Parents of Tutornest complained that finding and booking the right tutor, on the previous experience often felt overwhelming for them and the students. This resulted in Decision overload causing Low conversion rate, Friction in checkout & Scheduling leading to an Increase in cart abandonment. Ultimately contributing to a under optimized user experience, and that meant Reduced user retention and repeat bookings.
To address these challenges, key design improvements had to be implemented in the user experience which includes:
Clear Tutor Cards
Tutor profiles now highlight only the most critical information at a glance
Trust Signals
I integrated credibility badges that tackles the trust gap and gives parents confidence in their choices- potentially leading to repeat bookings.
Tutor Availability Calendar
This would solve the scheduling friction that causes booking delays.
Faster Checkout Flow
Which would reduce abandonment and increase booking completion by 20%
Problem
Solution
I reviewed existing tutoring apps like Preply, Superprof, Wyzant to identify gaps. Some gaps included overly complex booking flows, lack of trust signals and poor mobile optimization.
Opportunity- Design a simpler, trust-driven experience focused on mobile-first usability.
I conducted informal interviews and surveys with parents (target users) to inform my design decisions:
Design Descision
User Research
My Role:
Product
Designer
Est. Booking completion rate
20%
Est. Conversion rate
15%
Duration:
14 weeks
Age: 42
Marital status: Married
Occupation: Nurse
Location: Stellenbosch, W Western Cape
Sarah White
Goals
She wants to see tangible academic improvement in her son, specifically improved test scores and grades.
She’s wanting a trustworthy and qualified tutors who will be able to pinpoint and understand her child’s academic needs.
Frustrations
She wants a reliable and safe online tutoring service but she’s indecisive and needs effective proof of results and value which she hasn’t really seen yet.
Sarah often wonders if the tutor would adapt to her child's needs not sure whether she’d get value for the money spent on tutoring.
Bio
Sarah often feels she doesn't have the time to actively manage her children's education. She feels overwhelmed at times, finding it difficult to help her son with current schoolwork and recognizes when they need extra help. She’s willing to seek external support but is still skeptical using online platforms as she want a tutor she can trust to help her son succeed academically.
Action
Parent notices child is struggling with schoolwork
Parent looking for a tutor/tutoring service.
Parent evaluates potential tutors or platforms
Parent books sessions, handles payment, and sorts out the schedule
Child attends tutoring sessions
Parent reviews the child's academic performance (test scores, grades)
-Try to help child with homework
-Get into contact with teacher
-Ask around for recommendations of tutor platforms
-Seek proof of effectiveness through testimonials.
-Communicate initial needs or expectations to the tutor.
-Observes changes in child's attitude
-Concered child might fail
-Where do I even start?
-Is online tutoring reliable?"
-"Is it worth the money?
-"Is this tutor trustworthy?
-Hopeful about the sessions starting
-"Are they making progress?"
-"Is my child comfortable?"
-Offer initial assessments to help parents pinpoint needs.
- Offer transparent pricing
-Offer guidance on preparing for the first session.
-Facilitate regular communication or feedback from the tutor
-Facilitate communication (e.g., trial sessions, initial chat) to help build trust
Task List
Feeling
adjective
Improvement
Oppertunities
Paper-Wireframes
Design
Medium-Fidelity Wireframes
Mockups
TutorNest
If you had a magic button that fixed one part of the tutoring process, what would it fix?
I think scheduling to be honest . A button that aligned my calendar, the tutor’s, and my child’s perfectly every week would be a dream.
What would make you stop using a tutoring service even if the sessions are good?
If I didn’t see any clear academic improvement over time, like test scores or grades going up. I’d question the long-term value and consider stopping.
What makes you feel confident that a tutor is trustworthy and right for your child?
Someone who has some kind of education and experience
“
“
“
“
“
“
Information Architecture
Onboarding
Screen
Do you have an account?
Create Account
Sign In
Password
Password
Do you want to match with tutor?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Skip to browse
Continue
Tutor matching questions 1/2
Tutor matching questions 2/2
Home Screen
Booking Confirmed
Explore Tutors
Easy Match
Tutor Feedback
Home Screen
Tutor Details
(Availability, Reviews, Achievements.)
