Tanooki Labs

The Information was looking to develop it’s first mobile app to introduce a new, lower priced (and unnamed) offering. In order to release the app at their annual conference the Tanooki team had limited time to get the product from concept to launch, - 10 weeks. 10 weeks to design, develop and get a copmleted application through app store approval for iOS and Android. 

Within a month we had a name, designs and were testing the app internally. After a grueling App Store submission process (which Founder Jessica Lessin documented) we were live on both iOS and Android.

Since the app went live we have continued to support the team at The Information by adding new features  including podcasting on the app and direct messaging with The Information’s Newsroom on the web. The Tanooki team has also assisted The Information with additional design and web needs, including launching landing pages for a collaboration with the Bloomberg, inteagrated newsroom chat and more.

Fans needed help letting their users share their experiences and engage with other fans on the web or their mobile device. Tanooki Labs built a desktop and mobile app built to do just that, leading to increased traffic and a growing brand presence for Fans.

Tanooki Labs collaborated with Makerbot Industries to build the software that powers their Makerbot Innovation Centers, enabling simultaneous printing of hundreds of items across a fleet of 3D Printers.

Working directly with the product team inside Makerbot we developed the initial prototype, tested and scaled the solution, and finally rolled it out internally at Makerbot’s own “botfarm” facilities and with several universities.

As the project gained traction internally, we partnered with the growing team to add additional functionality and to make a clean handoff. We also called in specialized talent to assist with complex university login integrations, and continue to support the team as questions arise.

Everyone knows that learning never really stops, but what most don’t realize is that everyone has something they can teach. SkillSchool was created to make curriculum development easier and student assessment faster for everyone from professional teachers to those with a passion to share.

Beginning with the Tanooki Labs Sprint Zero Process, we defined and designed a fully custom learning management system from the ground up that was focused as much on the instructor’s experience in creating and grading a class as it was on the student’s experience of taking a class. Lessons are created with a Medium-style single column editor that is simple and straightforward to sue. With a fully bespoke Assignment module in the class builder, creating assignments is simple and submitting them for grading is intuitive. Grading in particular was taken from a tedious task to something that can be quickly accomplished while standing in line for a coffee.

The SkillSchool model is based on the idea that creating and sharing classes should be as simple as possible, so not only can anyone be an instructor, but in the spirit of Github repositories, each class can be duplicated by another organization and taught there helping to make teaching (and learning) viral.

Do you know how to level up your career?

How to build skills to develop your career?

How to make your next review a slam dunk?

For many of us the answer to most questions around career development is IDK, maybe???

Over the past 9 months the Tanooki Labs team has worked with Founder, Ex-Googler and Career Coach Alli Young to create The Forem, a platform to help employees to get further in their organizations, faster. The Forem launched this summer and is currently helping own their personal career development. With a personalized plan, based on real goals, users are guided into next level of their career by a series of steps to ensure they are seen for the great impact they provide their organization every day.

The journey began with a Tanooki Sprint Zero where our design and product teams worked with the team at The Forem to identify the various users and user flows as well as the different objects present within the system. The resulting Invision prototype was then used for fundraising and product validation.