What makes product management for educational technology products unique?

Through my journey as an entrepreneur running an e-Learning company and serving in a senior managerial role at one of India’s fastest-growing edtech companies (Toppr), I’ve often wondered if we need a new job title: “Learning Product Manager.” This thought stems from recognizing that learning products fundamentally differ from traditional software products in ways that dramatically impact how we should manage them.

The Body and Soul of Learning Products

Learning products are unique because they’re driven by two equally crucial elements: content and the learning experience. Think of the product interface and functionality as the body, and the content as the soul. Unlike traditional software products, where user experience primarily focuses on ease of use, learning products must create an environment that facilitates effective learning – a much more complex challenge.

The Science of Learning

One crucial distinction for education product managers is the need for training in how human learning works. Product features must be grounded in cognitive science principles, not just user interface best practices. I learned this lesson firsthand when my team added background music to educational videos, only to later understand that this created cognitive overload and potentially hindered learning.

This example illustrates why domain knowledge of e-learning principles is essential for education product managers. Even established e-learning standards like SCORM (Shareable Content Object Reference Model) have been criticized by learning scientists for focusing more on content sharing than on supporting effective learning models.

Breaking Down Silos

In my experience, most e-learning companies operate with significant silos between their product and content teams, often with minimal coordination. Some organizations add another layer of complexity by maintaining separate research teams. This fragmentation can severely impact product effectiveness.

I believe the solution lies in restructuring agile development teams to include learning engineers as specialists. These professionals can bridge the gap between product features and learning effectiveness, helping developers understand not just how to implement features, but how those features contribute to the learning process.

Testing for Learning

Another unique aspect of educational product management is the testing phase. Traditional user testing focuses on convenience and usability metrics – page visits, button clicks, and user flows. But testing for learning effectiveness requires a different approach entirely. We need to evaluate whether users are actually learning, not just whether they can navigate the interface smoothly.

This complexity arises because the total learning experience results from both the application (the body) and the content (the soul). Effective testing might require A/B tests or multivariate tests that can differentiate between the impact of features versus content on learning outcomes. While pre- and post-tests can measure learning effectiveness, we might also need metrics similar to net promoter scores to evaluate the overall learning experience.

The Role of the Learning Engineer

Just as business analysts play crucial roles in many product development domains, learning products need learning engineers on their agile teams. Alternatively, the product manager themselves must possess sufficient knowledge of e-learning principles to make informed decisions about product direction.

These professionals help ensure that technology serves learning objectives effectively. They can evaluate whether features truly enhance learning or simply add complexity without educational value. Their expertise helps bridge the gap between pedagogical theory and practical implementation.

Looking Forward

The future of educational technology product management lies in recognizing and embracing its unique challenges. We need to move beyond treating edtech products as simply software with educational content bolted on. Instead, we should approach them as integrated learning environments where technology and content work together seamlessly to facilitate effective learning.

Success in this field requires a deep understanding of both product management principles and learning science. It demands careful attention to how features and content interact to create meaningful learning experiences. Most importantly, it requires us to measure success not just in terms of user engagement or satisfaction, but in terms of actual learning outcomes.

The role of an education product manager is ultimately about creating environments where learning can flourish. This requires a unique blend of technical knowledge, pedagogical understanding, and product management skills – perhaps it really is time for that “Learning Product Manager” title after all.