Context & Progress Hypothesis (Backbone)

Hypothesis

Solving cross-lesson memory/context and progress visibility is the highest-leverage product backbone because it: - increases learner motivation (“I can see progress”), - increases tutor confidence/quality (“I remember what we did”), - and improves retention (repeat bookings / continued subscription).

Why I believe it

  • Ranked as the top problems (pitch/analyses/problems.qmd).
  • Tutors already maintain ad-hoc systems (Word docs, chat logs, checklists) to preserve context and avoid repeating lessons.
  • Progress is especially hard to perceive at intermediate/advanced levels.

Supporting quotes

  • Cross-lesson memory systems:
    • “Eu tenho para cada aluno um documento em Word… preciso ter anotado quais são esses assuntos para não repetir numa próxima aula.” — “For each student I have a Word document… I need to have written down which topics these are so I don’t repeat them in the next lesson.”
    • “Eu tenho muito boa memória… mas também anoto; deixo muito registrado no chat os erros recorrentes para relembrar o que precisa ser reestudado.” — “I have a very good memory… but I also write things down; I keep recurring mistakes well recorded in the chat to remember what needs to be studied again.”
  • Structured progress tracking:
    • “Eu tenho como um checklist… cada classe eu vou entender quantos erros sobre esse tema ele está fazendo; a partir do momento que isso está bom, passamos para um novo tema.” — “I have it like a checklist… each class I’ll see how many mistakes on that topic they’re making; once that’s good, we move on to a new topic.”
    • “Talvez… seria legal ter uma ficha automática ao final da aula para registrar o desempenho.” — “Maybe… it would be nice to have an automatic sheet at the end of the lesson to record performance.”
  • Platform hint (automated summary exists and is valued):
    • “Os alunos que têm a assinatura do italki Plus têm o resumo de todas as aulas e de todos os erros… é gerado automaticamente essa revisão.” — “Students who have the italki Plus subscription get the summary of all the lessons and all the mistakes… that review is generated automatically.”
  • Progress visibility gap:
    • “Não tenho ferramenta que mostre esse desenvolvimento…” — “I don’t have a tool that shows this progress/development…”

Tensions / counterevidence

  • Tutors need control: they won’t let AI auto-send without review.
  • Some learners only want conversation, so progress tooling must be low-friction and not “school-like.”

What must be true in the first 5 minutes

  • Tutor (or learner) can see:
    • last session summary,
    • recurring errors,
    • current goals,
    • “what improved since last time.”
  • Everything is editable/reviewable by tutor (or at least correctable by learner).

Metrics

  • Leading:
    • % sessions where a summary + goals are created
    • % sessions where “next practice” is generated from tracked errors
    • tutor time saved per student per week (self-reported)
  • Lagging:
    • learner week-4 retention
    • tutor-invited learner activation rate (if using tutor channel)

Fastest tests (2-week sprint)

  • In interviews, show a “student memory card” and ask:
    • “Would this prevent repeating lessons?”
    • “Would you trust it if you must approve edits?”
    • “Would this increase the chance you continue / recommend?”
  • Prototype test: after a lesson, generate:
    • summary + errors + goals + 2 practice items
    • ask tutor: “Would you actually send this? what would you edit?”

Decision rule (double down / pivot / kill)

  • Double down if tutors consistently report this solves a daily pain and would use it weekly, and learners say it increases motivation (“I can see progress / I know what to do next”).
  • Pivot if users treat it as “nice to have” and do not change behavior (no increased practice / no retention impact).
  • Kill if it creates more admin work than it saves or if trust/edit burden is too high.