The Navy-wide Advancement Exam (NWAE) is a skills evaluation completed by all U.S. sailors twice per year, but the Navy does not facilitate any study process for its sailors.

The U.S. Navy is unique in determining its promotions through a combination of merit and proficiency exams. To prepare for these exams, sailors receive a bibliography of references relevant to their exam and a good-luck salute.

After personal experiences struggling to prepare for the NWAE, former sailors Allen Wood and Jonny Coreson founded Bluejacketeer, a Navy-specific study application. Using the scientifically-proven spaced repetition model, the app effectively prepares sailors for their exams and eliminates a great deal of stress along the way. But, after five years of use, the application and brand were stale and plateauing in growth.

After 5 years of growth, Bluejacketeer reached a plateau. To continue scaling, the company needed to evolve its brand identity and improve the product experience to convert more Sailors into paid users while keeping them on the app longer.

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To accomplish this, we focused on improving user experience and legitimizing brand perception.

Our team dove into Bluejackeeter’s brand, the product, and the unique needs of the Navy audience. We audited the existing UX and collected customer feedback and analytics, then presented a recommended app feature set that would most attract their audience. Finally, we collaborated closely with the founders to bring the new Bluejacketeer web app, mobile app, and website come to life.

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