MIN CV
Design thinking process
The aSpire project
Period:
May-September 2023
Work method:
Teamwork with Gøril Eriksen and Rune Tyvold
My roles:
Project management
Researcher
Facilitator
Analyst
Idea creator
Content writer
Problem solver
The brief
This project was our exam in 2023. Our assignment was to explore the job search process,
why do people struggle to find suitable work and eventually develop a digital concept to help
those struggling.
The design thinking process was used as a standard work methodology when developing an app we chose to call aSpire. Showing evidence of one iteration was also one requirement in this assignment. I collaborated with two teammates remotely.
I will share our experience developing an idea based on research and how it transitions into
a solution that solves a real-world problem.
The timeline
May 2023
June 2023
July 2023
August 2023
September 2023
Empathise process
We executed different research methods, analysed data and agreed
on recommendations for the next steps.
Define process
Interpreted research and data to make help tools like personas,
user scenarios and a problem statement.
Ideate process
We executed different ideate workshops for bringing up ideas.
We sketched on paper and developed a starting point for our information architecture and user flows.
Prototype process
In this stage, we developed digital wireframes based on agreements from previous steps. A prototype was made to be ready for testing.
Testing process
We planned the usability testing and recruited test participants.
The data from the test were analysed, and we made insights and recommendations for the first iteration.
Iterate to improve
We returned to the prototype process and levelled our wireframes to high fidelity. A new round of testing was executed, and based on the data,
we collected insights and recommendations on the next steps.
RESEARCH
272 facts
Interviews, surveys and literature review were our chosen research methods at this point.
21 insights
Analysing all the data with affinity mapping, we found similarities and made insights.
3 recommendations
Making recommendations helped us take the next step in the define process.
Research goal
We must first understand who they are and their needs to create a valuable solution to help people through the job search process.
01.
WHAT kind of challenges do people meet when finding job?
02.
HOW can we help them find suitable jobs?
03.
WHY should we help people in the job search process?
04.
WHO can we help the most with our solution?
Our findings
1 / Raise awareness
Employers often seek highly educated and experienced workers, but these workers are expensive and hard to get. On the other side, less experienced workers need to get the chance to show their skills and value, even though these can be a great asset for the company in the future with proper training and guidance.
We must help these less-experienced workers communicate why employers should hire them and make employers more aware of the value of giving "rookies" a chance.
2 / Possibilities
How people work has changed after The Covid pandemic.
Digital solutions to communicate and work together have become known to everyone, and the possibility of working more flexibly is increasingly attractive to many. This has opened an extensive but impersonal and confusing market, where improved skills on every level and networking are necessary to get the work you want.
From the perspective of less experienced workers, widening the network, finding a niche, setting realistic salary expectations, or even searching foreign markets can bring opportunities.
On the other hand, employers need a flexible workforce, so our focus should be to raise the employers' awareness of the value of less experienced workers. If we could find a solution to bring employers and potential workers closer to each other, that would be mutually beneficial.
3 / Value of network
How we communicate with each other evolves, and we are more digital than ever in our workplaces and how we approach when searching for work. The communication tools we use today can help us expand our network, and having a network can be a huge beneficial factor for finding suitable workplaces.
Some people also need help establishing a network that could help them find work, especially if they are young adults, recently graduated or less experienced workers. We should explore this topic further to see if we can help a specific target group establish a network within the working market and how we can combine digital solutions with this problem.
DEFINE
Persona
Personas help us empathise with potential users and can be a powerful tool when creating ideas.
User scenarios
User scenarios give us a glimpse of the personas' lives and let us see if we must watch out for some contextual pains and goals.
Problem statement
Making the problem statement helped us take the next step in the ideate process.
Problem statment
To address the challenges faced by less experienced individuals in finding suitable work and employers in finding the right employees, we can explore
a solution that focuses on connecting these two groups more closely in a quick and effortless way.
This approach aims to bring awareness to each group's challenges and create mutually beneficial outcomes.
IDEATE
Workshops
Executed different kinds of techniques for developing ideas and be creative.
Concept
Agreements on our concept to ensure we are going
in the same direction
as a team.
Sketching
Early thoughts on how the interface and flows will be in our solution.
IA
Information architecture is our documentation about how the pages are connected with each other.
User flow
Let us see how the user will interact with the app and which paths are possible
to take.
Workshops
In the ideating process, we did tremendous work, and the team contributed by being creative and critical at the same time.
Fun ideas are not necessarily sustainable ideas. This is where our first shapes of the solution became more understandable.
Concept of aSpire
Finding work for a rookie can be difficult, time-consuming and frustrating. You don't have the skills or the experience. But you got your personality.
The aSpire app aims to simplify the job search process for less experienced people. This is an easy matching solution for rookies and employers, where mutual personality and values drive hiring.
Once the rookie has a match with a company, a video meeting takes place, and a personal connection is made
– a unique opportunity for the rookies to get a job based on who they are.
Our solution will help rookies expand their possibilities in a difficult labour market and help employers find people they would not have found through traditional methods.
