The RTutor Project
Shipped Product
AI Product Design
UX Research
Product Management
The RTutor Project
Shipped Product
AI Product Design
UX Research
Product Management
what is rtutor?
what is rtutor?
High-tech calculator. Glorified translator.
RTutor is a tool that turns pseudocode into R code. It is a required part of STAT 100 at UIUC, an intro stats class with 1000+ students a semester.
The issue was that students hated using it.
RTutor isn't like other AI tools: it won't just hand over the answer. Students still need their critical thinking skills.
Key insight: Students wrote a prompt → the translated code crashed → the site crashed.
High-tech calculator. Glorified translator.
RTutor is an AI-powered tool that turns pseudocode into R code. It is a required part of STAT 100 at UIUC, an intro stats class with 1000+ students a semester.
The issue? Students hated using it.My job was to find out why and fix it.
My Mentor: Dr. V.N. Vimal Rao
High-tech calculator. Glorified translator.
RTutor is a tool that turns pseudocode into R code. It is a required part of STAT 100 at UIUC, an intro stats class with 1000+ students a semester.
The issue was that students hated using it.
RTutor isn't like other AI tools: it won't just hand over the answer. Students still need their critical thinking skills.
Key insight: Students wrote a prompt → the translated code crashed → the site crashed.
raw data -> results
raw data -> results
The old RTutor: functional, but could be better!
The old RTutor: functional, but could be better!
I surveyed 726 students in STAT 100.
I pulled from established UX research methodologies, including meCUE, SUS, and UEQ.
Key Insights:
Performance was the main issue for students.
Students were writing pseudocode incorrectly. The generated R code then crashed, causing the whole site to crash.
Students think RTutor is valuable and helps them reach their learning goals.
I surveyed 726 students in STAT 100.
I pulled from established UX research methodologies, including meCUE, SUS, and UEQ.
Key Insights:
Performance was the main issue for students.
Students were writing pseudocode incorrectly. The generated R code then crashed, causing the whole site to crash.
Students think RTutor is valuable and helps them reach their learning goals.
We received over 1000 pieces of write-in feedback. These eventually became the product requirements.
prompt evaluations:
a student-centered design
prompt evaluations:
a student-centered design
We want students to use their critical thinking skills. AI can fix mistakes, but we tell RTutor not to.
Since the biggest problem was crashing, we introduced prompt evaluations.
I designed a feature that checks each prompt to make sure it has enough detail — and if it doesn't, RTutor sends it back for the student to fix.
We want students to use their critical thinking skills. AI can fix mistakes, but we tell RTutor not to.
Since the biggest problem was crashing, we introduced prompt evaluations.
I designed a feature that checks each prompt to make sure it has enough detail — and if it doesn't, RTutor sends it back for the student to fix.
design -> development
design -> development
In total, I made 33 product requirements. Our amazing developer, Jenna, worked with us to implement them all in six months. Here are a few:
In total, I made 33 product requirements. Our amazing developer, Jenna, worked with us to implement them all in six months. Here are a few:
Key UI/UX Fixes
Make "Submit" button green, not red
Users no longer mix up "Submit" and "Reset," a major friction point.
Change "Explore Further" from a popup to displaying directly on the page
Aiming to increase the feature's usage.
Allow users to easily view, edit, and delete through their history
Helps stop users from accidentally retyping the same prompts because they forgot what they've written.
Key UI/UX Fixes
Make "Submit" button green, not red
Users no longer mix up "Submit" and "Reset," a major friction point.
Change "Explore Further" from a popup to displaying directly on the page
Aiming to increase the feature's usage.
Allow users to easily view, edit, and delete through their history
Helps stop users from accidentally retyping the same prompts because they forgot what they've written.
rtutor returns to the classroom
Students will be using the new RTutor starting this fall! I will continue as PM of UIUC RTutor to monitor its performance.
I will also be writing a paper with my mentor, Dr. V.N. Vimal Rao, on RTutor and the design of AI educational tools.
rtutor returns to the classroom
Students will be using the new RTutor starting this fall! I will continue as PM of UIUC RTutor to monitor its performance.
I will also be writing a paper with my mentor, Dr. V.N. Vimal Rao, on RTutor and the design of AI educational tools.
