AXIS CONCEPT
Turning exploration into clarity
Most students choose a path based on what they’ve seen, not what fits them best. Axis reveals cross-disciplinary connections students wouldn’t find on their own, before they settle.
Outcomes
→
Every user left with a connection
The signal that matters most.
→
88% adoption rate
Expressed intent to adopt Axis if available.
→
42% boost in engagement
More time exploring across multiple sectors - doing exactly what it’s intended to do.
**Based on two rounds of moderated usability testing with 8 participants - designers, engineers, business professionals, and international users across diverse backgrounds.
Powered by interests
Reinforcing layers
Axis maps students’ interests across disciplines, revealing cross-disciplinary connections they wouldn’t have found on their own. The more they explore, the more connections show up.
CLEAR STARTING POINT
Exploration starts credibly
A small set of trusted topics defines the starting point.
Students know exactly where to begin.
EMERGING CONNECTIONS
Discovery through connections
Connections across topics and formats are shown as students explore.
Fields they never considered start to feel relevant.
PATTERN RECOGNITION
Cross-disciplinary patterns revealed
Axis uses machine learning to identify patterns across explored fields before students can articulate them.
Expanding their options beyond what felt safe or familiar.
Context
Why Axis exists
Most students choose a path based on what they’ve been exposed to. Not what fits them best, just what they’ve seen.
You choose a major early, often before you’ve seen enough to know what else exists. The system doesn’t wait. So you take the leap, even when you’re not ready.
But careers increasingly sit at the intersection of fields. Most students don’t get close enough to see them.
The problem at scale
Up to 70% of college students enter undecided. And 80% will change their major at least once. The students who seem sure often aren’t. The problem is bigger than it looks.
The flow
Six steps
Here’s the full journey.
1
Onboarding
2
Feed populates
3
You explore
4
Axis finds the pattern
5
Axis shows connection
6
Feed updates with a new field to explore
System gap
Siloed by design
Exploration is split across two environments. Within institutions, it is structured by discipline while outside them, it’s self-directed. Neither shows students where fields intersect.
Education remains siloed, so students are asked to choose a direction before they understand how fields intersect.
As a result, students stall or default to what feels safe.
“Knowing what’s happening in big industries can influence what you decide to do. As a student, this kind of exposure is so valuable because it opens your eyes to trends and industries you wouldn’t encounter in school.”
Usability tester,
Student
A new approach to student exploration
A different kind of guide
Most education and career platforms assume students already know what they want to pursue. They’re built for execution, not exploration.
Axis works differently. Like a personal advisor that widens your view before you commit, without telling you what to choose.
Strategic vision: When worlds collide
Axis is built on the belief that something electric happens when different worlds collide. When disciplines collide, students see more than they came in with. A wider view of what’s possible, and what might be worth exploring.
Meet Axis
Axis is a discovery platform that reveals cross-disciplinary connections between fields students wouldn’t find on their own.
How might we help students explore unexpected fields with clarity without settling too early on what feels safe?
What we tried first
Reframing the approach
We assumed discovery meant showing students more possibilities - career paths, salary, impact, longevity. More content added noise instead of clarity.
You don’t know what you don’t know. You have to be exposed to something to know it exists. Telling a student “consider this” means nothing if they can’t see how it connects to what they already care about.
We could have built a search tool. But search requires knowing what to look for. Axis steps in and makes a connection visible, at the right time.
Behavioral insights
Early signals from testing
Students found value in cross-disciplinary connections. When Axis revealed unexpected connections to their interests, they leaned in. It became a reason to stay and keep exploring.
“I like how it guided me on what to read next and how fields connect. It made me want to keep exploring.”
Usability tester,
Student
“I would have loved access to this platform when I was a student. I would still use it now.”
Usability tester, Graduate
How we got there
Trusted starting point
A blank slate doesn’t help students who don’t know where to begin, it stalls them. Onboarding anchors students to a focused set of starting points. It’s enough to give direction, not enough to overwhelm.
