VIRTUAL TUTORS
Applicant Tracking System
"Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection."
Mark Twain
In 2022 I had the wonderful opportunity to work remotely for one of the largest online tutoring companies in the United States.
I was a Tutor Sourcing Specialist, which means I was the human side of the Applicant Tracking System that vetted potential tutors applying online.
I also worked as a User Experience Researcher with active tutors.
And that research got me thinking . . .
Many of my fellow TSSs felt like the ATS we were using could use some tweaking.
So, as an experiment in user research and interaction design, I decided to create a brand new ATS.
My Role
I acted as the lead investigator and designer for this project, but it wasn't without a lot of help from my colleagues!
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We brainstormed and came up with the following trajectory:
Find out how the users (the Tutor Sourcing Specialists) feel about the ATS - what are the most prominent pain points?
What would be some theoretical corporate objectives? How could the ATS help to meet these objectives?
What do the TSSs need to render the process of vetting potential tutors less frustrating, more reliable and in line with corporate objectives?
The general plan looked like this:
It was important of course to include the tutor perspective on the application, vetting and onboarding process. I gleaned a lot of information on their experience from the UX research I had conducted for my managers.
Tutoring Platform
Finally, I came up with a schedule of project planning in Asana:
Initial Research Findings
From the UX research I had already conducted with active tutors, it seemed they were generally satisfied with the tutoring platform itself.
Let's look at a basic user journey map to understand their experience a little better:
Apply
Online
TSS Approval
Sign Contract
Training
Provide Docs
Tutor Online
The challenge came with the vetting process, evident in repeated questions from tutors:
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Why were there so many documents that needed to be uploaded after I was accepted as a tutor?
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Why is it so hard to reach anyone if I have questions about my application?
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What about the pay rate - I don't understand what you mean by the listed courses.
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Is pay negotiable?
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I've asked that you only contact me by email, but you keep texting me and calling me.
And what did the Tutor Sourcing Specialists have to say about their experience using the Applicant Tracking System?
This was our user journey:
9. Open video interview.
8. Return to page 2.
7. Send email to verify legal status.
6. Find address & verify legal status.
5. Verify duplicates again.
4. Verify duplicates.
3. Return to page 1.
2. Open page 2.
15. Enter comments on video 1.
14. Return to page 1.
13. Start video 1.
12. Return to page 2.
11. Copy applicant description.
10. Return to page 1.
18. Listen to video 2.
17. Enter star valuation.
16. Return to page 2.
19. Return to page 1.
20. Enter comments on video.
21. Return to page 2.
So I also checked out the competition. It was difficult to investigate internal processes, but I got a general idea of how they were faring.
I believe that every part of a business affects all of the other parts, like a ripple.
Although the ATS may have been a smaller part of the whole engine, it was one of the tools that was integral to the entire process of providing learners with quality instructors in response to an ever-increasing demand.
Looking at the competition, I knew we had to do better!
Let's Simplify
I felt strongly, like many others, that company profits would benefit from a simplified tutor vetting process that could speed up productivity and offer a leaner approach to maximising resources.
Based on my research, I devised two user personas.
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And I developed a careful plan to provide them with a new process for vetting tutors.
The following information sets the foundation with potential tutors, even before they apply online.
Once the aspiring tutor agrees to these terms, the application continues.
Each section of the application corresponds directly to the Applicant Tracking System. For example, the requested information below corresponds directly to information that will be displayed in the ATS:
Applicant ID 211122VT55629
Photo upload (required no older than 2 years less than current age)
Full name (please use the same name as on your official ID)
US permanent address (required)
Street name and number
City
State
Zip code
How would you prefer we contact you? (some correspondence will automatically be sent per email)
Phone Text Email
Personal website
LinkedIn profile
Are you a United States certified teacher? Yes No
If you would like to teach courses that require teacher certification or are eligible for certified teacher rates, please upload proof of your valid teaching certificate.
Do you have any professional certifications? Yes No
If you would like to teach subject matter that pertains to professional certifications, please
upload proof of your valid professional certificate(s).
Are you interested in instructing undergraduate test preparation courses?
Yes No
If you would like to teach courses that prepare students for undergraduate entry,
please upload your official scores.
Rather than waiting to provide important information or documents after a tutor has been vetted for their professional abilities, their acceptance is immediately contingent upon whether they fulfill the minimal requirements and upload the necessary documentation.
The impact of this requirement saves time and resources, potentially increasing profit margins for the company.
Prototyping
I wanted something simple, intuitive and sleek. This is what I came up with!
The applicant reads the initial agreement here, and then proceeds to the application page. 2
An introductory page to the application process. 1
Internet speed test - must be passed before the applicant can continue to the application. 3
The actual application page - all requirements must be fulfilled here before it's possible to submit. 4
What? It's only one page?
A one-page ATS that corresponds almost completely directly to the questions and answers provided in the application. 5
A Preliminary Mockup, Thoughts and Takeaways
The application process for tutors uses bright, friendly, confident colours.
The ATS is softer - spending hours in front of the screen sifting through applicants can be tiring for the eyes.
And here are some of the answers and solutions to the questions set out at the beginning of this project:
The most prominent pain points in the ATS process were:
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The constant toggling back and forth between pages
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Repeated data entry at multiple points in the system
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Searching for and uploading data that applicants could provide themselves
The results of a similar study pertaining to the ATS demonstrated that one tweak in the process improved vetting efficiency by 45 per cent. We estimated that with a completely streamlined application and ATS, the vetting efficiency would also improve by at least that much, if not more.
The Tutor Sourcing Specialists prioritised some of their needs as follows:
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More input from applicants - resumes, official documents, certifications, identification
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Removal of redundant input space on the ATS, thereby reducing its length
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Automatic population of information in the ATS from the tutor application itself
Here's what I think . . .
I think all of the above points were addressed in this project.
Changing the actual ATS is not a simple endeavour, but in the long run, I think it would be worth it.
The business impact would be a positive one, both financially and psychologically.
Usability testing is absolutely necessary, and of course iterative planning and execution until the product is deemed a significant improvement and worthwhile investment.
Here's what I learned . . .
This project was a great exercise in the complexity of human-centred design and how many elements must interact smoothly with each other to create a viable product.
Although this project did not come to fruition with the company, what I learned was invaluable and is the reason I'm including it in my portfolio.
Telling this story in an engaging way was another central activity to producing this case study. I was part of the story, but also able to look in from the outside. Many of my colleagues had been at the company for much longer, and had so much to contribute.
I realised how important it is to 'sweat the small stuff' in user experience research and design - the small stuff can really make a difference. Nevertheless, I also understood how important it is to keep a good sense of humour and wonder!
Thank you for reading!
