Product Design · Varsity Tutors for Schools

Substitute tutoringopportunities

Tutors were receiving dozens of substitute emails a day, with no single place to review opportunities or manage availability. I redesigned the flow into one automated dashboard, and 95% of substitute campaigns are now auto-assigned.

52%reduction in notification volume per tutor

38%increase in tutors expressing interest

95%of substitute campaigns auto-assigned

Substitute tutoring opportunities hero visual

RoleProduct Designer

CompanyVarsity Tutors for Schools

Year2025

DomainEdTech · Automation

The problem

Dozens of substitute emails per tutor, per day
No single place to manage availability
0% of campaigns auto-assigned; every request coordinated by hand

What I did

One calendar-first dashboard for all open sessions
Batch expression of interest and one daily summary email
Explained how matching works to build trust

Result

52% fewer notifications per tutor
38% more tutors expressing interest
95% of campaigns auto-assigned

01 · Context

A critical source of tutoring volume, run entirely through email.

I led the redesign of the Substitute Tutoring experience for Varsity Tutors for Schools, transforming a fully manual, email-heavy process into a centralized, automated dashboard. The new flow reduced tutor notification volume by 52%, increased tutor participation by 38%, and enabled 95% of substitute campaigns to be auto-assigned, unlocking scalability while giving tutors more control and clarity over their schedules.

Role: Product Designer, owning the end-to-end design process
Team: Product, Engineering, Customer Success
Methods: Flow mapping, rapid prototyping (Bolt.new), async reviews
Research: 2 rounds of unmoderated usability tests with real tutors

02 · The problem

Tutors wanted substitute work. The system made it hard to trust.

Substitute sessions were a critical source of tutoring volume, yet the experience was fragmented and overwhelming. Tutors received dozens of emails per day, had no single place to manage availability, and struggled to understand when or how they would be assigned.

This lack of clarity created frustration, reduced engagement, and limited trust in the system, despite strong demand for substitute work. From an operational standpoint, the substitute system did not scale:

0% of campaigns were auto-assigned
Every substitute request required manual coordination
Limited visibility made it hard for MOPs teams to track performance

Substitute tutoring opportunities: Tutors wanted substitute work. The system made it hard to trust. — Before: tutors had to scan repeated emails and separate session lists to understand where they could help.

03 · Solution

One dashboard that balances tutor control with backend automation.

A single place to view all open substitute sessions
Calendar-based visibility to compare availability and existing sessions
Batch actions to express interest in multiple opportunities at once
Clear explanations of how matching works, reducing uncertainty
One daily summary email (local time) instead of dozens of alerts

Second round unmoderated usability test · Bolt prototype

04 · Design decisions

The five calls that mattered.

Calendar-first experience

Aligned with tutors’ mental model of availability.

Batch confirmation

Reduced repetitive actions and decision fatigue.

“How it works” drawer

Built trust by making the matching logic explicit.

Consolidated communication

One daily email instead of constant interruptions.

Clear system feedback

Improved copy and tooltips clarified “interested” vs. “assigned” states.

05 · Testing

Two variants, two rounds, one clear winner.

We tested two design variants through unmoderated usability sessions with VT tutors. Version B, with structured tabs and a clearer calendar layout, consistently outperformed.

94% task success rate
85% rated the experience as very easy to use
+25% increase in user confidence between rounds
Pre-selected time slots matched expectations; using “New” instead of “Available” aligned better with existing availability behaviors

Substitute tutoring opportunities: Two variants, two rounds, one clear winner. — Two variants tested with VT tutors.

06 · Impact

An operational bottleneck became a system tutors trust and use.

52% reduction in notification volume per tutor
38% increase in tutors expressing interest
95% of substitute campaigns auto-assigned
Strong qualitative feedback from tutors and internal teams

07 · Takeaways

Clarity is what made automation possible.

Clarity enables automation: users engage more when the system is predictable
Design for scale, not edge cases: batch actions and summaries reduce cognitive load
Small copy changes matter: language can unlock or block understanding
Trust is a feature: explaining “how it works” is as important as the UI itself

“What was once an operational bottleneck became a scalable, automated system that tutors trust and actively use.”

