The Idea
“Good education should be accessible and personal — no matter where you start from.”
InstruGo was born from a simple need: helping students find the right instructors quickly and reliably. Whether they’re looking for help with math in primary school or exam prep at university level, the goal was to build a platform that made it easy to search, compare, and book tutors with minimal friction.
As someone passionate about both education and engineering, I wanted this to feel less like a job board and more like a modern product marketplace — with verified profiles, smart filters, and a smooth booking flow.
My Role
I designed and built InstruGo from the ground up, including:
- Frontend in React + TypeScript
- Backend in Node.js with Express
- MongoDB as a flexible database layer
- Authentication with JWT + bcrypt
- File/image upload and profile management
- Booking logic with availability tracking and calendar sync
- Admin dashboard for content moderation and platform control
I also ran user testing sessions with real students and instructors to refine the flows before launch.
Key Features
🔍 Smart search & filters
Users can search instructors by subject, education level, location, availability, and hourly rate.
📅 Booking & scheduling
Time slots are synced with instructors’ availability and bookings can be managed in-app.
🧾 Profiles & ratings
Each instructor has a profile with bio, credentials, availability, and student reviews.
🛡️ Secure messaging & account system
Students and instructors can message each other directly while keeping personal info safe.
Lessons & Reflections
This project taught me a lot about building user-facing products from both a technical and strategic perspective. I had to think about platform trust, smooth UX, and maintaining flexibility for future verticals (e.g., test prep, group classes, etc.).
It also deepened my understanding of architecture for multi-user systems, including permission roles, resource ownership, and secure communication.
Tech Stack
- Frontend: React, TypeScript, SCSS Modules
- Backend: Node.js, Express, MongoDB
- Infra: Heroku (prototype), Cloudinary for media, SendGrid for notifications
- Other: JWT, bcrypt, GitHub Actions for basic CI
Status
The prototype is live in a closed beta and being used by a test group of students and instructors. The next steps include payment integration and user-driven content features.
Key Takeaways
- Building a real product—even without full funding—can be a powerful learning experience.
- Listening to users early helped me avoid overbuilding.
- Managing both product and tech taught me how much architecture is about tradeoffs and people, not just code.