Peer-To-Peer Student Tutoring Platform
Project Description
Based in Seattle, LendMe application centers around peer-to-peer engagement. The aim is to develop our college-education system and its marketplace. Users are able to create sessions and request other students for help on specific subjects and get paid for the services they offer.
Our Role
Verttx, a leading software development company, was approached by LendMe, Inc. to develop a mobile application aimed at revolutionizing peer-to-peer tutoring among college students. The goal was to create a platform that facilitates seamless academic support, leveraging the expertise of students who have excelled in their courses to tutor their peers. The app needed to be user-friendly, secure, and efficient in handling real-time communications and progress tracking.
Objectives
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User-Friendly Interface: Develop a user-friendly and engaging user interface that caters to the needs of both tutors and students.
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Real-Time Communication: Implement live chat and video call functionalities for real-time tutoring sessions.
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Progress Tracking: Enable features for tracking user academic progress, including saving test reports and monitoring improvements.
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Resource Sharing: Incorporate tools such as a virtual whiteboard and photo upload capabilities for effective problem-solving and explanation.
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Security and Privacy: Ensure the platforms are secure and user data is protected and encrypted.
Challenges
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Real-Time Communication: Implementing effective real-time communication tools that can handle high-quality video calls and instant messaging features.
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Scalability: Designing a system that can scale efficiently with an increasing number of users.
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User Engagement: Creating a platform that is engaging and encourages continuous use.
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Data Security: Ensuring robust security measures to protect sensitive user information.
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Cross-Platform Compatibility: Ensuring the app performs seamlessly on both iOS and Android devices.
Our Development Process
Product Scope
We focused on the business vision and created a comprehensive brief for the project by gathering all the research on the market, competitor benchmarks and any other necessary information. Then we met with the client in an immersive session to craft a value proposition and set the main assumptions to prove. Finally, we created the ultimate list of user stories and features necessary to prove those main assumptions within the MVP.
Clickable Prototype
We developed a non-functional prototype to simulate user interaction. The experience of using the clickable prototype was very much like the final product itself, this was the adequate phase to test the information architecture, the UX and most importantly to present all involved counterparts a concrete outcome.
Product Rationale and Tech Scope
After an immersive session with all the stakeholders, we had all the information we needed to create the ultimate list of User Stories and features necessary to prove the main assumptions in a Proof of Concept (POC). Our experts in Product, UX/UI and Tech Architecture focused on finding the answers to all of the questions raised throughout the scope preparation. On the tech side we elaborated a memorandum tackling our suggested approaches for tech stack selection, database technology and orchestration. Together with Bocconi University and AlixPartners we started defining the useful datasets and the algorithm behind the lending decisions.
Full Development
With the decisions closed in the previous steps, we went on developing the product through agile cycles.
Iterations
Once the product went live we started to gather end-user feedback and improve the product. New iterations were made in parallel with new features so that the end-user has the best experience possible.
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Results
"The LendMe app has been a game-changer for our users. The seamless integration of real-time communication and resource-sharing features has made tutoring sessions more effective and enjoyable. Verttx's expertise and commitment to quality were evident throughout the development process, and we couldn't be happier with the outcome." — LendMe CEO
User Growth
Within the first three months of launch, LendMe saw a 150% increase in user registrations, reflecting the app’s widespread acceptance and usability.
User Satisfaction
The app received a 5.0 rating on the App Store, with users praising its convenience and effectiveness in providing academic support.
Enhanced Learning Outcomes
Feedback from users indicated a significant improvement in their academic performance, attributing it to the quality and accessibility of the tutoring sessions provided through the app.
Scalability Achieved
The architecture of the app allowed it to handle an increasing number of users without compromising on performance. The use of AWS for backend support ensured that the app could scale efficiently.