Brand

In parallel with our research and product development, we guided Lowman Consulting through a transformative rebranding process, evolving into what is now Lowman Education. Building a product from scratch required more than functionality—it needed a cohesive brand to inform visual style, messaging, and user experience. We worked closely with their team to define how users should feel about the product and what Lowman Education should represent to educators. This process wasn’t just about aesthetics; it gave the Lowman team a renewed mission and identity while providing us with the clarity to design a platform that resonated deeply with their audience, positioning them as a trusted, forward-thinking partner in education.

Chapter 4

Streamlining the Purchase Order Process

The purchase order (PO) process for curriculum products was one of the most complex challenges we faced, involving multiple steps to prevent fraud with school funding—requesting quotes, confirming POs, generating sales orders, and finalizing payments. This heavily manual process often took weeks, creating frustration for educators eager to access materials. Using our deep understanding of this system, we designed a solution that preserved the necessary safeguards while streamlining workflows and automating key steps. The result was an air-tight, efficient process that provided a secure yet seamless experience, enabling schools to quickly purchase the materials they needed with minimal friction.

Chapter 5

Prototyping and Testing: Turning Ideas into Action

With a clear understanding of our users and opportunities, we began turning ideas into action by testing and refining our vision for a seamless digital solution. I led a rapid prototyping process, using low-fidelity wireframes to create representational models of the product that mirrored and improved upon the heavily manual real-world system. These prototypes allowed us to gather feedback early and often, ensuring we could iterate quickly and stay agile throughout development. By continually testing and refining at key stages, we maintained the flexibility to pivot when needed while confidently moving toward a solution that would meet the needs of both Lowman Education and the educators they served.

Chapter 6

Business Strategy Innovation: Automatically Created Accounts

One of the most impactful innovations we introduced was leveraging publicly available data on Texas school districts and state curriculum information to pre-create accounts for every school in the state. With a defined market—every Texas school and no more—we automated account creation using government-sourced data, removing barriers for potential users. This proactive strategy not only streamlined onboarding but also served as a powerful sales tool. Schools were encouraged to "claim their account" with a sense of urgency, incentivized by a free resource gift. This approach harnessed technology to simplify processes, enhance the user experience, and drive significant growth for Lowman Education, turning a logistical challenge into a competitive advantage.

Chapter 7

A Little Web Design with that Shake?

In addition to developing their digital platform, we helped Lowman Education design and build a completely new website to match their updated brand identity and the significant overhaul their business had undergone. I led the content creation, including creative direction and copywriting, leveraging my way with words to craft engaging messaging. The redesign was well-received, giving Lowman Education a much-needed facelift that excited their team and resonated with educators, further solidifying their position as a modern, trusted partner in education.

Chapter 8

Going Live: A Transformative Launch

After rigorous testing and refinement, we launched the pilot of Lowman Education’s platform in Spring 2022 to great acclaim. Just two months later, the app was adopted by over 9,600 Texas schools, driving rapid adoption and boosting the user base to over 10,000 educators. This launch not only transformed the business by introducing a new subscription-based revenue stream but also fueled significant growth, enabling the Lowman team to expand from 8 to 30 employees. With consistent growth and increasing influence in Texas each school year, the platform has become a cornerstone of their success, solidifying their position as a leader in education solutions.