Building a Flexible & Intuitive Program Planning Web App for Langara College
About Langara College
Langara College is one of Vancouver’s leading post-secondary institutions, serving over 23,000 students annually. Known for its high academic standards, inclusive campus culture, and strong transfer pathways to top universities, Langara plays a vital role in shaping the future of students across British Columbia and beyond.
Langara needed a digital solution that could bring clarity to a complex system. The College reached out to Ballistic Arts for a modern, intuitive platform that could help students plan their academic journey while giving internal teams the flexibility to manage evolving information.
In response, our team presented a fully custom-built web application designed to help users explore courses, programs, and pathways with ease.
The Problem
Langara’s existing tools weren’t keeping pace with the needs of students or staff.
The College needed a more engaging and structured platform to present program requirements, credit breakdowns, and course prerequisites. The most important factor was to build out the app so that essential information made sense for new and current students, teachers, and advisors alike.
At the same time, the project needed to consider the following:
- Cross-departmental input from academics, IT, operations, and third-party vendors
- Approval from various stakeholders at multiple levels
- The flexibility to evolve over time without major redevelopment
This challenge went beyond just improving content. Instead, we needed to focus on technical and organizational aspects when putting forward an appropriate solution.
The Solution
The Ballistic Arts web team designed and developed a fully decoupled JAMstack web application built with a custom WordPress backend and a modern NextJS frontend.
We focused on creating a streamlined user experience that reflected real student journeys. Our goal was to allow users to explore program options, specialization paths, and course timelines interactively.
On the backend, we equipped Langara’s team with the tools to easily manage course and program information. The main advantage of our approach is that Langara College staff do not need technical expertise.
By working collaboratively with Langara’s internal content experts and academic leaders, we ensured the final product would meet both functional needs and institutional goals. With a custom-built infrastructure and multiple layers of security, the application is designed to remain fast, safe, and scalable.
This project was completed in partnership with Kirk. We’re grateful to their team for the collaboration and support throughout the process.
Highlights From the Process
The main thrust of the strategy was to book more clients. However there was a secondary goal: to make the user-journey smoother.
1. Starting with Stakeholder Alignment
We began by meeting with academic leaders, IT professionals, and other internal teams to define what success would look like for this project. It’s important to align with our client’s vision of success so that we can truly create an end product that effectively meets their needs.
Since this was Langara’s first project of its kind, we made sure to focus on establishing a clear and shared understanding from the very start.
2. Organizing and Structuring Complex Content
With hundreds of programs and courses, each featuring its own streams, prerequisites, and credit loads, we collaborated closely with Langara’s content teams to gather and refine the information. This part of our process ensured that the foundation of the application was reliable, accurate, and easy to navigate for both students and staff.
3. Prototyping for Clarity and Consensus
To streamline approvals, we built detailed UI/UX mockups using Figma. These interactive prototypes gave stakeholders a clear picture of the web app’s functionality and user flow, enabling faster feedback and reducing revisions down the road.
4. Adapting to Evolving Requirements
As new stakeholders joined in the middle of the project, we were able to remain agile. By maintaining clear documentation and regular updates, we absorbed new feedback and pivoted efficiently without losing momentum or scope.
5. Real-Time Testing and Validation
Before going live, we set up dedicated staging environments for both the backend and frontend systems. This enabled internal teams and selected users to test the system in real-world conditions, letting us implement final refinements confidently.
6. JAMstack-Powered Build
On the technical side, we built the application using a modern JAMstack architecture, which included:
- A custom WordPress CMS, making it easy for Langara’s non-technical staff to manage programs, courses, and other academic content
- A NextJS frontend, designed to present content dynamically based on user input such as program choice, stream, or credit load
- A decoupled architecture, giving Langara the flexibility to update backend services in the future without impacting the user experience
- A custom, secure infrastructure featuring multiple layers of firewalls to ensure content protection and long-term performance
The Results
Langara College successfully launched the app at the end of March 2025.
Their team received overwhelmingly positive feedback from stakeholders across the College. Langara now has a powerful tool that provides students with clearer pathways to graduation
Because of our exceptional customer service and strong results, the project evolved into a three-year Service Level Agreement that includes hosting, maintenance, and ongoing support.
We’re proud to build solutions that empower our clients to remain self-sufficient. For Langara College, internal teams can independently update and manage content on the new web app without requiring development support. The structure also allows for long-term scalability and backend flexibility
The result isn’t just a simple web application. It’s a comprehensive platform that supports Langara’s ongoing commitment to student success, academic transparency, and digital innovation.
Get Customized, Powerful Web Applications for Your Business
In today’s digital-first world, your online tools and platforms aren’t just nice-to-haves. They are often one of the first touchpoints for your audience.
Whether you’re a college like Langara, helping students plan their futures, or a company supporting clients through complex decisions, your digital presence should do more than inform. You need to make sure that it connects and engages with your specific target market.
That’s exactly what Langara College has achieved. By investing in a custom-built, intuitive, and scalable web application, they transformed how students, faculty, and advisors interact with program planning.
What began as a one-time build evolved into a multi-year partnership because the platform didn’t just meet expectations; it raised the bar.
Now, students can easily navigate programs, explore course options, and map out their academic journey with clarity and confidence. Internal teams can manage content efficiently, adapt as needed, and serve their audience better than ever.
If you’re ready to offer that kind of experience, we can help.
At Ballistic Arts, we specialize in building digital tools that are designed for each client’s unique requirements. Whether you need a stakeholder-ready prototype or an end-to-end web app built for scale, we can support you in reaching your objectives.