Book Tutor
(Checkout Summary)
Project Impact
Through designing TutorNest I’ve learned that:
Trust is the currency of online education.
Ratings and reviews alone aren’t enough. Parents want visible signals of credibility
Speed to action matters.
By compressing the checkout into a two-step flow and surfacing availability upfront, I saw how much impact simplification has on retention and satisfaction.
Design is a business lever.
For example, surfacing availability and rates earlier in the flow directly supports higher booking conversions and reduced abandonment.
Future Iterations
If TutorNest were developed further, I’d focus on:
AI-Powered Matching- Which would Improve tutor utilization rates and increase repeat sessions.
Find opportunities for upselling- This would include for example premium features and tailored progress reports and special tutor discounts.
Accessibility & Inclusivity Enhancements- That would refine contrast ratios, introduce language localization, and looking into adding voice support for younger learners.
Continuous Usability Testing- Running A/B tests on tutor card layouts, review displays, and checkout flows to continuously validate assumptions.
Prototype
Let’s Connect
From the parent feedback and survey data, I was able to create User persona and - journey map:
Personas and User Journey
Parents of Tutornest complained that finding and booking the right tutor, on the previous experience often felt overwhelming for them and the students. This resulted in Decision overload causing Low conversion rate, Friction in checkout & Scheduling- leading to an Increase in cart abandonment. Ultimately contributing to a under optimized user experience, and that meant- Reduced user retention and repeat bookings.
To address these challenges, key design improvements had to be implemented in the user experience which includes:
Clear Tutor Cards
Tutor profiles now highlight only the most critical information at a glance
Trust Signals
I integrated credibility badges that tackles the trust gap and gives parents confidence in their choices- potentially leading to repeat bookings.
Tutor Availability Calendar
This would solve the scheduling friction that causes booking delays.
Faster Checkout Flow
Which would reduce abandonment and increase booking completion by 20%
TutorNest
Problem
Solution
I reviewed existing tutoring apps like Preply, Superprof, Wyzant to identify gaps. Some gaps included overly complex booking flows, lack of trust signals and poor mobile optimization.
Opportunity- Design a simpler, trust-driven experience focused on mobile-first usability.
I conducted informal interviews and surveys with parents (target users) to inform my design decisions:
From the parent feedback and survey data, I was able to create User persona and - journey map:
Design Descision
User Research
Personas and User Journey
Goals
She wants to see tangible academic improvement in her son, specifically improved test scores and grades.
She’s wanting a trustworthy and qualified tutors who will be able to pinpoint and understand her child’s academic needs.
Bio
Sarah often feels she doesn't have the time to actively manage her children's education. She feels overwhelmed at times, finding it difficult to help her son with current schoolwork and recognizes when they need extra help. She’s willing to seek external support but is still skeptical using online platforms as she want a tutor she can trust to help her son succeed academically.
Frustrations
She wants a reliable and safe online tutoring service but she’s indecisive and needs effective proof of results and value which she hasn’t really seen yet.
Sarah often wonders if the tutor would adapt to her child's needs not sure whether she’d get value for the money spent on tutoring.
Age: 42
Marital status: Married
Occupation: Nurse
Location: Stellenbosch, W Western Cape
Age: 42
Marital status: Married
Occupation: Nurse
Location: Stellenbosch, W Western Cape
Sarah White
Sarah White
Action
Parent notices child is struggling with schoolwork
Parent looking for a tutor/tutoring service.
Parent evaluates potential tutors or platforms
Parent books sessions, handles payment, and sorts out the schedule
Child attends tutoring sessions
Parent reviews the child's academic performance (test scores, grades)
-Try to help child with homework
-Get into contact with teacher
-Ask around for recommendations of tutor platforms
-Seek proof of effectiveness through testimonials.
-Communicate initial needs or expectations to the tutor.
-Observes changes in child's attitude
-Concered child might fail
-Where do I even start?
-Is online tutoring reliable?"
-"Is it worth the money?
-"Is this tutor trustworthy?
