Data modelling
Tools · Structure
We work out the entities, relationships and rules behind a workflow tool before we design its screens, pinning down what a lesson, a school or a subscription is. The screens then follow the structure, and the tool matches how the organization already works.
What a lesson is
The #HalfTheStory learning platform had to know what a lesson is, what a curriculum is, how a school relates to its teachers, and who gets access to what. The old platform had no good answer for some of these, so a school could not sign itself up and teachers had to be added by hand.
We pinned those answers down first, then designed the screens from the structure. Subscriptions belong to organizations, so a school buys a program once and its teachers inherit access. Lesson content lives in Sanity and accounts live in Postgres, which lets a lesson be public while a teacher's private notes stay tied to their login. English and Spanish sit as alternate resources on a single lesson, so a translation no longer doubles the maintenance.
#HalfTheStory's learning platform
Lessons, schools, teachers and subscriptions were modelled first, with content in Sanity and accounts in Postgres.
When the model is wrong
When the model does not match how an organization thinks, people work around the software. The workarounds become the real process, and the tool turns into a place to record what already happened in a spreadsheet somewhere else.
Where the work happens
The modelling happens before design. We work out the entities, the relationships and the rules, then test them against the awkward cases, such as a teacher whose access comes through their school or a lesson that has to exist in two languages. Those answers shape every screen that follows.
Selected work
2026
2026
#HalfTheStory Learning Management System
Platforms and applications, Portals and member experiences, Platform architecture, Data modelling, Interface design, Multilingual and multi-region systems, Accessible design, Performance and optimization
Platforms and applications, Portals and member experiences, Platform architecture, Data modelling, Interface design, Multilingual and multi-region systems, Accessible design, Performance and optimization
2025–2026
2025–2026
Alterra Mountain Company Resort map system and summer maps
Interactive maps, Data modelling, Interface design
Interactive maps, Data modelling, Interface design