React expertise for dynamic education
Brainstud creates complete digital learning environments through their proprietary Content Management System (CMS) and internal development teams. Therefore, we provided them with a front-end structure using React application architecture, which will provide the needed scalability as they continue to grow the amount of interactive material on the platform.
Client
- Industry
- E-learning
Team
[Brainstud](https://www.Brainstud.nl/) is an organization that specializes in designing, developing and implementing digital learning solutions for companies, education/training organizations and other educational institutions. Their Glossary · In briefCMSA CMS is software that lets users create, organize, edit and publish digital content, usually through an administration interface.Read more provides educators with the ability to create their own learning content including course modules, chapter materials and teaching materials made up of text, video/media content, widgets, quizzes/exams etc.
Brainstud has all of the design, content and functional requirements covered internally by their own developers. Our connection to this is through React expertise and specifically the scale that they require for their development pace and planning.
The situation
Lots of content, high demands on interactivity
The nature of interactive learning requires different characteristics than static webpages. In order to keep students engaged, interactive elements such as drag-and-drop, real-time feedback, easy-to-navigate menus, must be responsive at high speeds. The Glossary · In briefuser experienceUser experience, often abbreviated to UX, is the overall experience someone has when using a product, system or service.Read more is severely impacted when there are slow load times or a "stutter" in the Glossary · In briefuser interfaceA user interface (UI) is the part of a digital system through which a user receives information and operates it. Examples include screens, buttons, forms and voice controls.Read more. Students often lose interest quickly due to these issues, especially when navigating complex learning pathways.
Brainstud had the Glossary · In briefbackendThe backend is the part of an application that processes data, applies business rules and communicates with other systems on the server. Users usually access it through a frontend or API.Read more and content well under control. What they were seeking was additional support on the Glossary · In brieffrontendThe frontend is the part of a website or application that users see and operate, such as pages, buttons, forms and interactive screens.Read more; a Glossary · In briefscalabilityScalability is the extent to which software, infrastructure or a process can handle more or less work without major rebuilding or unacceptable performance loss.Read more React layer that would integrate into their current system and fit into their team's workflow.
The question behind the question
A frontend for a growing range of lesson formats
The objective wasn't to accelerate just a couple of loose pages. Brainstud wanted a front-end architecture which could grow with growing richness in content. Their CMS provides a range of lesson formats, so the browser must accommodate this diversity without making each new widget into a performance hazard.
Approach
Frontend architecture that can scale
We worked as an extension of the Brainstud team. They decide the look of the product and what the product needs to do; we take on the technical frontend architecture and align between frontend and backend.
Using React, we developed a dynamic layer that allows interaction while maintaining usability. We emphasized reusability: as the offering expands, extra screens or modules can be added relatively quickly.
What we add
Seamless collaboration Brainstud delivers designs, content, and functional requirements; we are responsible for the technical architecture, aligned with their team and between frontend and backend.
Online catalog A virtual library where companies and educational institutions present courses and learners choose their learning path, with accounts for progress and payment modules per component.
Coaching module Teachers see who participates, what has been done, how far someone is in the path, and what results have been achieved.
A catalog that supports learning paths
By now Brainstud has developed a multitude of e-learnings for many different clients. For that we built an online catalog: a digital library where organizations present their course offering and learners set their own learning path and pace.
We further developed the online catalog by adding an account system that tracks each learner's progress, and payment modules that allow training providers to place sections of the course behind a paywall. When someone pays, the right teaching material unlocks automatically for that learner.
Insight for teachers and coaches
In addition to the student experience we also built a coaching module for teachers. There you see who participates in a course, which steps someone has already completed, where they stand in the path, and which results have been achieved so far.
Guidance becomes more concrete as a result. Teachers can steer more precisely instead of guessing.
Result
Long-term production support
Brainstud brought us on board mainly for production capacity: reliable extra capacity, tightly matched to the pace they want to keep. React fits that approach, because the Glossary · In briefframeworkA framework is a coherent foundation for software development, providing reusable code, a defined structure and conventions for building an application.Read more supports rich interaction and it is relatively straightforward to hook in new frontend blocks.
The collaboration is therefore not a one-off project but long-term support. Brainstud keeps innovating and we keep building along on catalog, accounts, payment modules, and teacher functionality.
Key takeaways
An established internal team that currently uses its own CMS may need targeted reinforcement where it hurts most: the React frontend, not the whole stack.
With interactive e-learning, the main problem is how quickly everything feels: the UI must respond immediately, including with drag-and-drop and complex widgets.
Catalog, accounts, and payment modules lift separate learning environments into a platform that training providers can also use commercially.
Long-term production support works when the collaboration model is clear: Brainstud steers on content and product, we take on architecture and delivery.
OUR WORK