-Hopeful about the sessions starting
-"Are they making progress?"
-"Is my child comfortable?"
-Offer initial assessments to help parents pinpoint needs.
- Offer transparent pricing
-Offer guidance on preparing for the first session.
-Facilitate regular communication or feedback from the tutor
-Facilitate communication (e.g., trial sessions, initial chat) to help build trust
Task List
Feeling
adjective
Improvement
Oppertunities
Medium-Fidelity Wireframes
Paper-Wireframes
Mockups
Mockups
Design
If you had a magic button that fixed one part of the tutoring process, what would it fix?
I think scheduling to be honest . A button that aligned my calendar, the tutor’s, and my child’s perfectly every week would be a dream.
What would make you stop using a tutoring service even if the sessions are good?
If I didn’t see any clear academic improvement over time, like test scores or grades going up. I’d question the long-term value and consider stopping.
What makes you feel confident that a tutor is trustworthy and right for your child?
Someone who has some kind of education and experience
“
“
“
“
“
“
Information Architecture
Onboarding
Screen
Do you have an account?
Create Account
Sign In
Password
Password
Do you want to match with tutor?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Skip to browse
Continue
Tutor matching questions 1/2
Tutor matching questions 2/2
Home Screen
Booking Confirmed
Explore Tutors
Easy Match
Tutor Feedback
Home Screen
Tutor Details
(Availability, Reviews, Achievements.)
Book Tutor
(Checkout Summary)
Project Impact
Through designing TutorNest I’ve learned that:
Trust is the currency of online education.
Ratings and reviews alone aren’t enough. Parents want visible signals of credibility
Speed to action matters.
By compressing the checkout into a two-step flow and surfacing availability upfront, I saw how much impact simplification has on retention and satisfaction.
Design is a business lever.
For example, surfacing availability and rates earlier in the flow directly supports higher booking conversions and reduced abandonment.
Future Iterations
If TutorNest were developed further, I’d focus on:
AI-Powered Matching- Which would Improve tutor utilization rates and increase repeat sessions.
Find opportunities for upselling- This would include for example premium features and tailored progress reports and special tutor discounts.
Accessibility & Inclusivity Enhancements- That would refine contrast ratios, introduce language localization, and looking into adding voice support for younger learners.
Continuous Usability Testing- Run A/B tests on tutor card layouts, review displays, and checkout flows to continuously validate assumptions.
Let’s Connect
My Role:
UX/ Product Designer
Est. Booking completion rate
20%
Est. Conversion rate
15%
Duration:
14 weeks
Grethan Pienaar 2026 | Designer | grethanpienaar@gmail.com
Parents of Tutornest complained that finding and booking the right tutor, on the previous experience often felt overwhelming for them and the students. This resulted in Decision overload causing Lower conversion rate, Friction in checkout & Scheduling leading to an Increase in cart abandonment. Ultimately contributing to a under optimized user experience, and that meant Reduced user retention and repeat bookings.
To address these challenges, key design improvements had to be implemented in the user experience which includes:
Clear Tutor Cards
Tutor profiles now highlight only the most critical information at a glance (education and experience) with clear tutor images.-
Trust Signals
I integrated credibility badges (Learning style, Tutor trust badge and tutor verification badge) in combination with free trail booking and booking discounts that signals trust leading to higher conversion rate.
Tutor Availability Calendar
This would solve the scheduling friction that causes booking delays.
Faster Checkout Flow
Which would reduce abandonment and increase booking completion by 20%
TutorNest
Problem
Solution
I reviewed existing tutoring apps like Preply, Superprof, Wyzant to identify gaps. Some gaps included overly complex booking flows, lack of trust signals and poor mobile optimization.
Opportunity- Design a simpler, trust-driven experience focused on mobile-first usability.
I conducted informal interviews and surveys with parents (target users) to inform my design decisions:
From the parent feedback and survey data, I was able to create User persona and - journey map:
Medium-Fidelity Wireframes
Paper-Wireframes
Information Architecture
Mockups
Project Impact
Design Descision
User Research
Personas and User Journey
Goals
She wants to see tangible academic improvement in her son, specifically improved test scores and grades.
