UCW Peer Tutoring
Booking Flow Redesign
End-to-end UX redesign of a peer tutoring platform for University Canada West — transforming a confusing experience into a guided 4-step flow within Moodle constraints.
A Valuable Service, Poorly Delivered
UCW's Peer Tutoring Service is a free academic support program allowing students to book 1-on-1 sessions with trained peer tutors.
Despite its value, student adoption was suffering due to a cluttered landing page and confusing booking flow inside Moodle.
My Role
I owned this project end-to-end, reporting directly to the Learning Commons department manager and coordinating with one project coordinator.
- ✓ UX research & student interviews
- ✓ Problem definition & strategy
- ✓ Personas & journey mapping
- ✓ Information architecture
- ✓ Wireframes → Hi-Fi prototypes
- ✓ Usability testing
- ✓ Stakeholder reviews
- ✓ Final handoff within Moodle
What Was Broken
Endless Scrolling
Extremely long lists of tutors with no clear hierarchy
No Guided Flow
Students didn't know "what comes next" after landing
Poor Mapping
Confusing subject → tutor relationship
Confirmation Anxiety
No clarity on what happens after booking
Understanding the Users
User Interviews
Conducted interviews with Term 1–3 MBA students who had previously used the service. Explored:
- • How they discovered the service
- • Their booking experience
- • Frustrations and confusion points
- • Expectations from tutors
- • Language & cultural comfort
Research Themes
Marina Canlas
International MBA student new to Canada, balancing academics, work, and personal stress.
"I want to book help quickly, without guessing where to click next."
"How might we make the peer tutoring service more transparent and accessible so students can use it efficiently and confidently?"
Designing Within Constraints
From Chaos to Clarity
Instead of a single overwhelming page, the experience was broken into 4 clear steps:
- 1Choose a Study Area
- 2Choose a Subject
- 3Choose a Tutor
- 4Book the Session (via Calendly)
Each step includes a visible progress indicator, clear back navigation, and a single primary action.
Clear Value Proposition
- → Clear explanation of what peer tutoring is
- → Visual sections answering "Can this help me?"
- → Social proof (student testimonials & metrics)
- → Consistent "Book a Session" CTAs
- → Reduced scrolling and better content grouping
Building Trust & Familiarity
- → Grid layout instead of long vertical list
- → Tutor cards with photos, experience, languages
- → "Read more" modal for deeper trust-building
- → Clear "Book Now" CTA per tutor
Eliminating Booking Anxiety
One of the biggest gaps discovered: students weren't sure if booking actually worked.
- ✓ Confirms booking success
- ✓ Explains next steps clearly
- ✓ Sets expectations (email, meeting link, no-show policy)
- ✓ Provides direct support contact
Designing Within Moodle
This project lived inside Moodle, which imposed significant limitations. Instead of fighting constraints, I designed within them.
Limited Frontend Flexibility
No Custom Backend Logic
Restricted Components
No Advanced Filtering
My approach: Prioritize clarity, hierarchy, and guided flow over technical complexity.
Validating with Real Users
Testing Focus
- Speed to complete booking
- Navigation clarity
- Confidence after booking
Key Changes After Testing
- ✓Replaced "Book a Slot" with "Book a Session"
- ✓Added progress indicators across steps
- ✓Simplified tutor card layouts
- ✓Reduced clutter on "Become a Tutor" page
Measurable Results
Faster Booking Flow
Time to complete reduced from ~5 min to ~2 min
Drop-off Reduction
Fewer students abandoning mid-flow
Clear Steps
Vs. one overwhelming scroll page
Confirmation Clarity
New success page eliminated anxiety
For Students
- ✓ Intuitive guided booking experience
- ✓ Clear understanding of tutor backgrounds
- ✓ Confidence in booking confirmation
- ✓ Easy access to support when needed
For Learning Commons
- ✓ Scalable template for future services
- ✓ Reduced support tickets about booking
- ✓ Better tutor utilization visibility
- ✓ Reusable UX framework for other LMS tools
Most importantly, the Learning Commons team received a repeatable UX framework they could extend beyond this project.
How I Worked
Want to Improve Your Product's UX?
I bring this same research-driven, constraint-aware approach to every product I work on.
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