MoonLight by Nbari is scaling creative excellence through through it education for African higher institution students. Greater than 60% of graduates in Africa do not find work each year, according to a report from the African Center for Economics Transformation (ACET)
Since Moonlight is a product under Nbari, which already had a soft gray-black theme that resonated with the brand, we decided to evolve from there. After a few research sessions, we found strong visual inspiration from products like Threads by Meta, which helped guide our art direction. I then created a full design system for Moonlight, focusing on semantic naming, value mapping, and responsive components. The idea was to build something that felt subtle, gray-black, bare, soft and emotionally connected to the brand. Everyone on the team loved the direction we took.
After participating in the Nbari Incubator, a pilot study that brought together 12 individuals from different industries, we saw an opportunity to transform what worked offline into a full-fledged digital ecosystem, one that could ignite the creative potential of millions across Africa. Within ourselves we researched to understand potential users' pain points. Our goal was also to validate whether students like us really needed a better way to gain creative and digital skills while learning. The research was done through physical interaction. After the research and brainstorming sessions, it was discovered that most students struggled to complete online courses alone and preferred peer-led learning. This insight aligned perfectly with Moonlight’s mission which birth the solution: an end-to-end peer-to-peer learning platform designed for African students to learn together, split costs, and complete programs successfully.
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Looking at the level of intention behind using Moonlight, a seamless onboarding experience was essential to drive user engagement. With just a few steps, creatives can sign up, select their interests, location, and goals, and immediately get matched with relevant peer-to-peer learning communities. We implemented email and password validation, included clear CTAs, and integrated social sign-in for speed. Portal V1 helps creatives not only learn but also build portfolios collaboratively, ensuring every connection is tied to growth and career advancement.
Users land on the homepage to explore trending creative challenges, discover faculties, and access active peer-to-peer study groups. The homepage serves as a launchpad—giving users a snapshot of ongoing activities, personal progress, and opportunities to join communities around shared creative goals. Once a course is selected, the course page provides a detailed breakdown of what to expect—modules, lessons, prerequisites, and timeline. Users can immediately join an existing group or create their own, set milestones, split payments with their group, and begin learning—making the transition from interest to action seamless.
Users can create or join study groups around a selected course to foster peer-to-peer learning. The flow is simple: users set a timeline, add milestones, invite members, and begin learning together. Each study group supports shared accountability and personal growth through structured collaboration. With just a few clicks, users can enrol in a course, form or join a study group, and start tracking their learning journey seamlessly.
Moonlight by Nbari is our flagship social-education product, currently 90% completed with Version 1 set to launch in May 2025. While engineering is still in development, our Selar page is live and courses are already available for purchase in multiple currencies. In just four months, Nbari pilot program generated $11,000 in revenue and grew a community of over 2,000 members across Nigeria and Kenya, with partnerships with two of Nigeria’s largest universities, OAU and LAUTECH, granting access to 120,000+ students.
If you like what you see and want to work together, get in touch!
Lexanda12@gmail.com
