UX/UI Design

DC Career Connect

The City of DC is looking for ways to help local residents find and plot a course for the job of their dreams. Currently the official DC website, https://octo.dc.gov/, does not have a platform that lets locals search for job openings. Our team's goal is to eliminate the barriers keeping people from pursuing jobs that are of interest or best fit for them, being able to explore pathways and plan a course to pursue new careers.

Projects Duration: 2 weeks

Role: Lead UX/UI Designer (Interactions & Visuals)

Tools: Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, Canva, Notion

Stakeholders: Concept Project With 3 Other Designers

What Problem Are We Trying to Solve?

Initial Impact
In 2020, the U.S.  unemployment rate has skyrocketed due to COVID-19 Pandemic. This impact has been one of the highest drop in unemployment since the Great Depression.

Over 23 Million Individuals Were Unemployed in 2020.*

*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020, May 13). Unemployment rate rises to record high 14.7 percent in April 2020. The Economics Daily. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/unemployment-rate-rises-to-record-high-14-point-7-percent-in-april-2020.html

On The Road To Recovery?
As the pandemic's initial impact gradually recedes, more people are actively seeking employment. However, the disparity between available jobs and job seekers remains significant, leading to intense competition for openings. This has left many individuals feeling uncertain about their career paths.

On Average, Approximately 230 Resumes* Are Sent To Each Job Opening.

*HiringThing. (n.d.). Job application statistics. HiringThing Blog. Retrieved August 27, 2024, from https://blog.hiringthing.com/job-application-statistics

Why Washington D.C. Residents?
Setting an initial platform specifically for D.C. residents can help build a strong foundation and gather valuable insights that could be applied nationwide as we expand our platform.

D.C. has a large population of professionals working in various sectors, including government, non-profits, and private industries.

Timeline (Double Diamond Design Process)

Business Analysis

For the business research, it was discovered that other city's career/ job search platforms all offered limited resources, no mentorship, and inaccessible information and services.
Research Findings
  • Limited resources and brief information
  • ‍No mentorship programs
  • Clunky and information hard to locate
  • Only introduction for their services and required to call or visit
Setting Goals for the Platform
Through the business analysis, we can determine that DC Career Connect goals should expose users to different career paths, provide online courses and other resources, and mentorship. The platform needed comprehensive information, a job board, and training resources, to name a few.

01

Expose users to possible career roles that align with their skills and interests.

02

Provide online courses for users to learn and gain skills remotely.

03

Explore new career pathways to open users to more opportunities.

04

Supply resources for users in one place for easy access.

05

Offer a mentorship program to help guide and support users.

C&C Analysis with Direct and Indirect Competitors
A C&C Analysis was conducted to better understand others websites are doing well in and how we can exceed the different services to provide to DC residents.

User Survey & Interviews

Screener Survey

For our screener survey, we had 52 respondents across different fields and experiences with their working status. Out of the 52, we reviewed which respondents were the best fit for our research. The selected interviewees constraints were people who are currently not working and people who are currently working but not happy with their role.

14/52

Qualified for User Interviews

Respondents' Qualification Requirements

Those that
are currently NOT WORKING
Those that are working but currently NOT HAPPY in their role or company

Infinity Mapping Conclusions From User Interviews

01
Can you describe your current role or why you are in the job market?
50%
Are learning and developing new skillsets.
02
What has your experience been so far with job searching and applying?
57%
Finding a job that matches my background and needs is challenging with my current approach to applying.
03
What are/were some of the obstacles you faced that hinder you from getting your dream job?
57%
Lack the confidence to apply for jobs.
04
What qualities and factors do you consider important in a job?
42%
Consider salary a critical factor.
05
Did you have enough resources or support along your career path exploration? If yes, how so? If no, what could have helped?
78%
Do not have the resources to build skills to apply for jobs.
06
What are some things that motivate you along the job searching process?
78%
Personal network and connections are important for motivation.
07
What type of resources would you be open to trying?
92%
Having more resources on learning new skills and someone to talk to.

Problem & Solution Statement

Problem:

Local job seekers in DC need a convenient and personalizable tool along their career path that will provide the confidence, connections, and skills needed so that they can successfully secure a job with the specifications they want in the field they want.

Solution:

The DC Career Connect Platform will provide resources for jobs seekers to find mentors, networking tips and events, job application review and support, in-person and online events, and more information about different types of careers. This platform will also allow for different levels of filtering to make it easier for job seekers to find opportunities that meet their needs, as well as more information on the job and company before applying. These resources will allow DC residents to feel more supported and confident as they pursue careers they are interested in.

Defining Our Target Users With A Persona

Tina is based on our user interviews. She feels lost, and is struggling to find what she really wants to pursue for her career and needs help to get resources and support along her career path. When Tina uses our website, she will first explore different careers before deciding what path she wants, and can then continue using it to refine her skills, and get mentorship and peer support. While she starts out unsure, she has a pleasant experience overall because of the confidence, skills, and connections she gains along her process.

App Platform Decision

What is the most convenient and personalized way for users to access this career platform?