Next case · B2B · 2024Tasks

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Product Design · Varsity Tutors for Schools

Substitute tutoringopportunities

52%reduction in notification volume per tutor

38%increase in tutors expressing interest

95%of substitute campaigns auto-assigned

RoleProduct Designer

CompanyVarsity Tutors for Schools

Year2025

DomainEdTech · Automation

The problem

Dozens of substitute emails per tutor, per day
No single place to manage availability
0% of campaigns auto-assigned; every request coordinated by hand

What I did

One calendar-first dashboard for all open sessions
Batch expression of interest and one daily summary email
Explained how matching works to build trust

Result

52% fewer notifications per tutor
38% more tutors expressing interest
95% of campaigns auto-assigned

01 · Context

A critical source of tutoring volume, run entirely through email.

Role: Product Designer, owning the end-to-end design process
Team: Product, Engineering, Customer Success
Methods: Flow mapping, rapid prototyping (Bolt.new), async reviews
Research: 2 rounds of unmoderated usability tests with real tutors

02 · The problem

Tutors wanted substitute work. The system made it hard to trust.

0% of campaigns were auto-assigned
Every substitute request required manual coordination
Limited visibility made it hard for MOPs teams to track performance

03 · Solution

One dashboard that balances tutor control with backend automation.

A single place to view all open substitute sessions
Calendar-based visibility to compare availability and existing sessions
Batch actions to express interest in multiple opportunities at once
Clear explanations of how matching works, reducing uncertainty
One daily summary email (local time) instead of dozens of alerts

Second round unmoderated usability test · Bolt prototype

04 · Design decisions

The five calls that mattered.

Calendar-first experience

Aligned with tutors’ mental model of availability.

Batch confirmation

Reduced repetitive actions and decision fatigue.

“How it works” drawer

Built trust by making the matching logic explicit.

Consolidated communication

One daily email instead of constant interruptions.

Clear system feedback

Improved copy and tooltips clarified “interested” vs. “assigned” states.

05 · Testing

Two variants, two rounds, one clear winner.

We tested two design variants through unmoderated usability sessions with VT tutors. Version B, with structured tabs and a clearer calendar layout, consistently outperformed.

94% task success rate
85% rated the experience as very easy to use
+25% increase in user confidence between rounds
Pre-selected time slots matched expectations; using “New” instead of “Available” aligned better with existing availability behaviors

06 · Impact

An operational bottleneck became a system tutors trust and use.

52% reduction in notification volume per tutor
38% increase in tutors expressing interest
95% of substitute campaigns auto-assigned
Strong qualitative feedback from tutors and internal teams

07 · Takeaways

Clarity is what made automation possible.

Clarity enables automation: users engage more when the system is predictable
Design for scale, not edge cases: batch actions and summaries reduce cognitive load
Small copy changes matter: language can unlock or block understanding
Trust is a feature: explaining “how it works” is as important as the UI itself

“What was once an operational bottleneck became a scalable, automated system that tutors trust and actively use.”

Next case · B2B · 2024Tasks

Substitute tutoringopportunities

The problem

What I did

Result

A critical source of tutoring volume, run entirely through email.

Tutors wanted substitute work. The system made it hard to trust.

One dashboard that balances tutor control with backend automation.

The five calls that mattered.

Calendar-first experience

Batch confirmation

“How it works” drawer

Consolidated communication

Clear system feedback

Two variants, two rounds, one clear winner.

An operational bottleneck became a system tutors trust and use.

Clarity is what made automation possible.

Let's talk

Substitute tutoringopportunities

The problem

What I did

Result

A critical source of tutoring volume, run entirely through email.

Tutors wanted substitute work. The system made it hard to trust.

One dashboard that balances tutor control with backend automation.

The five calls that mattered.

Calendar-first experience

Batch confirmation

“How it works” drawer

Consolidated communication

Clear system feedback

Two variants, two rounds, one clear winner.

An operational bottleneck became a system tutors trust and use.

Clarity is what made automation possible.

Let's talk