NewLease G2M turned a closed, school-based social network into the interactive experience that students, teachers and parents were waiting for.

On the back of a successful Business Design Session to set the direction for Metaphor’s new SaaS Student Networking product (Backpack), NewLease G2M set about designing a user experience that would rival that of other social networks such as Facebook. Because schools are concerned about student’s privacy and safety, access to social networking sites are often blocked. We saw this as an opportunity to provide a safe alternative in a closed network, accessible only to the students, parents, and staff of a school or district.

Backpack Community allows students to update status, network with friends, and share notes and files. In addition, all of their school work is also integrated, with pages for each of their classes, teams, and clubs. Students can view all their assignments on a calendar, and their grades appear as soon as a teacher enters them into the student information system. Parents can also be involved, keeping an eye on their students activity and performance.

In addition to the Backpack Community design, NewLease G2M created a website that could be used for both product information and marketing efforts, including two video demos of the Backpack products.