Mobile apps offer convenience and accessibility, allowing users to search and apply for jobs anytime, anywhere. They provide real-time notifications, personalized job recommendations, and easy application processes.

Mid-Fi Wireframes

Mid-Fidelity Prototype Usability Test
(4 users)
Usability tests were done among 4 users and the results were averages of the 4. The tasks were assigned so that the users get to utilize the different services that our platform provides.

1. Find a remote job, sort by newest first.

Users Took An Average Of

22.25 secs

2. Register for a mentor.

Users Took An Average Of

20 secs

3. Look for a software engineer course video.

Users Took An Average Of

59.5 secs

Feedback Learned From Mid-Fi Usability Testing

What did we learn from the usability test?

While all users eventually succeeded in all the task, Users expressed mild frustration while making 1-2 errors during testing. After testing, we also asked about users' feedback and these are compiled below.

75%

of the users were having trouble finding the different screens.

50%

of the users mentioned that a networking aspect was missing and would like to see a space dedicated for connecting with others.

Feedback 01

Unclear Nav Bar

The mid-fi Navbar is currently consist of all icons and it can cause confusion to users as the icons all not as commonly used as other apps. This problem is a main problem to why users took longer time to navigate to different screens.

Solution

To eliminate the unfamiliarity and confusion between the icons, I decided to label the nav menu and create a bigger home button as this serves as the "reset" button if users get lost in the app.

Feedback 02

Resource Center Is Vague

The different resource cards only has a header on it and has no overview to each resource. The lack of information causes users to stray away from the clicking into it.

Solution

Adding a short description and icons can easily fix this problem to identify the importance of each resource and how it can help users with their job search.

Feedback 03

Filter Settings Should Be Easy Access

The filter settings at the moment is under the sort-by drop down and it does not indicate at what filter the job postings are currently on.

Solution

For easy access and efficiency, I added frequently used filter buttons so that users can easily see and click on. Once clicked, the ui design helps users understand that they have certain filters selected.

Feedback 04

Missing the Community/ Networking Aspect

While users can receive support from a mentor, they feel a lack of community support. They anticipate assistance from other professionals and expect a virtual platform to connect and build a community.

Solution

Rather than prioritizing job searching on the dashboard, our team suggests emphasizing job market trends and a community feed to better foster user communities and support. This strategy has proven effective on forum-based platforms like Reddit, Quora, and Medium.

Creating The Design System

Typography

Source Serif 4 is a typeface that has multiple weights and it's unique serifs makes it ideal for headers. The font's refined design strikes a balance between modernity and tradition, conveying professionalism and trustworthiness—key attributes for users when searching for jobs. For body text, Inter is an ideal choice for a job search app due to its clarity and readability, which are crucial for maintaining user engagement in a text-heavy environment.

Source Serif 4

Aa

H1

40 pt.

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit Amet

H2

32 pt.

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit Amet

Inter

Aa

Subhead

16 pt.

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit Amet

Body

12 pt.

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit Amet

#051658

#3269d9

#d6e1f7

#e91a39

Color Palette

Blue is a color associated with trust, reliability, and professionalism—qualities that are crucial in a platform where users are seeking career opportunities and employers are looking for candidates. This combination of blue and white also reflects the U.S. colors to represent Washington D.C.

WCAG Optimized

These colors and text combination are optimized for contrast and readability.

Hi-Fi Wireframes

Preloader Screens

A quick animation that preloads before login for a more exciting experience.

Dashboard: A Personalized Experience With A Supportive Community

Once signed in, users can access their profile in the top right corner to customize their preferences and their job experiences. They can also quickly view the latest job market trends in their dashboard. As they scroll down, they'll discover daily feeds curated to inspire discussions and nurture a supportive community.

Resource Center

The resource center, accessible through the navbar, provides a range of resources. Based on feedback from Mid-fi usability testing, I added icons and descriptive text to help users more easily find the resources they need.

Job Board

The Job Board serves as the central hub for job openings. To help users find their ideal job, filters are conveniently placed above the listings.

During interviews, users emphasized the importance of salary and level of skills when searching for a job, so these filters were designed based on their insights.

Inbox

The inbox screen serves as a way of communications for users. It also serves as a notification center.

Hand-Off: Package Wireframes And Components

Reflection

Process

In this project, our team's goal was to create a platform that's easy for anyone to use. Through interviews, we discovered that many people lack confidence in finding jobs due to limited resources or skills, despite the abundance of job search apps and sites. Collaborating as a team has been a rewarding experience, with each of us taking on different roles to ensure we meet every deadline smoothly.

Challenge

It was challenging to work remotely as a team, given that we are spread across different parts of the U.S. and in various time zones. However, through consistent communication and the use of tools like Notion, we successfully kept each other updated on our progress.

Next Steps

Moving forward, I plan to monitor the app's usage and develop an MVP to determine which features to include and how they might enhance the effectiveness of our design.

If the data provides strong evidence of this app's success for users, we would like to expand the platform beyond Washington, DC, and potentially make it available to users across the entire U.S.

Next Project

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