Herb Kelleher (one of the co-founders of Southwest Airlines) once said, "Hire for attitude, train for skills!".
Personal capability and motivation should have the most focus somewhere, and we believe that with our solution, we can fill a hole in the market.
With aSpire, we can connect employees and employers on a set of terms that will probably let them see that they can help each other – without spending much time on it.
From sketching to user flow
The last touch in the ideation process was to sketch out what the solution could look like. We took the best ideas and mixed them up into a rough outline of the interface and flows within the app. With the help of the sketches, we could make a starting point for our information architecture and user flow.
Core features
At this point, our solution had up to three core features we wanted to explore further.
A matchmaking system using an algorithm for both the employee and the employer (companies) that will let them find correct candidates based on personality tests. The employees and companies need to take personality tests to find the best matches for each other.
When reaching out to each other, they will have the possibility to make short remote video meetings where the employees have the chance to connect and present themselves to future employers.
A database where employers can broadcast their need for workers or announce available jobs.
PROTOTYPE
Wireframes
We initially developed low-fidelity wireframes to test the app's flow and check if our solution
met users' expectations.
Wire flows
To make a prototype, wire flows must be made to check If we have all the necessary pages before testing the solution.
Prototype
Our prototype with low-fidelity wireframes was our final solution to be tested. It had to be digital to carry out remote test sessions.
Low/mid-fidelity wireframes
We made task flows and a prototype out of all the wireframes. Along the way, we discovered several hiccups and challenges with the flow, missing pages and struggling to find the right design element to fulfil potential users' goals. This was an iterative process. and minor changes were made during the work of making a prototype.
TEST
The goal
The goal for this usability test is gain feedback on functionality issues and to confirm if our solution meets our users expectations.
The scope
The scope for this user test is to validate the core features of the solution aSpire with 5 participants where we will use our findings to improve the solution.
The metric
Satisfaction rate
How does it feel using it?
The test tasks
Task 1: Sign in
Task 2: Find a suitable job that interests you
Task 3: Execute a video meeting
Our findings
211 sticky notes from the usability test were crunched down and analysed into 14 insights. We interpreted those insights to make
9 recommendations for our iteration steps.
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TEST
The goal
The goal for this usability test is gain feedback on functionality issues and to confirm if our solution meets our users expectations.
The scope
The scope for this user test is to validate the core features of the solution aSpire with 5 participants where we will use our findings to improve the solution.
The metrics
Satisfaction rate
- How does it feel using it?
The tasks
Sign in // Find a suitable job that interests you // Execute a video meeting
ITERATE
Prototype & test
NEW prototype
Finally, we could level up to high-fidelity wireframes. Colours, labels, language, design elements, pictures, etc., were implemented in the solution.
NEW test
Now, the goal was to locate usability issues and collect feedback on the look and feel
of the design.
NEW recommendations
We made recommendations based on usability issues within the app and suggestions about project management in pursuing this project further.
High-fidelity wireframes
Based on the recommendations we made in the previous test session, we developed our wireframes with a high-fidelity level and implemented the improvements discovered in the test.
Participant quotes from
test sessions
Test participant 2
“Most of the platforms I have used have demanded me to add CV and applications, but this app do not have this focus and I appreciate that.”
Test participant 4
“This app would have helped me now; why doesn't it exist?"
Test participant 5
"I must say I am really impressed about the concept of being a job searcher in this app - this is a new way of thinking!"
Next steps
What to do next?
Although our test candidates liked our concept and design, we received feedback on more minor changes that could improve the solution. In this assignment, we were tasked to do only one round of iteration to prove that our team could process data and change the design based on research.
1 / Improvements from feedback
Stakeholders should decide on what to iterate on in our proposed recommendations from the last test. Some minor changes will be beneficial to do.
2 / Continue focusing on accessibility
Implement more testing on accessibility. We are well on our way regarding the contrast between shape and colour, sizes, language and navigation. It will benefit both the users and the solution if we focus more on accessibility. A straw test can be a good start to check that the most critical information is visible to those who have to enlarge their screens.
3 / Considering another device
To make the solution even more robust and sustainable, consider making aSpire operable with SmartWatches.A smartwatch is an extension of the phone device to keep track of essential notifications and give reminders on the go. It can help users remember meetings and alert them if new jobs are available.
Reflections
The design thinking process crunches down all the details to tangible milestones. This is how we pursue data-driven decisions from the beginning to the end, and this technique can provide excellent designs in the future. As a UX designer, you have tremendous power and influence to implement this methodology in a development environment. We are our users' lawyers and must ensure that everyone understands the users' goals and pains. If no one tells their story – how can we develop excellent products for the ones who will use them?
Now, we can proudly present a design project that CAN solve an actual problem – to make the job search process a bit easier and faster than it is today. For some users, this app will probably increase their chances in the labour market, where they can focus on their skills and personalities when they lack the experience.
Complete project
If you would like to read our complete school assignment,
you can look at it in a PDF-format.