That starting point gives students somewhere to begin. It becomes a reason to search, read, watch, and listen.
Students choose what they’re already drawn to.
The selection becomes the foundation everything builds from.
Structure and continuity
Axis is structured around familiar discovery patterns - saved content, easy to revisit, organized to grow over time. A new pattern would create friction.
Students build a library of what they’ve explored and saved. Familiar patterns give students a reason to return. Every return builds evidence of what they’re actually drawn to.
Built for re-engagement.
Saved content, easy to revisit, every time.
Future facing
What’s next?
Axis is still a concept. Behavior over time hasn’t been tested yet, but what Axis needs to work at scale is now possible.
The north star metric is simple: did students leave with a connection they couldn’t articulate before they arrived? That’s the signal worth testing at scale.
From choosing blindly to choosing with context
Clarity through structured exploration
Most students take the leap before they’re ready. Axis broadens the scope of what students can see.
It’s not a map of what to do, just a wider view.
Next case study
-->
VENMO
Venmo, without borders
→
Received amount recognized as priority
→
Full cost understood
→
No abandonment due to cost clarity
Mobile design
End-to-end experience
View case study
AXIS CONCEPT
Turning exploration into clarity
Most students choose a path based on what they’ve seen, not what fits them best. Axis reveals cross-disciplinary connections students wouldn’t find on their own, before they settle.
Outcomes
→
Every user left with a connection they didn’t arrive with
The signal that matters most.
→
88% adoption rate
Expressed intent to adopt Axis if available.
→
42% boost in engagement
More time exploring across multiple sectors - doing exactly what it’s intended to do.
**Based on two rounds of moderated usability testing with 8 participants - designers, engineers, business professionals, and international users across diverse backgrounds.
Powered by interests
Reinforcing layers
Axis maps students’ interests across disciplines, revealing cross-disciplinary connections they wouldn’t have found on their own. The more they explore, the more connections show up.
CLEAR STARTING POINT
Exploration starts credibly
A small set of trusted topics defines the starting point.
Students know exactly where to begin.
EMERGING CONNECTIONS
Discovery through connections
Connections across topics and formats are shown as students explore.
Fields they never considered start to feel relevant.
PATTERN RECOGNITION
Cross-disciplinary patterns revealed
Axis uses machine learning to identify patterns across explored fields before students can articulate them.
Expanding their options beyond what felt safe or familiar.
Context
Why Axis exists
Most students choose a path based on what they’ve been exposed to. Not what fits them best, just what they’ve seen.
You choose a major early, often before you’ve seen enough to know what else exists. The system doesn’t wait. So you take the leap, even when you’re not ready.
But careers increasingly sit at the intersection of fields. Most students don’t get close enough to see them.
The problem at scale
Up to 70% of college students enter undecided. And 80% will change their major at least once. The students who seem sure often aren’t. The problem is bigger than it looks.
System gap
Siloed by design
Exploration is split across two environments. Within institutions, it is structured by discipline while outside them, it’s self-directed. Neither shows students where fields intersect.
Education remains siloed, so students are asked to choose a direction before they understand how fields intersect.
As a result, students stall or default to what feels safe.
“Knowing what’s happening in big industries can influence what you decide to do. As a student, this kind of exposure is so valuable because it opens your eyes to trends and industries you wouldn’t encounter in school.”
Usability tester,
Student
A new approach to student exploration
A different kind of guide
Most education and career platforms assume students already know what they want to pursue. They’re built for execution, not exploration.
Axis works differently. Like a personal advisor that widens your view before you commit, without telling you what to choose.
Strategic vision: When worlds collide
Axis is built on the belief that something electric happens when different worlds collide. When disciplines collide, students see more than they came in with. A wider view of what’s possible, and what might be worth exploring.
