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In Brief
Miscommunication isn’t a flaw—it’s fuel. Bold software ideas only become classroom-ready when friction is made visible, debated, and shaped into progress. Through structured discovery, shared artifacts, DDD workshops, and bilingual Product Owners, teams transform missed cues into productive tension to drive innovation.
Bumps in Your Build Might Be the Best Thing for Your EdTech Product
Miscommunication isn’t the real danger in developing an EdTech product. The bigger risk is everyone nodding along to the wrong idea.
Amara Humphry, Head of Research & Development at Abl, has seen it firsthand.
“Some firms I’ve worked with are like that — they say yes to everything. ‘Yes, yes, yes, we can do it.’ And then you see the results and realize they should’ve said no, because they either couldn’t deliver on time, didn’t do it thoroughly, or didn’t understand what I was asking. They’re not asking questions.”
What Friction Reveals That Smooth Processes Can’t
Early misunderstandings don’t need to be looked at as setbacks. In fact, early on, a skilled development team will know how to draw out, challenge, and turn those assumptions into better solutions.
“In contrast, my experience with Edify has been different. They’re not always yes-people. They ask questions, they push back, and they’re realistic about what they can do and by when. From a project success standpoint, that’s really helpful. You don’t want someone who says ‘Sure, sure, sure’ to everything — and then at the end you’re left with disappointment.”
Why Friction Is the Secret Ingredient in Stronger EdTech Builds
The Edify team doesn’t claim to eliminate every miscommunication. Instead, we’ve built a playbook that treats misalignment as an opportunity for innovation.
Our systems make friction visible and debatable, so we also make it fixable. This helps avoid a product that’s “exactly as envisioned” from being a flop in the classroom.
1. Structured Discovery Turns Miscommunication into Momentum
Most teams approach discovery as if the goal is total alignment on day one. But it rarely works that way. Linda Hall, Business Administration professor at Harvard University, shared: You cannot really plan your way to an innovation, you have to act your way to an innovation…there are going to be missteps and mistakes, failures, in fact.
That’s why we see discovery as less about producing tidy answers and more about creating the conditions for collaboration. Innovation happens when people with different skills and views unite, to try new ideas, and strive for a common goal.
Also, if transparency and customer satisfaction matter, then discovery can’t just happen in a vacuum. Instead, it must be a living process to make room for creative agility. That’s why we collect ongoing insights from you and your team to help us build thoughtfully and strategically.
The alignment won’t happen quickly just for efficiency’s sake. We’ll use intentional friction to refine our vision. This lays the groundwork for our collaborative process. We surface challenges early so they can be thoroughly understood.
2. Shared Artifacts Build Alignment Continuously
The idea of a single source of truth sounds ideal. But it can backfire if it’s static, inaccessible, or siloed. A challenge in collaborative product design is managing knowledge among many stakeholders.
After all, a shared vision only works if everyone has access to it. That’s why all working docs remain out in the open. Engineers, designers, and educators are literally looking at the same thing.
What that looks like in practice:
- Requirements and user stories are captured as backlog items, with acceptance criteria and personas alongside them.
- Designs and wireframes that start as quick sketches and gradually turn into clickable prototypes in Figma.
- Diagrams—sometimes it’s a high-level system map, other times a workflow or ERD—whatever helps the team to tangibly “see” the build.
- Documentation that explains the details, including technical specs, API contracts, coding standards, and testing plans.
- Project boards where the work is tracked in real time, whether that’s Jira, Trello, or Asana showing what’s moving forward.
- Knowledge bases like Confluence, shared Google Docs, or wikis that hold the “why” behind decisions and prevent knowledge loss.
- Version-controlled code in Git repositories so the whole team works from one source of truth.
- Shared artifacts mean alignment is built continuously and never assumed once.
3. Domain-Driven Design Workshops Are Launchpads (Not Master Plans)
Traditional workshops aim to produce the master blueprint for development. But the reality of EdTech is messier. Once you enter the classroom, half your assumptions go out the window. Over-engineering at the start can be just as dangerous as under-planning.
