Online service for finding a tutor. UX research.
Hi! My name is Olha and I will tell you about my experience of UX research under the mentorship of UX designer Alexander Voloshin.
1. Definition of business requirements and goals.
What is to be done (result): to design a web-service with which a person can choose a tutor for training (on the required topic).
Why (purpose): by making a convenient web-service, we help to select a tutor easily and simply, at the same time we will receive a percentage of tuition fees.
For whom (target audience): people aged from 18 to 60, active users of cell phones and the Internet, who periodically need tutor’s help in learning.
Business requirements for the product:
- users should be able to look for a tutor on the topic;
- users should be able to get all the necessary information about the tutor:
- name, surname;
- experience;
- the cost;
- reviews.
After determining the main wishes of the client and how he sees his future product, we proceed directly to research.
2. Competitor analysis
I approached the analysis of competitors with all care, analyzing strengths and weaknesses. I went through the services of Ukraine and foreign, the difference is very clear, and it’s not in our favor. 😔
After analyzing 11+ competitors, I got enough food for thought.
3. Identification of the main target audience and their main problems
Online questionnaire
The questionnaire was compiled in the form of a Google form consisting of 4 open and closed questions. I sent them to acquaintances and sent them out on social media, and started waiting for results…
While the questionnaire was working, I proceeded to other stages of identifying user problems.
Live interviews
This stage was a real challenge, because I had never had any interviewing experience, and how to get a stranger to tell you their pains and issues related to finding a tutor.
My wits and helpful partners in “misfortune” came to the rescue 😆
Field research and personal experience
Luckily, there was a recent experience of searching for a tutor, which served as a good basis for my analysis. And even better, the experience was unsuccessful, and I could fully appreciate everything that causes misunderstanding and mistrust in such services.
4. Systematization and analysis of the collected data
User Portrait
On the basis of all the data obtained, a user portrait was compiled.
Customer Journey Map
As well as the user flow, identifying the main issues.
Conclusions and results
- The pandemic has made adjustments in the educational process, and now more and more people are looking for online courses or tutor.
- Most people are looking for foreign language courses, especially since with online, it is possible to find an English tutor from England.
- The point about video greeting has become obligatory, so that a person understands how the future tutor looks and communicates, as well as how he/she holds himself/herself.
- In the profile, it is desirable to give as much information as possible about the education and methods of the tutor.
- A trial lesson is desirable, for a smaller symbolic price.
5. Analyzing problems and finding solutions
Problems and solutions
There should be more than one solution to every problem, so that’s what I did.
6. Requirements and value
Functional requirements
Defining functional requirements, allows you to see which functionality to implement now and which can be dropped or put in later versions.
Technical requirements and constraints
Some functionality is technically impossible or difficult to achieve, so it is important to schedule and define what can ultimately be realized in the current project.
Product value
An online service for finding foreign language tutors, with the help of which, people who want to study at a convenient time and from anywhere in the world, can choose a tutor with the right skills and experience.
7. User Flow
Now it’s time to define the main user scenario and show all steps to achieve the main goal — lesson ordering.
Then we can work through a few secondary scenarios, such as taking a knowledge test or writing a question to a tutor.
8. Architecture of the site
Now we gather everything in the big picture to understand how many pages and with what functionality our site will have.
9. Prototyping
Prototype is the essence of our site, here we show the interaction of the main elements and transitions. It is carried out as simply as possible, in black-and-white version, so as not to be distracted by various design features.
10. Usability evaluation
The final chord is the Heuristic Evaluation of the prototype.
The user should understand where he/she is. It should not be confused in the next steps, be able to return or exit from any state, and always have at hand the information necessary to work on the site.
Each step and action should be clear and responsive to the system.
