From 7 Interviews to 3 New Product Features
Abhishek Kushwaha
From 7 Interviews to 3 New Product Features
A Jobs To Be Done research study at WisdomCircle
TL;DR
Working alongside WisdomCircle's Head of Product, I designed and led a Jobs To Be Done research study with 7 retired professionals to understand why they were using the platform. The study uncovered 4 core user needs that informed 3 new initiatives: video introductions, curated learning events, and a community platform.
Why perform a Jobs To Be Done study?
WisdomCircle had an active base of senior professionals using the platform, but the team lacked a clear understanding of why they were engaging. Were they just looking for jobs, or was something deeper going on? We needed to move beyond assumptions and surface the real motivations driving usage, so we could make better product decisions.
Team
UX Researcher (me) + Head of Product
Deliverables
Research study design, participant recruitment, interviews, analysis, and stakeholder presentation.
Timeline
8 weeks total: 1 week of research and learning, 1 week of participant shortlisting and interview preparation, and 6 weeks of interviews and analysis.
Shortlisting Participants for the Study
I used FullStory to identify retired professionals who were deeply engaged with the platform, then reviewed individual session recordings to verify each candidate before outreach.
I chose power users over newer users deliberately: new users tend to be agreeable rather than critical, while power users had enough experience to hold strong, honest opinions about the product.
Repeat Applicants
Created a profile and applied to multiple roles
Recently Active
At least one application in the last 3 months
Multi-Device Users
Active on both desktop and mobile when possible
Participant selection criteria
Interview Protocol
I structured the interviews around four areas: professional background, post-retirement mindset, platform usage, and open feedback.
I intentionally started with life context before product questions so participants would frame their usage in terms of personal motivation, not feature opinions. The full protocol is available on WisdomCircle's Medium blog .
Conducting the Interviews
Over the course of 4 weeks, I conducted 7 interviews with shortlisted participants. By the 4th session, recurring themes began emerging, and by the 7th, I had reached thematic saturation.
Observed trend over the course of 7 interviews
Analyzing and Reporting
After each session, I transcribed and documented insights into individual interview reports shared with the product team.
I then worked with the Head of Product to cluster themes through affinity mapping, which surfaced four distinct jobs that consistently appeared across conversations.
Identified four jobs of WisdomCircle
Job 1: Finding Meaningful Post-Retirement Career Opportunities
Users weren't looking for just any work. They wanted roles that aligned with their expertise and made an impact, often valuing purpose over compensation.
"Retirement for me would be to spend my time the way I want to without feeling like a hamster on a wheel which I did for so many years. I don’t want to be doing nothing because all my life I’ve been busy and the thought of sitting in one corner, not being useful, bogs me down. […] I want to be engaged in doing something intellectual."
a Global Marketing Project Manager, 52 years old
Job 2: Overcoming Challenges in Career Transition
Transitioning into post-retirement careers felt overwhelming. Users expected WisdomCircle to guide them through career gaps, identity shifts, and recalibrated expectations.
"When you reach that stage you can see 10 steps ahead and 10 steps behind. When you look back it looks all easy, “I could’ve done that, I could’ve made this change, I could’ve gone here…” but that’s when you’re looking back… it looks simple. When you’re looking forward there are so many challenges."
a Supply Chain & Manager, 52 years old
Job 3: Learning as a Way of Staying Engaged
Beyond work, users wanted to keep learning, not as a means to an end, but as a way to stay curious and mentally active.
"I am always open to new activities, but I should be comfortable doing them. I just ventured into trekking, got a group of friends and I enjoy it."
a Channel Strategies Manager, 62 years old
Job 4: Seeking Community and Peer-Support
Users were looking for spaces to connect with others navigating similar post-retirement journeys, not just for networking but for belonging.
"And you feel you’re the only one who is in this situation. […] You feel a bit lonely over here. And if you can help people who are going through a hard time at this point in life, it would really make a difference. You never know whom you could really help."
a Supply Chain Manager, 52 years old
Impact of this study
I presented the four jobs to WisdomCircle's leadership, which directly shaped new product initiatives.
Community Platform
The desire for peer connection was the most emotionally resonant finding across interviews (Job 4: Community & Peer Support).
This directly motivated the decision to build a dedicated community space for users.
Video Introductions
Many participants described struggling to convey their non-traditional experience through a resume (Job 2: Career Transition).
The team explored ways that let them present themselves on their own terms, which led to 60-second video introductions for recruiters.
Curated Learning Events
The strength of the learning and career transition needs surprised the team (Jobs 2: Career Transition & Job 3: Staying Engaged).
Based on these findings, we began hosting topic-based sessions that addressed both skill-building and professional development.
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Posted Aug 22, 2026
Led a research study with 7 retired professionals that surfaced 4 core jobs and informed three product initiatives (community, video intros, learning events).