That’s why we are flexible in our approach to suit clients’ needs on an ad hoc basis. For example, we can handle entire projects from start to finish or expand existing teams to speed up their work and enhance their skills.
Software architects, product managers, and UX designers create the system’s blueprint, assess requirements, and choose the right language, framework, libraries, and infrastructure. They also evaluate integration opportunities with existing technologies.
Then, we let real-world use shape the architecture. Flexibility beats elegance when students and teachers are the ones stress-testing your code.
4. Bilingual Product Owners Are Bridges Between Educators and Engineers
Edify knows its way around EdTech: the technologies, standards, and regulations. We understand the needs and objectives of educators.
Companies outside this space often lack knowledge of educational technology or software designed for classroom use. That’s where we can help fill the void. We guide developers in the basics of pedagogy and support educators in navigating technical trade-offs.
During the coding phase, our engineering team turns the software design into working, sustainable code. It’s an iterative approach that delivers updates incrementally. MVPs are released in stages to gather feedback early and improve quickly.
Innovation is an act of collective creativity.
Linda A. Hill
Harvard Business School
Why the Best Development Teams Use Friction to Build Better EdTech
There’s only one thing more important than building the right product: building the product right. In EdTech, the biggest obstacle is often the gap between the vision and turning that idea into reality. We’ve seen firsthand how easily product builds can get lost in translation.
Instead of fighting every misunderstanding, our approach treats miscommunication as a design tool. We stand out not by preventing every mistake, but by making them visible and fixable through our systems. That’s how we bridge the gap between boardroom vision and reality.
One of our clients said it best:
This model is an awesome way to augment our team with people who feel more committed than a typical contract developer. During rough patches, I think a different shop would have said, ‘That’s not really our problem,’ but Edify doesn’t do that. They show up at odd hours, want to make it right, and lean in—that’s really valuable and unusual.
Get proof that friction fuels stronger EdTech products.
FAQs on Miscommunication & EdTech Product Builds
Isn't miscommunication always a bad thing in product development?
Not necessarily. Early misunderstandings can surface hidden assumptions and spark better conversations. The real risk is perfect alignment around the wrong idea.
How does Edify turn miscommunication into an advantage?
We build systems—like structured discovery, shared artifacts, and iterative workshops—that reveal friction. It gives space for debate and fixes, and it shifts miscommunication into momentum over digression.
What are "shared artifacts," and why do they matter?
They're living documents. Wireframes, backlogs, diagrams, and wikis keep everyone aligned all the time, not just at kickoff. They reduce silos and help stakeholders collaborate effectively.
Why doesn't Edify aim for full alignment during discovery?
Because innovation is messy. Discovery is about creating conditions for collaboration, not producing a static master plan. Intentional friction sharpens the vision.
How do Domain-Driven Design (DDD) workshops differ from traditional planning sessions?
Traditional workshops try to lock in a blueprint too early. DDD workshops offer a launchpad. They have flexible structures that change as teachers and students test the product.
What role do bilingual Product Owners play?
Literally and figuratively, they're translators. On one side, they help developers understand why a lesson plan isn't just another “feature request.” On the other, they coach educators on what's technically feasible and what might require a trade-off. The goal is making sure both groups actually hear each other.
Why does Edify emphasize flexibility over elegance in architecture?
Real classrooms rarely match the development blueprint. A “perfect” plan on paper can collapse the moment a district policy shifts or a teacher discovers a new need mid-year. Flexible systems bend with those realities; rigid ones snap.
How does Edify reduce the risk of wasted development time?
Instead of betting big on one flawless build, the team puts out early versions, tests them in real settings, and listens closely to feedback. Changes happen while the product is still flexible, so the final version reflects what truly works, not what was assumed.
What makes Edify different from a typical contract development shop?
We see ourselves as partners, not vendors. Our teams lean in during rough patches, work odd hours if needed, and prioritize making things right over checking boxes.
What's the first step if I want to explore working with Edify?
Join us for a 30-minute “product vision alignment” session. We'll help you map your idea, uncover hidden assumptions, and explore ways to bring it to life in the classroom.