top of page
TutorTree LOGO.png
web splash1.png

Project Overview

TutorTree is a user-friendly app designed to help parents find the best tutors for their children, from Grade 1 to 12, while providing tutors with opportunities to connect with students.

 

With features like subject, grade, and board-specific searches, it simplifies the process of finding the right match for each student.

  • Project duration: 2 months

  • My role: Research, identifying problems, ideating, wireframing, prototyping, usability testing

  • Type of project: Portfolio project for Google UX/UI design course

ps.png
ps.png

Problem statement

Parents often struggle to find trustworthy and specialised tutors who meet their children’s learning needs. 

 

On the other hand, tutors face difficulties in finding a stable platform to connect with students and build their reputation.

 

This gap makes it challenging for both parties to achieve their goals.

The goal of this app is to create a platform that connects parents with trustworthy and specialised tutors for their children’s educational needs.

 

It aims to simplify the process of finding the right tutors while providing tutors with a stable platform to showcase their expertise, build their reputation, and maintain a steady flow of students.

Goal statement

User research

I interviewed parents and tutors to understand their needs for my tutoring app. Parents shared how they find tutors, their budgets, and what builds trust in an app.

 

Tutors talked about finding students, tutoring challenges, and features they’d want in an app.

 

These insights helped me create an app that connects parents and tutors easily and solves their common problems.

Empathy mapping

User 1 (parent)

SAYS

  • "Finding a good tutor is hard"

  • "I want someone trustworthy"

  • "I need to stick to my budget"

  • "Referrals work better than random choices."

THINKS

  • Difficult to find tutors for subjects like human sciences.

  • Budget matters a lot. Trust and genuine feedback are more valuable than just degrees.

  • Referrals feel natural and reliable.

DOES

  • Asks friends and family for recommendations.

  • Reads reviews and feedback to ensure the tutor is trustworthy.

  • Takes time to verify tutors' credibility.

FEELS

  • Worried about finding a reliable tutor.

  • Concerned about affordability.

  • Relies on others' experiences to feel confident in their choice.

User 2 (tutor)

SAYS

  • "Parents should reduce cancellations, re-scheduling"

  • "I need parents' support too"

  • "I need cooperation from students"

  • "Word of mouth publicity is the best"

THINKS

  • Prior notice should be given for changes in the class schedule.

  • Tutors can be fired at the whim of parents.

  • Referrals feel natural and reliable.

DOES

  • Works all week

  • Tries different methods to promote her class

  • Charges according to their experience

FEELS

  • Parents can be difficult to work with

  • Tutors are dispensible often

  • There's a lack of parent's knowledge about their children's academics

User personas

Parent persona - tutor app.jpg
Teacher persona - tutor app.jpg

User journey

Tutor Persona

OPEN
APP

CREATE A PROFILE

GET VERIFIED

ANSWER
QUERIES

TRIAL
CLASSES

START
CLASSES

Parent Persona

OPEN
APP

ENTER NEEDS

PUT QUERY

REVIEW TUTORS

REACH OUT TO TUTORS

TRIAL CLASS

HIRE TUTOR

Competitive audit

To explore tutoring app use cases, I audited popular platforms that connect tutors and students. Many offer memberships for tutors and parents, along with premium video call tools.

Here is a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of the results of the competitive audit.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

  • Well-designed questionnaires

  • Information centers guide tutors and parents on using the platform

  • Thoughtful use of calming color schemes, such as blue

  • Strong emphasis on tutor verification

  • Features allowing tutors to create and share their own courses

  • Cluttered user interfaces

  • Overwhelming information and unreadable text

  • Accessibility features are often neglected

  • Tutor verification processes are inconsistent

  • Lengthy, poorly formatted descriptions discourage users

  • Tutors often face barriers like mandatory memberships or fees

  • Simplifying the user interface to be user-friendly

  • Streamlining tutor verification processes

  • Offering privacy controls, such as enabling first communication through text and restricting unsolicited calls

  • Allowing users to temporarily disable their accounts

  • Competing platforms offer a diverse range of non-academic skill classes

  • Established apps with well-structured membership models

  • Competitors' detailed questionnaires better cater to specific user needs

  • Established market players have built trust and recognition

Paper wireframes

tutor onboarding 1.png

On the onboarding screens, users can select their preferences and move on to the next question with the 'Next' button.

In the initial wireframes, the main interface had a bottom navigation bar with four tabs - 'Home', 'Queries', 'Messages', 'Forum'.

 

This was designed to be common for parents and tutors, however, the content and functionality are different.

Queries.png

Digital wireframes

Usability Study

I conducted an in-person, moderated usability study with three tutors and three parents to evaluate the low-fidelity prototype of Tutor Tree.

 

Participants were asked to complete three key tasks—Onboarding, Scheduling a Class, and Evaluating Queries.

  • Board Information: Add the option to select the education board 

  • Payment Range: Provide different fee ranges to accommodate varying budgets

  • Class Timetable: Develop a timetable feature for students and tutors

  • Feedback for Students: Enable tutors to provide feedback for students

  • Registration Fee: Consider adding a nominal registration fee for contacting parents and tutors

  • Subject List Expansion: Expand the subject list to include languages, arts, and music

What participants said

Refining the design

Homepage for tutors
tutor home.png
Key changes
Tutor Home (1).png

The query box was made more detailed in the high-fidelity design.

Class calendar 
social feed.png
Key changes
Tutor Classes.png

The class timetable page replaced the social feed page. A class schedule feature was a more valuable feature as per the usability study.

Homepage for parents
parent home (1).png
Key changes
Parent Home.png

The query box was made more detailed in the high-fidelity design.

Onboarding (Subject selection)
parent onboarding 1.png
Key changes
Onboarding 9.png

The subject list has been expanded and organised into categories to enhance readability and ease of scanning.

Clickable prototype

What I learned

One of the major challenges was balancing the needs and expectations of students and tutors. It required a deep understanding of their unique goals and behaviours.

This app required many features, such as tutor selection, timetables, feedback systems, and more. This taught me the importance of prioritizing features based on user needs and business goals.

bottom of page