Build an open marketplace matching platform (front and back end) that

simplifies finding, booking and paying local independent tutors.

We have an existing site (www.alphagrinds.ie) which we like the look and
feel of, but believe in order to achieve what were looking for; which is a
fully automated site, we have to start from scratch with a purpose built
site that is focused on user experience in design and functionality.
There should be aspects of www.alphagrinds.ie that can be recycled/
applied to this concept.
BASIC CONCEPT
1) Student searches for tutor based on defined criteria
2) Student matches tutor(s) who meet that criteria (Subject, Stage,
Level, Location, Day, Time)
3) Student shortlists preferred tutor(s)
4) Tutor first to respond/ accept becomes tutor
5) Free to use for students, we take a fixed 10% fee from the rate
tutors charge
6) Payment (card) taken after completed grind
7) Student then has option to book repeat grinds with tutor via
platform
OVERVIEW
These are designed to give an outline of the system from a students
perspective.
What is alphagrinds.ie?
alphagrinds.ie is an open marketplace matching platform that simplifies
finding, booking and paying local independent tutors.
We offer choice, convenience and flexibility by providing students access
to a wide range of tutors, and tutors with access to a pool of students
seeking grinds/ tuition.
Tutors set their own rate and manager their own profiles including areas
covered and availability.
Tutors are paid after successful completion of grind. We deduct a 10%
booking fee for every completed grind from their set charged rate.
How does the booking process work?
When a student makes a booking, selected tutors are notified via email
that there is work available. The first tutor to respond/ accept gets the job.
The student is then notified via email that a tutor is lined up and confirms.
Payment is deducted after the grind has taken place.
Is there a fee for using alphagrinds.ie?

It is free to use for students. Tutors pay a fixed 10% booking fee on the set
rates they charge. There is no joining fee or hidden costs.
How to book a tutor?
To book a tutor you follow a few simple steps. You will be asked to enter
your location, stage, subject and if applicable, level. If in the unlikely
instance that we dont have any tutors that match your criteria, you will
be informed at this point.
If there are tutors that match this criteria, you will be asked to enter more
detailed information and follow next step in order to see available tutor(s).
It is only at this point, having shown that tutor(s) available, that you will
be asked to sign up.
What happens after Ive booked my tutor?
Youve signed up and shortlisted tutors. Shortlisted tutors are notified via
email of your request. The tutor that is first to respond/ accept your
request will become your tutor. You will be notified via email once this
happens.
Both tutor and student will then receive a confirmation email with details
of the scheduled grind.
I would like to cancel or reschedule a confirmed single or repeat
grind, what do I do?
Provided student gives 24 hours notice (as per our cancellation & refund
policy less than 24 hours notice results in a forfeit fee of 50% of set
tutor rate, more than 24 hours notice there is no fee) you can either
request to change or cancel the scheduled single grind or repeat grind(s).
In order to do this, you need to login to your profile and click into
Bookings, click Future Grinds, click Action next to applicable grind, click
Request Change/ Cancel and follow the steps. If you are requesting to
change/ cancel repeat grind(s), you will be prompted whether you would
like to reschedule/ cancel only next grind or all future grinds.
The tutor will receive an email notification of the requested change/
cancellation.
If you are rescheduling the grind, we suggest that you contact the tutor
directly before to check their availability to the proposed day/ time.
The grind did not take place, what should I do?
Login to your profile, click into Bookings, click Past Grinds, click Action,
click Report tutor non-appearance.
If the grind did not take place as a result of non-appearance by tutor,
there will be no charge. A mark will also appear on tutor profile
highlighting that (s)he failed to show up for a scheduled grind.
I need to change my details, what do I do?
Login to your profile, click My Account. Here you can update personal
details, change card payment details and view pending, future, past