Meet Axis
Axis is a discovery platform that reveals cross-disciplinary connections between fields students wouldn’t find on their own.
How might we help students explore unexpected fields with clarity without settling too early on what feels safe?
The flow
Six steps
Here’s the full journey.
1
Onboarding - pick your interests
2
Feed populates instantly
3
You explore - read, watch, listen
4
Axis reveals what you wouldn’t have found
5
Axis shows the connection
6
Feed updates with a new field to explore
What we tried first
Reframing the approach
We assumed discovery meant showing students more possibilities - career paths, salary, impact, longevity. More content added noise instead of clarity.
You don’t know what you don’t know. You have to be exposed to something to know it exists. Telling a student “consider this” means nothing if they can’t see how it connects to what they already care about.
We could have built a search tool. But search requires knowing what to look for. Axis steps in and makes a connection visible, at the right time.
Behavioral insights
Early signals from testing
Students found value in cross-disciplinary connections. When Axis revealed unexpected connections to their interests, they leaned in. It became a reason to stay and keep exploring.
“I like how it guided me on what to read next and how fields connect. It made me want to keep exploring.”
Usability tester,
Student
“I would have loved access to this platform when I was a student. I would still use it now.”
Usability tester, Graduate
How we got there
Trusted starting point
A blank slate doesn’t help students who don’t know where to begin, it stalls them. Onboarding anchors students to a focused set of starting points. It’s enough to give direction, not enough to overwhelm.
That starting point gives students somewhere to begin. It becomes a reason to search, read, watch, and listen.
Students choose what they’re already drawn to.
The selection becomes the foundation everything builds from.
Structure and continuity
Axis is structured around familiar discovery patterns - saved content, easy to revisit, organized to grow over time. A new pattern would create friction.
Students build a library of what they’ve explored and saved. Familiar patterns give students a reason to return. Every return builds evidence of what they’re actually drawn to.
Built for re-engagement.
Saved content, easy to revisit, every time.
Future facing
What’s next?
Axis is still a concept. Behavior over time hasn’t been tested yet, but what Axis needs to work at scale is now possible.
The north star metric is simple: did students leave with a connection they couldn’t articulate before they arrived? That’s the signal worth testing at scale.
From choosing blindly to choosing with context
Clarity through structured exploration
Most students take the leap before they’re ready. Axis broadens the scope of what students can see.
It’s not a map of what to do, just a wider view.
Next case study
-->
VENMO
Venmo, without borders
→
Received amount recognized as priority
→
Full cost understood
→
No abandonment due to cost clarity
Mobile design
End-to-end experience
View case study
AXIS CONCEPT
Turning exploration into clarity
Most students choose a path based on what they’ve seen, not what fits them best. Axis reveals cross-disciplinary connections students wouldn’t find on their own, before they settle.
Outcomes
→
Every user left with a connection they didn’t arrive with
The signal that matters most.
→
88% adoption rate
Expressed intent to adopt Axis if available.
→
42% boost in engagement
More time exploring across multiple sectors - doing exactly what it’s intended to do.
**Based on two rounds of moderated usability testing with 8 participants - designers, engineers, business professionals, and international users across diverse backgrounds.
Powered by interests
Reinforcing layers
Axis maps students’ interests across disciplines, revealing cross-disciplinary connections they wouldn’t have found on their own. The more they explore, the more connections show up.
CLEAR STARTING POINT
Exploration starts credibly
A small set of trusted topics defines the starting point.
Students know exactly where to begin.
EMERGING CONNECTIONS
Discovery through connections
Connections across topics and formats are shown as students explore.
Fields they never considered start to feel relevant.
PATTERN RECOGNITION
Cross-disciplinary patterns revealed
Axis uses machine learning to identify patterns across explored fields before students can articulate them.
Expanding their options beyond what felt safe or familiar.
Context
Why Axis exists
Most students choose a path based on what they’ve been exposed to. Not what fits them best, just what they’ve seen.
