Career Advisor App Project App For Social Good
The Product
Career Advisor is an online employment website that provides advice, articles, and tips for those looking for employment and career growth. Career advisor wants to a add a new feature to their app specifically targeted at helping young adults learn how to transition into a new career.
The Problem
In today’s job market it can be hard for young adults to find a new job or transition into a new career.
The Goal
The goal of Career Advisor’s new app is to provide guidance and support for young adults who are entering the workforce for the first time, or who may be transitioning from an internship to a full time position, or who may just be looking for a new start.
My Role
Lead UX Research & Designer
My Responsibilities
My responsibilities throughout the project included user research (interviews and usability studies), paper and digital wireframing, low and high fidelity prototyping, verifying accessibility, and design iterations.
Competitive Audit
A competitive audit was conducted for Career Advisor’s new app feature. The audit identified the direct competitors to Career Advisor as the following companies: Monster.com, Workopolis.com, Indeed.com, and Robert Half.com. Additionally, indirect competitors were also identified and include the following companies: SimplyHired.com, Glassdoor.com, and Payscale.com. A review of the competitors products revealed that these companies have quality apps and features for job seekers but these apps tend to focus more on the job market as a whole rather than on a specific group. As a result the information provided is generalized and does not address the more specific questions that a particular group of users may have. The Career Advisor app will take advantage of this market gap by narrowing down the job market to target specific groups such as young adults applying for their first job. Another key advantage that Career Advisor has over its competitors is the ability to contact a career counsellor and receive professional guidance which will be very beneficial for young adults starting or transitioning into a new career.
User Research
As the lead UX researcher and designer for this project, I conducted interviews, created empathy maps, and conducted usability studies to understand the user and their needs for this app.
The UX research interviews revealed two main user goals: 1) finding the exact career they want, and 2) getting the right advice or guidance on how to obtain that career. These goals can be achieved through step-by-step guides, interview or resume tips, and most importantly professional advice from real career counsellors.
Personas
Paper Wireframes
The ideation phase of the project focused on various content layouts with an emphasis on easy navigation. The main goal for the design is to help job seekers, in this case young adults, quickly find the information they are looking for. As the design progressed into the prototype phase a usability study was conducted to test the functionality of the new feature and a review by the stakeholders was required to verify that the feature’s design met all the requirements of the existing app.
Note: This is a digital representation of the paper wireframes for improved clarity and readability.
Digital Wireframes
One of the most important features of any app is navigation. In response to user feedback I added a logo at the bottom of the screen to allow users to return to the home screen in addition to using the menu option. Also, in response to both the user feedback and the competitive audit I added a “Contact an Advisor” link to allow users to contact a real counsellor and get the professional advice or guidance they need.
Low-Fidelity Protoype
The user flow for the new career transition feature of the Career Advisor app uses the same design principles that are currently implemented in the existing app. This allows for seemless transitions through all features of the Career Advisor app. The main user flow has multiple paths to and from each screen, and applies iconographic features to make the app more functional for the user. After all of the changes were implemented to the low-fidelity prototype the overall design was then applied to the tablet and desktop prototypes.
Usability Study Overview
Study Type
Unmoderated usability study
Location
Canada, Remote
Study Type
Unmoderated usability study
Study Type
Unmoderated usability study
Usability Study Findings
I conducted two usability studies. The first study was based on a low-fidelity prototype. This study revealed the user pain points with using the app. The second study was based on a high-fidelity prototype that revealed some missing features and a few minor issues that needed improvement.
Mockups
In response to the user feedback from the usability study several of the apps features were modified to add or enhance accessibility. For example, the search features were made more accessible by adding voice to text.
Another improvement made to the app prototype also recommended by the user feedback is a “back to the top” link. This link was added to high content screens, such as the search result screens, to make it easier for users to navigate back to the top of the screen instead of manually scrolling back to the top.
Screenshots:
The new career transition feature for the Career Advisor website adheres to the responsive web design philosophy. In addition, the downloadable app also supports a multitude of devices.
High-Fidelity Prototype
The final high fidelity prototype integrates many of the recommendations from the research conducted for the project to provide an intuitive interface while maintaining a clean and smooth user flow.
Mobile
High-Fidelity Prototype Mobile
Tablet
High-Fidelity Prototype Tablet
Desktop
Impact
The goal of this project is to add a feature to help young adults transition to a new career. The feedback from the usability studies was very positive and indicates that the app will be a valuable tool in the marketplace. Success for the app will ultimately be determined by the number of downloads and reviews of the app on social media platforms.
What I Learned
Working on this project provided valuable insights for me as well. I learned that focusing on the user and utilizing responsive web design allows us to reach as many users as possible. I also learned that creating apps for social good allows us to have a positive impact on the market and for our users.
Next Steps
Conduct a final usability study to verify the functionality and appeal of the polished prototype.
Conduct a stakeholder review of the polished prototype to verify the integrity and branding of the app.
Finalize any changes to the design and hand off the project to the engineers for production.
Product release
Post release review