grinds under Bookings. You will also be able to view payment history
under Payments as all transactions are logged for full user transparency.
How to pay and when is my card charged?
We use a secure 3rd party payment provider to facilitate and process
payments. Our provider accept all major cards.
Before we notify tutors of your request you will be asked to enter your
card details. Payment will be taken for amount due after each grind takes
place. Tutors should never be paid in cash.
You will receive an email after grind(s) to confirm grind went ahead where
you will be instructed to ignore if grind went ahead and payment will be
deducted within 24 hours.
I had a single grind with my tutor and would like to book more
grinds with him/ her, what do I do?
After yours single grind is completed, you will receive an email asking
would like to book more grinds with your tutor.
If you decide not to book more grinds with your tutor you will be asked to
(login) rate your tutor.
If you would like to book more grinds with your tutor, you login, click
Bookings, click Action next to applicable grind, and click Book More
Grinds. Here you will select number of grinds you would like to book and
confirm the start date and recurring weekly schedule, which by default will
be the same as your initial booking (day/ time).
Tutor will receive an email requesting they login to either accept or
decline. Student will be sent an email for either response.
After your repeat grind package is completed, you will receive an email
asking would like to book more grinds with your tutor.
If you decide not to book more grinds with your tutor you will be asked to
(login) rate your tutor.
If you would like to book more grinds with your tutor, you login, click
Bookings, click Action next to applicable grind, and click Book More
Grinds. Here you will select number of grinds you would like to book and
confirm the start date and recurring weekly schedule, which by default will
be the same as your initial booking (day/ time).
Tutor will receive an email requesting they login to either accept or
decline. Student will be sent an email for either response.
Am I notified ahead of grind(s)?
Both student and tutor will receive a reminder email 24 hours ahead of
grind(s).

Pages
Home | How it works | Become a tutor | Book now | FAQ | Contact
us | About us | Log in
Home page
Introduction - what we do and how it works (30/45 second video also)
Main focus on students section requesting basic info (see hassle.com) as a
call to action
Carousel with what students say (testimonials)
Carousel with latest tutor reviews (auto populated from student reviews)
New Student Scroll
Step 1
- Choose your location (drop down)
- Choose your Stage (LC/ JC/ 3rd Level/ Professional exams) (drop down)
- Choose your Subject (will be a variable depending on what selected in
Stage) (drop down)
- Level (if applicable) (drop down)
<NEXT>
[if no tutors match step 1 criteria pop up/ refresh stating that sorry/
unfortunately no tutors currently available in this location/ stage/ subject/
level please check back soon as new tutors signing up/ joining all the
time]
Step 2
- Choose duration (1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours) (drop down)
- Choose preferred day (drop down) and time (drop down -7am to 8pm 30 min increments)
<SEARCH>
(Shows brief overview of active tutors - Alex R (only initial of surname). Picture - Rate per hour - Brief bio - Rating & Reviews)
[This will show student whether tutors available before committing to
signing up]

[If no tutors available based on preferred day and/ or time search criteria
sorry/ unfortunately no tutors currently available at the requested day
and/ or time we suggest that you try a different day and/ or time
combination and search again
[To proceed user needs to Sign up/ Login]
Step 3 - (Sign up)
First name
Last name
Email address
Mobile
Address (find/ verify on google maps)
Password (strength indicator - min 1 capital, 1 number and min 6 characters)
Confirm password (highlighted if password doesnt match)
Accept T&C's (tick box) (link opens new tab)
Human verification (not captcha)
<SUBMIT>
<Auto gen verification email - link to complete registration>
<Auto gen welcome email (login details and link to login to manage your
bookings, edit your details and pay online link)>
<Profile created>
Step 4
Choose preferred start date

(Calendar -Defaults to next available date as per preferred day selected in Step

1)

