From Idea to Digital Product: The Development Process Behind LiTE Academy

Building an EU co-funded educational platform is no simple task. It requires rigorous research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and an iterative development process that always puts the user first.

In this article, we open the curtain and share how LiTE Academy went from an idea to a real product.

Phase 1: Research and Discovery

It all started with a simple question: What do European professionals really need to compete in the digital economy?

The answer required months of research:

• Analysis of over 200 job listings across 6 European countries

• Interviews with 80+ professionals from different sectors

• Review of academic literature on digital competencies

• Benchmarking of 30+ existing e-learning platforms

This process revealed clear gaps: most existing platforms focused either on overly theoretical content or on technical tutorials with no practical context.

Phase 2: Product Definition

With the data in hand, the team defined the product's core pillars:

Project-Based Learning — Each module culminates in a real project that can be added to the learner's portfolio.

Peer Mentoring — A matching system that connects learners with experienced professionals in their field.

Expert Validation — All content is reviewed and validated by industry experts and academics.

Transparent Progress — A clear dashboard with progress metrics, time invested, and skills developed.

Phase 3: Design and Prototyping

The design process followed a double diamond methodology:

1. Discover — Explore as many solutions as possible for each identified problem

2. Define — Select the best solutions based on testing with real users

3. Prototype — Build testable versions of chosen solutions

4. Validate — Test, learn, and iterate

Over 150 screens were created before we arrived at the platform's final design.

Phase 4: Technical Development

The technology stack was chosen with clear criteria: scalability, performance, and ease of maintenance.

The platform was developed with a focus on:

• WCAG 2.1 AA Accessibility — ensuring inclusion for all users

• Performance — load times under 2 seconds

• Security — full GDPR compliance and European data protection standards

Phase 5: Testing and Launch

Before the official launch, the platform underwent:

• Usability testing with 50 beta users across 3 countries

• Accessibility audit by external specialists

• Stress testing to ensure stability with multiple simultaneous users

Beta user feedback shaped over 40 improvements before launch.

Conclusion

Building a quality educational product is a long and demanding journey. But when the goal is to genuinely help professionals grow, every hour invested is worth it.

Want to be one of the first to experience the result? Join the waitlist today.