[GH-ISSUE #1814] StaffML: Pelin Balcı UX feedback (onboarding, chapter links, sequential paths, NeetCode-style progress, interview prep) #18073

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opened 2026-05-28 21:50:05 -05:00 by GiteaMirror · 2 comments
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Originally created by @profvjreddi on GitHub (May 28, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/harvard-edge/cs249r_book/issues/1814

Summary

Detailed UX and pedagogy feedback on StaffML (https://mlsysbook.ai/staffml/welcome/) from @pelinbalci. Her feedback is orthogonal to the bug and content suggestions in #1792: it focuses on navigation, structured progression, and the interview prep workflow.

All five items are shipped and live. Filing the issue retrospectively so the recommendations are preserved and credited.

Pelin's recommendations

  • Clarify what Vault, Practice, Explore, and Gauntlet each do. First-time users are unsure where to start. The Welcome page should lead with a clear path and a one-line explanation per section.
  • Link questions back to MLSysBook chapters. After answering a question, there is no way to loop back to the relevant book chapter and close the knowledge gap.
  • Sequential L-level progression with bookmarking. Random question order makes it hard to work through a track systematically. Users should be able to start at L1, progress level by level, and resume where they stopped.
  • NeetCode-style per-topic progress visualization. The heatmap is dense and hard to read. Per-topic progress bars (correct / total, highest level mastered) are easier to scan and more motivating.
  • Interview prep mode. Users approaching a real interview need a daily-quota dashboard with days remaining and an on-track / behind status.

What shipped

Merged in 57efa95369 on 2026-05-27. Component commits:

  • 9bcd875fc2 Restructured onboarding, promoted Plans to primary nav, added 3-card section explainer
  • b5fa0f9029 Added "Read more" links from question scoring to the relevant MLSysBook chapter (13 competency areas mapped)
  • a5d1647e2c Custom learning paths with L1-L6+ progression, optional area focus, resume-where-you-left-off, plus PrepDashboard for interview prep mode
  • 70850ed1a4 Per-topic progress bars on the progress page (87 topics, 13 areas, L-level breakdown). Legacy heatmap kept behind a toggle.
  • 2d36391578 Implementation plan capturing Pelin's feedback verbatim and the build sequence

Closing as completed.

Thank you @pelinbalci, this feedback meaningfully sharpened the structured learning side of StaffML.

Originally created by @profvjreddi on GitHub (May 28, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/harvard-edge/cs249r_book/issues/1814 ## Summary Detailed UX and pedagogy feedback on **StaffML** (https://mlsysbook.ai/staffml/welcome/) from @pelinbalci. Her feedback is orthogonal to the bug and content suggestions in #1792: it focuses on navigation, structured progression, and the interview prep workflow. All five items are shipped and live. Filing the issue retrospectively so the recommendations are preserved and credited. ## Pelin's recommendations - [x] **Clarify what Vault, Practice, Explore, and Gauntlet each do.** First-time users are unsure where to start. The Welcome page should lead with a clear path and a one-line explanation per section. - [x] **Link questions back to MLSysBook chapters.** After answering a question, there is no way to loop back to the relevant book chapter and close the knowledge gap. - [x] **Sequential L-level progression with bookmarking.** Random question order makes it hard to work through a track systematically. Users should be able to start at L1, progress level by level, and resume where they stopped. - [x] **NeetCode-style per-topic progress visualization.** The heatmap is dense and hard to read. Per-topic progress bars (correct / total, highest level mastered) are easier to scan and more motivating. - [x] **Interview prep mode.** Users approaching a real interview need a daily-quota dashboard with days remaining and an on-track / behind status. ## What shipped Merged in [`57efa95369`](https://github.com/harvard-edge/cs249r_book/commit/57efa95369) on 2026-05-27. Component commits: - [`9bcd875fc2`](https://github.com/harvard-edge/cs249r_book/commit/9bcd875fc2) Restructured onboarding, promoted Plans to primary nav, added 3-card section explainer - [`b5fa0f9029`](https://github.com/harvard-edge/cs249r_book/commit/b5fa0f9029) Added "Read more" links from question scoring to the relevant MLSysBook chapter (13 competency areas mapped) - [`a5d1647e2c`](https://github.com/harvard-edge/cs249r_book/commit/a5d1647e2c) Custom learning paths with L1-L6+ progression, optional area focus, resume-where-you-left-off, plus PrepDashboard for interview prep mode - [`70850ed1a4`](https://github.com/harvard-edge/cs249r_book/commit/70850ed1a4) Per-topic progress bars on the progress page (87 topics, 13 areas, L-level breakdown). Legacy heatmap kept behind a toggle. - [`2d36391578`](https://github.com/harvard-edge/cs249r_book/commit/2d36391578) Implementation plan capturing Pelin's feedback verbatim and the build sequence Closing as completed. Thank you @pelinbalci, this feedback meaningfully sharpened the structured learning side of StaffML.
GiteaMirror added the area: staffmlarea: websitetype: improvementpriority-high labels 2026-05-28 21:50:06 -05:00
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@profvjreddi commented on GitHub (May 28, 2026):

@all-contributors please add @pelinbalci for design, ideas, userTesting in StaffML

<!-- gh-comment-id:4564195054 --> @profvjreddi commented on GitHub (May 28, 2026): @all-contributors please add @pelinbalci for design, ideas, userTesting in StaffML
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@github-actions[bot] commented on GitHub (May 28, 2026):

I've added @pelinbalci as a contributor to staffml! 🎉

Recognized for: design, ideas
Project(s): staffml (detected from issue labels/title)
Based on: @all-contributors please add @pelinbalci for design, ideas, userTesting

The contributor list has been updated in:

  • interviews/.all-contributorsrc, interviews/README.md
  • Main README.md

We love recognizing our contributors! ❤️

<!-- gh-comment-id:4564225900 --> @github-actions[bot] commented on GitHub (May 28, 2026): I've added @pelinbalci as a contributor to **staffml**! :tada: **Recognized for:** design, ideas **Project(s):** staffml (detected from issue labels/title) **Based on:** @all-contributors please add @pelinbalci for design, ideas, userTesting The contributor list has been updated in: - `interviews/.all-contributorsrc`, `interviews/README.md` - Main `README.md` We love recognizing our contributors! :heart:
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Reference: github-starred/cs249r_book#18073