All available tutors shown (tile or list view option) [Sort functionality]
Shortlist (Keep on shortlist or remove from shortlist)
Add comments (optional)
<REQUEST TUTOR(S)>
Step 5
Enter card details to proceed (Card not charged until after completed
grind)
Step 6
All selected tutors invited/ notified of request/ available work via auto gen
email
Basic student details shown (from Step 1 and 2)
[Log in to accept]
<Auto gen email with link to landing page after login>
<Notification on profile also>
Step 7
First tutor to accept students request becomes tutor

<Taken to What happens next page>

Step 8
Student receives auto gen email of first tutor to accept
<Auto gen email>
Step 9
Chosen/ selected tutor receives auto gen email notifying them that they
have been successful
Unsuccessful tutor(s) receive auto gen email notifying them that the grind
has now been filled
<Auto gen emails>
Step 10
Full grind details sent to tutor and student
<Auto gen email>
Step 111
Auto gen email reminder sent out to tutor and student 24 hours ahead of
scheduled grind (Cancellation & Refund Policy link)
<Auto gen emails>
Step 12
Grind takes place
Step 13
Auto email sent out to student (X Minutes/ Hours after confirmed grind)
<Auto gen email>
Step 142
Student will either book more grind(s) or Rate and Review (max e.g. 200
characters) tutor if no more grinds wanted
<Auto gen email>
[Tutor receives payment summary/ details auto gen email - X (set rate)
by X hour(s) = Sub Total, Less our booking fee of 10% = Total owed/ due]
Step 15
Notify tutor that student has requested more grind(s). Tutor must login to
accept or decline. Student will be sent an email for either response.
OR
Notify tutor that they have received a new rating/ review (link to login and
view)
<Auto gen email>
1

If tutor or student cancel, other party are notified.

If no action taken an auto email reminder to be sent to student 48 hours

after original email

New Tutor Sign Up

Step 1 - Personal Details
First name
Last name
Email address
Mobile
Address (find/ verify on google maps)
<NEXT>
Step 2 - Subjects
Stage (drop down) - Subject (drop down) Level (if applicable)
<Add> button
<NEXT>

(drop down)

- Hourly rate

Step 3 - Profile (all required fields and shown on profile)

Personal Description [either ghost text as suggestions or i mouse over icon]
Experience [either ghost text as suggestions or i mouse over icon]
Approach to grinds [either ghost text as suggestions or i mouse over icon]
Student Hints & tips (interview questionnaire)
Qualifications - Year (drop down) (graduated/ in progress) - Type (drop down)
(school, college, masters, doctorate) - Place of Study - Result(s)
<Add> button
Locations covered (multiple selection drop down)
Availability - Day (drop down) & Time (drop down)
<Add> button
Upload photo, certificates, Garda vetting etc.
Enter Bank details for payment (Optional - Can be added to profile later/
once job accepted)
<NEXT>
Step 4 - Login Details
Username [email address as entered at step 1 by default - cannot be overridden]
Password (strength indicator - min 1 capital, 1 number and min 6 characters)
Confirm password (highlighted if password doesnt match)
Human verification (not captcha!)
<Sign up>
<Auto verification email - link to complete registration>
<Auto gen welcome email (all details listed - login details and manage/
update/ edit your profile link etc)>

<Profile created>

Notes

Site performance is critical, page load times must be instant

Responsive site that is compatible with all devices and browsers

Integrated notification centre for users (similar to upwork.com)

whenever there is an auto gen email sent there is a new
notification on user profile or vice versa

Responsive/ variable drop downs which will change depending on

the previous selection.

Forgot password under login box - auto gen email to reset

Landing pages from links on auto gen emails

Analytics dashboard to view all statistics - For example - traffic,

bookings, cancellations, refunds, registered users total and by
students or by tutors, active versus registered users total and by
students or by tutors, average tutor rate by stage etc.

Auto populated database that captures all the student and tutor
data behind the scenes (template mapped and fed by content of
fields in forms)

Tutor profiles will show students when they were last logged in/
online

Query

As we will be storing personal/ sensitive details on our database,

do we need any security to protect user data?