She’s wanting a trustworthy and qualified tutors who will be able to pinpoint and understand her child’s academic needs.
Bio
Sarah often feels she doesn't have the time to actively manage her children's education. She feels overwhelmed at times, finding it difficult to help her son with current schoolwork and recognizes when they need extra help. She’s willing to seek external support but is still skeptical using online platforms as she want a tutor she can trust to help her son succeed academically.
Frustrations
She wants a reliable and safe online tutoring service but she’s indecisive and needs effective proof of results and value which she hasn’t really seen yet.
Sarah often wonders if the tutor would adapt to her child's needs not sure whether she’d get value for the money spent on tutoring.
Age: 42
Marital status: Married
Occupation: Nurse
Location: Stellenbosch, Western Cape
Sarah White
Action
Parent notices child is struggling with schoolwork
Parent looking for a tutor/tutoring service.
Parent evaluates potential tutors or platforms
Parent books sessions, handles payment, and sorts out the schedule
Child attends tutoring sessions
Parent reviews the child's academic performance (test scores, grades)
-Try to help child with homework
-Get into contact with teacher
-Ask around for recommendations of tutor platforms
-Seek proof of effectiveness through testimonials.
-Communicate initial needs or expectations to the tutor.
-Observes changes in child's attitude
-Concered child might fail
-Where do I even start?
-Is online tutoring reliable?"
-"Is it worth the money?
-"Is this tutor trustworthy?
-Hopeful about the sessions starting
-"Are they making progress?"
-"Is my child comfortable?"
-Offer initial assessments to help parents pinpoint needs.
- Offer transparent pricing
-Offer guidance on preparing for the first session.
-Facilitate regular communication or feedback from the tutor
-Facilitate communication (e.g., trial sessions, initial chat) to help build trust
Task List
Feeling
adjective
Improvement
Oppertunities
Design
If you had a magic button that fixed one part of the tutoring process, what would it fix?
I think scheduling to be honest . A button that aligned my calendar, the tutor’s, and my child’s perfectly every week would be a dream.
What would make you stop using a tutoring service even if the sessions are good?
If I didn’t see any clear academic improvement over time, like test scores or grades going up. I’d question the long-term value and consider stopping.
What makes you feel confident that a tutor is trustworthy and right for your child?
Someone who has some kind of education and experience
“
“
“
“
“
“
Onboarding
Screen
Do you have an account?
Create Account
Sign In
Password
Password
Do you want to match with tutor?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Skip to browse
Continue
Tutor matching questions 1/2
Tutor matching questions 2/2
Home Screen
Booking Confirmed
Explore Tutors
Easy Match
Tutor Feedback
Home Screen
Tutor Details
(Availability, Reviews, Achievements.)
Book Tutor
(Checkout Summary)
Through designing TutorNest I’ve learned that:
Trust is the currency of online education.
Ratings and reviews alone aren’t enough. Parents want visible signals of credibility
Speed to action matters.
By compressing the checkout into a two-step flow and surfacing availability upfront, I saw how much impact simplification has on retention and satisfaction.
Design is a business lever.
For example, surfacing availability and rates earlier in the flow directly supports higher booking conversions and reduced abandonment.
Future Iterations
If TutorNest were developed further, I’d focus on:
AI-Powered Matching- Which would Improve tutor utilization rates and increase repeat sessions.
Find opportunities for upselling- This would include for example premium features and tailored progress reports and special tutor discounts.
Accessibility & Inclusivity Enhancements- That would refine contrast ratios, introduce language localization, and looking into adding voice support for younger learners.
Continuous Usability Testing- Run A/B tests on tutor card layouts, review displays, and checkout flows to continuously validate assumptions.
Prototype
Let’s Connect
My Role:
UX/ Product Designer
Est. Booking completion rate
20%
Est. Conversion rate
15%
Duration:
14 weeks
Grethan Pienaar 2026 | Designer | grethanpienaar@gmail.com
Grethan Pienaar 2026 | Designer | grethanpienaar@gmail.com