Author Information
Nadeem N. Sheikh
Senior VP, Product, Development & Engineering
“Few ideas work on the first try. Iteration is key to innovation.”
-Sebastian Thrun
I’m Nadeem and I have the pleasure of leading the Product, Development, and Engineering departments here at Honorlock.
Our job titles may sound technical, but our goal is simple: be a trusted partner that creates a better experience and improves online learning for our customers.
Product: Think of this team as the voice of our customers. They help make our customers successful by identifying needs and defining solutions to address them.
Development: Turns requirements into tangible solutions that improve the customer experience.
Engineering: Empowers our teams with the tools they need to develop and maintain effective solutions that scale to meet the needs of our customers.
Think of it this way: if your goal is to build a house, many companies will sell you a hammer and nails.
But what about the rest of the house? A hammer and nails won’t meet all of your needs or solve every challenge. You need a partner with other tools and additional expertise to successfully build and customize your house.
You need a partner to help you:
- Build and customize your house while staying within budget
- Create a strong foundation that ensures structural integrity
- Ensure that your project is compliant with building codes and worksite safety requirements
- Install electrical wiring, plumbing, and HVAC
That’s the difference in the customer experience with Honorlock.
A hammer and nails are just one part of our solution.
Instead of just selling a tool focused on catching cheating, we’re your partner from the very beginning to protect academic integrity in a supportive environment that improves online teaching and learning.
We love customer feedback for many reasons and two of my favorite things to hear are:
- Test takers prefer Honorlock and in many cases, have even forgotten that exams are being proctored.
This is huge in my opinion because test takers can focus on the exam itself instead of being distracted by someone watching them the entire time or trying to figure out how to use the platform.
- Once instructors use Honorlock, it becomes a staple in their “toolkit” for online courses because it’s easy to use and effective.
Aside from saving instructors time and removing set up hassles, it gives them confidence that their tests are protected and that test takers are supported and set up for success.
Listening and learning to make better decisions
We listen and learn from our customers because seeing the world through their eyes helps Honorlock truly address the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Our product team continually spends time with customers, allowing them to share their experiences, feedback, and ideas. This collaboration has also evolved into a Customer Advisory Board (CAB) who we leverage to vet roadmap direction, design changes, and feature enhancements.
The feedback from the CAB is a key component in our effort to create the best experience possible. While each team and its individuals have different responsibilities, we all understand our customers’ needs and the challenges they face.
We’ve also started a Customer Advocate Program (CAP) that provides members the opportunity to collaborate with Honorlock efforts, such as webinars, events, and videos. The goal is to further establish themselves as thought leaders in higher education on topics such as academic integrity, educational technology, supporting student success, online teaching and learning pedagogy, and more.
Empowering our people
My leadership style is built on being transparent, informative, and providing autonomy.
By providing people with the resources and information they need and sharing the vision, you empower them to make the right decision at the right time in the process. Each individual has a say and they’re accountable for making our solutions successful.
It’s my own experience that when you know you’re part of a bigger vision, people are more invested in the outcome and success.
Vetting progress through customer success
We’re seeing the results of our actions in the success of our customers and the new markets, such as corporate learning, that approach us to help define new solutions.
Here’s a recent customer quote really sums up what success looks like:
“I would recommend Honorlock to any colleague at any other school. They’re above-board, top-notch in terms of the experience I’ve had, and they always provide a positive solution for students. They’re always looking to engage and provide new opportunities. They’re always growing, always adding new features to address the concerns that we share with them. It’s a circular experience with Honorlock when you’re one of their clients.” – Cody Moyer, Director of Learning Technology at Polk State College