You choose a major early, often before you’ve seen enough to know what else exists. The system doesn’t wait. So you take the leap, even when you’re not ready.
But careers increasingly sit at the intersection of fields. Most students don’t get close enough to see them.
The problem at scale
Up to 70% of college students enter undecided. And 80% will change their major at least once. The students who seem sure often aren’t. The problem is bigger than it looks.
System gap
Siloed by design
Exploration is split across two environments. Within institutions, it is structured by discipline while outside them, it’s self-directed. Neither shows students where fields intersect.
Education remains siloed, so students are asked to choose a direction before they understand how fields intersect.
As a result, students stall or default to what feels safe.
“Knowing what’s happening in big industries can influence what you decide to do. As a student, this kind of exposure is so valuable because it opens your eyes to trends and industries you wouldn’t encounter in school.”
Usability tester,
Student
A new approach tostudent exploration
A different kind of guide
Most education and career platforms assume students already know what they want to pursue. They’re built for execution, not exploration.
Axis works differently. Like a personal advisor that widens your view before you commit, without telling you what to choose.
Strategic vision: When worlds collide
Axis is built on the belief that something electric happens when different worlds collide. When disciplines collide, students see more than they came in with. A wider view of what’s possible, and what might be worth exploring.
Meet Axis
Axis is a discovery platform that reveals cross-disciplinary connections between fields students wouldn’t find on their own.
How might we help students explore unexpected fields with clarity without settling too early on what feels safe?
The flow
Six steps
Here’s the full journey.
1
Onboarding - pick your interests
2
Feed populates instantly
3
You explore - read, watch, listen
4
Axis reveals what you wouldn’t have found
5
Axis shows the connection
6
Feed updates with a new field to explore
What wetried first
Reframing the approach
We assumed discovery meant showing students more possibilities - career paths, salary, impact, longevity. More content added noise instead of clarity.
You don’t know what you don’t know. You have to be exposed to something to know it exists. Telling a student “consider this” means nothing if they can’t see how it connects to what they already care about.
We could have built a search tool. But search requires knowing what to look for. Axis steps in and makes a connection visible, at the right time.
Behavioral insights
Early signals from testing
Students found value in cross-disciplinary connections. When Axis revealed unexpected connections to their interests, they leaned in. It became a reason to stay and keep exploring.
“I like how it guided me on what to read next and how fields connect. It made me want to keep exploring.”
Usability tester,
Student
“I would have loved access to this platform when I was a student. I would still use it now.”
Usability tester, Graduate
How wegot there
Trusted starting point
A blank slate doesn’t help students who don’t know where to begin, it stalls them. Onboarding anchors students to a focused set of starting points. It’s enough to give direction, not enough to overwhelm.
That starting point gives students somewhere to begin. It becomes a reason to search, read, watch, and listen.
Students choose what they’re already drawn to.
The selection becomes the foundation everything builds from.
Structure and continuity
Axis is structured around familiar discovery patterns - saved content, easy to revisit, organized to grow over time. A new pattern would create friction.
Students build a library of what they’ve explored and saved. Familiar patterns give students a reason to return. Every return builds evidence of what they’re actually drawn to.
Built for re-engagement.
Saved content, easy to revisit, every time.
Future facing
What’s next?
Axis is still a concept. Behavior over time hasn’t been tested yet, but what Axis needs to work at scale is now possible.
The north star metric is simple: did students leave with a connection they couldn’t articulate before they arrived? That’s the signal worth testing at scale.
From choosing blindly to choosing with context
Clarity through structured exploration
Most students take the leap before they’re ready. Axis broadens the scope of what students can see.
It’s not a map of what to do, just a wider view.
Next case study
-->
VENMO
Venmo, without borders
→
Received amount recognized as the priority
→
Full cost understood before authorization
→
No abandonment due to cost clarity
Mobile design
End-to-end experience
View case study