STEMpump
An edtech nonprofit creating a student-driven learning platform
STEMpump is a nonprofit dedicated to creating a global learning platform for contribution, collaboration, and expression. I founded it in 2019 as a way to bring more free and student-made STEAM-based content to students across the world. Being 100% online, we utilize STEMpump.org for our content and learning technologies. It's been through many different iterations, and the current one was redesigned with the student and learning process in mind. In my role, I led the design and development of STEMpump.org, STEMpump Camps, and STEMpump for iOS. I also designed PacificUI, our cross-platform design language.
Links
Big Question
How do we develop a web experience that's both appealing to students and the way(s) they learn?
The evolution of STEMpump
Founded in 2019, STEMpump has seen its share of updates and redesigns to its website and brand. The site has been updated accordingly and has been a great way to see STEMpump grow and myself.
Goals
Build a brand
With the scale of STEMpump, it's important that we build a brand that is consistent across our content and technology. The new website should be designed with a unique design and style in mind, yet still familiar to previous iterations.
Develop sustainable infrastructure
With 140k+ students using STEMpump worldwide, it's important that we build infrastructure that is sustainable and fast. We want an infrastructure that performs the same, whether you're in New York or Japan.
Platform Parity
Making sure that STEMpump content and features are consistent across different platforms (website and app) is important in providing students with convenient ways to use STEMpump.
Quizzes and Projects
To reinforce the content available in lessons, we added Quizzes and Projects. Students can take quizzes that involve multiple choice and text-based questions to test their knowledge. They can also build projects for hands-on learning based on what they previously learned.
Hints are available, along with a "quick glance" of the solution, to see if you're on the right track. (Similar to flipping the page really quickly.)
STEMpump's Mission
To provide the world with free education and give students a platform to create and share.
Universal Search
A brand-new search bar built into the navbar allows students to search across STEMpump from anywhere. Built with Algolia, our Universal Search system uses ML and NLP to search courses, camps, and subjects.
Don't worry about misspelling or using similar phrases — AI Dynamic
Synonym Suggestions help everyone find exactly what they're looking for.
This system is used in the STEMpump App, with the same search capabilities.
The Library
A brand-new Library helps students see everything we have to offer, along with automatically updated suggestions. See our featured course, latest camp, lesson of the day, and more! It's super easy to see individual subjects and camps with filtering options.
Additional pages
Support
With STEMpump Support, you can find answers for questions about STEMpump, its programs, and its platforms. You can also submit questions and comments, in case you need help with something.
Visit STEMpump SupportReleases
Releases show all our major and minor version updates across STEMpump. Users can also see if STEMpump and its systems are operational via Atlassian Statuspage.
Visit ReleasesBlog
With our Blog, students can be up to date with new updates to the STEMpump Organization, platforms, and more. It's the main source of new information from us.
Visit the STEMpump Blog
Technologies used
Next.js
Next.js WebsiteNext.js is a React Framework for building performant and server-focused web applications. We used Incremental Static Regeneration to handle large data over time. Next.js Edge functions allowed us to develop custom APIs.
Sanity.io
Sanity.io is a unified content platform that enables us to manage and organize all content available on STEMpump. With using Sanity.io as our CMS, students benefit from our global CDN and data pipeline.
Sanity.io WebsiteAlgolia
Algolia powers our Universal Search system for STEMpump.org and the STEMpump App. We integrated it into our Sanity.io pipeline, so new content is indexed directly from Sanity.io to Algolia.
Algolia Website
Other STEMpump Platforms
STEMpump Camps
Learn live with STEMpump Camps. Join free STEAM-based video bootcamps, ask questions, and discover something new.
Learn moreSTEMpump for iOS
Learn from STEMpump anywhere, anytime. Learn from courses, watch camps, take quizzes and projects, save your progress, and more.
Learn more
