I've been in the middle of a refactorization of Koda's codebase this week — and what I found wasn't just messy code.
I found user experience issues.
I'm not going to detail every specific one here, but discovering them during a refactor was a reminder of something important: you can build something that technically works and still fail the person using it.
Koda is an open-source Python Tutor Companion. Its entire purpose is to make learning Python feel approachable — especially for beginners who are just getting started. That means the experience has to be right. Not just the logic. Not just the coverage of topics. The actual feel of using it.
Why UX matters so much in an educational tool:
When a beginner hits friction — anything that confuses, slows, or discourages them — it doesn't just break the flow. It chips away at their confidence. And confidence is exactly what Koda is trying to build.
A great tutor isn't just knowledgeable. A great tutor makes learning feel possible.
So the priority from here is clear: every UX issue I found gets fixed. And going forward, the learner's experience is the first question I ask — not the last.
Koda is MIT licensed, 78+ commits deep, and being built fully in public. Follow along.
https://github.com/acubura/koda-assistant
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