Findtutor

EdTech

Findtutor is an EdTech startup focused on helping higher institution students in Nigeria achieve better grades through peer-to-peer tutoring. The project addresses systemic issues in the Nigerian educational structure by creating an organized, rewarding, and accessible platform for academic support.

Project Info

ROLE:

Product Designer

DATE:

March 2021

TEAM:

Solo Product Designer

The Challenge

How might we help A-level students in Nigeria get good grades, overcoming personal challenges and a poor educational structure that often leads to academic struggles?

Research

Students in Nigeria's higher institutions dream of graduating with high grades to secure good jobs or scholarships. However, this is often difficult due to systemic issues. Our research identified that a lack of course understanding—caused by crowded classrooms, high student-to-lecturer ratios, and inadequate tutoring—is a primary cause of poor grades. Many students confirmed they performed better when tutored by their peers.

This revealed a key opportunity: peer tutoring is a powerful but largely unstructured, untapped, and unrewarded resource. Furthermore, some students are too shy or proud to ask peers for help, fearing they will look less intelligent.

Key Pain Points

Inadequate understanding of courses due to high student-to-lecturer ratios.

Shyness and fear of appearing less intelligent prevents students from seeking help.

Some lecturers are unprofessional or unapproachable, making learning difficult.

Difficulty finding knowledgeable peers for specific one-on-one tutorials.

Empathy Maps

User Personas

User Persona 1: The Student Seeking Help

The Solution

Our research validated that students believe better course comprehension leads to better grades. The solution is to create a platform that connects students who need help with top-performing peers who can tutor them. This creates a win-win: struggling students get the support they need, and knowledgeable students can earn money for their expertise.

User Stories

As a student, I need a way to enter my course code and school to be matched with a tutor.
As a student, I need to see different tutor profiles in the search results so I can make an informed choice.
As a student, I need to know a tutor's availability so I can book a session that fits my schedule.

Design Process

Information Architecture

Sketches

Usability Study & Key Findings

A second round of usability studies with low-fidelity wireframes yielded critical insights that shaped the final design:

Detailed Profiles: Users want to see comprehensive tutor profiles with names, pictures, ratings, pricing, and school level to build trust and make better decisions.
Privacy Control: Users need their personal information to remain private until they explicitly grant consent to share it with a tutor.
Tutor Availability: Tutors require a feature to set their availability, allowing them to control when they can be contacted and avoid unwanted distractions.

High-Fidelity Prototypes

Impact

The MVP was tested with current students in Nigerian higher institutions, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, confirming the viability and demand for the product. The project demonstrated the power of a user-centered approach in creating a solution that addresses a real, pressing need within the educational ecosystem.

Received promising feedback on the MVP, validating the product's potential to improve student outcomes through peer learning.

Thank you for reading!

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