Expanding General Assembly’s Market Through Strategic Subscription Design

Creating a low-cost product to capture new users, grow lifetime value, and position GA for long-term upsell and retention.

Problem

General Assembly’s business relied heavily on high-ticket cohort-based courses—but it wasn’t reaching learners who were earlier in their journey or priced out of premium offerings. We needed to design a scalable entry point for new users: something that felt valuable on its own, but also nurtured interest in higher-ticket programs.

The Solution

A $30/month self-serve subscription to on-demand video content and live-streamed workshops—positioned as a low-risk way to build skills and get familiar with GA. Designed to grow over time, this platform would serve as both a revenue stream and a warm lead funnel for flagship courses.

The Outcome

We launched the MVP in under 3 months, collaborating closely with product, marketing, and engineering. Early traction exceeded expectations:

• Thousands of paid subscribers in the first quarter

• Conversion tracking showed strong correlation between subscriber engagement and cohort course signups

• Internal teams adopted the subscription as a key part of GA’s growth and nurture strategy

Role

Lead Product Designer