Context & Insights

| Business Insight | Problem

Opportunity

Goal

| - Tutors and students rely heavily on static textbooks and PDFs for learning

• Tutors repeatedly answer similar textbook-related questions across different students, and finding specific explanations, examples, or clarifications inside textbooks is time-consuming

If TutorOS enables users to ask questions directly against textbook content, it can

• Reduce repetitive tutor effort
• Improve student learning efficiency
• Increase perceived platform intelligence and stickiness

Enhance TutorOS’s learning experience by introducing an AI-powered feature that allows tutors and students to ask natural-language questions directly from assigned textbooks.

• Objective 1: Enable fast and accurate textbook-based question answering using AI
• Objective 2: Reduce tutor time spent answering repetitive content-based questions
• Objective 3: Increase student engagement with learning materials inside TutorOS | | --- | --- | --- | | User Insight | User Segments

User Problems | These segments are defined based on intended product usage rather than observed behavior.

• Student: Use textbooks as their main learning material. Often get stuck on specific concepts, definitions, or examples
• Tutor: Assign textbook and answer repeated questions related to the same material

Students need a fast way to clarify textbook content without waiting for tutor availability, but searching PDFs or rereading chapters is inefficient. Tutors need a scalable way to support students’ content questions without repeatedly explaining the same textbook sections. |

Product Solution

A lightweight AI-powered feature that lets students and tutors ask natural-language questions directly from assigned textbooks, delivering instant, context-aware answers grounded in the actual learning material.

Address biggest pain points:

• Time-consuming search through PDFs or physical textbooks
• Repetitive textbook-related questions that tutors must answer manually
• Learning interruptions when tutors are unavailable
• Shallow understanding caused by skimming instead of targeted clarification

Core feature

| For Students | • Natural-language textbook Q&A: Ask questions in plain language (e.g. “Explain this concept in simpler terms”, “Give an example from chapter 3”) and receive answers grounded in the assigned textbook • Context-aware explanations: Answers reference the relevant textbook sections, helping students understand why an answer is given, not just the result • Instant support outside tutoring sessions: Get immediate clarification without waiting for tutor availability, reducing learning friction | | --- | --- | | For Tutors | • AI-assisted question handling: Use textbook-grounded answers to quickly respond to common student questions or guide explanations during lessons • Teaching efficiency boost: Spend less time on repetitive content clarification and more time on personalized instruction | | Shared Features | • Pre-indexed textbook knowledge base: All supported textbooks are centrally managed by TutorOS and available by default—no manual upload required • Seamless in-product access: The feature is available directly within TutorOS, without switching tools or platforms |

Objective & Success Metrics

• % of answers tutors mark as “accurate” or “helpful” | - Tutor time saved per student
• Decrease in similar textbook questions asked across students | - % of active students using Ask Your Textbook at least once
• Average number of questions asked per student per week | | Monitor Metrics | - Tutor feedback signals (thumbs up/down, quick rating)
• Manual review of sampled Q&A sessions
• Number of clarification follow-up questions per answer | - Frequency of repeated textbook-related questions
• Usage of AI-generated answers during or outside live sessions
• Tutor qualitative feedback (short survey or comments) | - Daily / weekly active users of the feature
• Question volume over time
• Retention comparison between users who use the feature vs those who don’t (cohort comparison) |

Requirements

• Allow questions related only to assigned textbooks
• Support common learning queries (definitions, explanations, examples, summaries)
• Display AI-generated answers in a readable, structured format
• Handle empty or invalid queries gracefully with user feedback | MUST-HAVE | | REQ2 | As a tutor I want to ensure AI answers are based strictly on textbook content So that I can trust the accuracy and consistency of explanations. | - Generate answers only from pre-indexed textbook content
• Reference the relevant textbook section or chapter in each answer
• Prevent answers when no relevant content is found and show a fallback message | MUST-HAVE | | REQ3 | As a tutor I want to review and give feedback on AI-generated answers So that I can maintain teaching quality and improve accuracy over time. | - Allow tutors to rate answers (e.g. helpful / not helpful) - Enable optional short feedback comments
• Store feedback for monitoring and future model improvements | SHOULD-HAVE | | REQ4 | As a student I want to easily understand and follow AI responses So that I can learn efficiently without confusion. | - Highlight key terms or concepts in responses
• Support follow-up questions in the same context
• Display a brief disclaimer about potential inaccuracies | SHOULD-HAVE | | REQ5 | As a product owner I want to track how the feature is used So that I can evaluate effectiveness and improve it. | - Log each question submission and response event
• Track usage by user role (student / tutor)
• Capture basic performance metrics (response time, failure rate) | COULD-HAVE |