Web app for visual profiling, jobs and upskilling (Professional…
Shubhangar Sidharthan
Skillablers Platform
My Role
UX design
UX research
UI design
Timeline
Overall: 10+ Months
Discovery & Research: 4 Months
Ideating: 2 Months
Prototyping & testing: 4+ Months
Problem
The current job market presents a dual challenge for both job seekers and employers.
For job seekers, the process of showcasing their full potential and finding the perfect job fit is hindered by static resumes, unengaging online profiles, and a lack of personalized career guidance. They often struggle to identify and address the specific skill gaps that prevent them from landing their dream job.
For employers, sifting through stacks of resumes and generic online profiles makes it difficult to identify the ideal candidate who possesses the right combination of skills, experience, and personality. The traditional hiring process is often time-consuming and inefficient, leading to missed opportunities and mismatched hires.
Solution
It started with a simple question: Could we reinvent the resume?
So, we create a platform that revolutionizes the job search and hiring process by providing dynamic, one-screen visual profiles that showcase a user's complete story. It should empower job seekers with personalized skill gap analysis, upskilling and intelligent job matching, connecting them to their ideal careers. For employers, it should streamline candidate discovery, accelerate hiring, and foster meaningful connections with top talent.
"We envision a product that empowers users to showcase their entire story on a single, visually captivating screen. It should be interactive and dynamic, allowing for seamless exploration of the user's details. Additionally, we want to incorporate video capabilities to enhance the overall richness and engagement of the experience."
Interviews
To gain deep insights into user needs and pain points across the job market, I conducted 32 in-depth, 30-minute interviews. These included 23 job seekers at various stages of their careers, 6 company recruiters responsible for filling diverse roles, and 3 university career advisors guiding students into the workforce. This comprehensive research approach provided invaluable perspectives on the challenges faced by each group, shaping the platform's core features and ensuring its relevance to the entire hiring ecosystem.
Classification of interview candidates
Surveys
To complement the qualitative insights gathered from the interviews, I conducted a comprehensive survey that reached 358 participants across job seekers, company recruiters, and university career advisors. This broader data collection approach allowed for a deeper understanding of prevailing trends and preferences within the job market, further informing the platform's design and development.
Affinity Diagram
Empathy Mapping
Personas
Customer Journey
Point of View Graph:
User
Individuals looking to start their career, seeking jobs, or upskill themselves.
Need
To effectively showcase their skills and experience to potential employers.
To find job opportunities that align with their interests, goals, and qualifications.
To access resources and guidance for career development and skill enhancement.
Insight
The job search process can be overwhelming, time-consuming, and frustrating.
Traditional resumes and job boards often fail to capture the unique skills and potential of individuals.
Personalized recommendations and tailored resources are essential for navigating career paths and achieving goals.
User
University career services professionals responsible for guiding and placing students in the workforce.
Need
To streamline and automate campus recruitment processes.
To effectively connect students with relevant job opportunities.
To measure the impact of career services and demonstrate value to students and stakeholders.
Insight
Current recruitment processes are often manual, time-consuming, and lack personalization.
There is a need for better tools to track student engagement and career outcomes.
Universities require data-driven insights to optimize career services and improve student success.
User
HR managers and recruiters tasked with finding and hiring the best talent for their organizations.
Need
To attract and retain top talent efficiently and effectively.
To reduce time-to-hire and cost-per-hire while improving the quality of hires.
To ensure cultural fit and alignment with company values.
Insight
The traditional hiring process is often slow, costly, and prone to mismatches.
Resumes and traditional interviews provide limited insight into a candidate's true potential and fit.
Employers need tools to streamline candidate screening, assess soft skills, and create a positive candidate experience.
How Might We (HMW)
Individuals
HMW create a visually engaging and intuitive platform that simplifies the job search process?
HMW empower individuals to showcase their unique skills and experiences beyond a traditional resume?
HMW personalize job recommendations and career guidance to match individual interests and goals?
HMW facilitate skill development and provide accessible learning resources for career advancement?
HMW create a supportive community where job seekers can connect, share experiences, and learn from each other?
University Recruitment Officers
HMW automate and streamline campus recruitment processes to save time and resources?
HMW effectively match students with relevant job opportunities based on their skills, interests, and career goals?
HMW track and measure student engagement and career outcomes to evaluate the effectiveness of career services?
HMW provide personalized career guidance and support to every student, regardless of their background or major?
HMW build strong partnerships with employers to create targeted internship and job programs for students?
HR Managers
HMW create a more efficient and effective hiring process that reduces time-to-hire and cost-per-hire?
HMW attract and assess top talent beyond the traditional resume and interview format?
HMW evaluate candidates' soft skills, cultural fit, and potential for growth?
HMW build a strong employer brand that resonates with diverse candidates and promotes a positive candidate experience?
HMW leverage data and analytics to make informed hiring decisions and continuously improve recruitment strategies?
How-Wow-Now
Branding
Business Model
To maximize user acquisition and engagement, a freemium model was adopted for individual job seekers. This model offers core features for free, while premium options like advanced job matching, personalized skill gap analysis, and in-depth career guidance are available through a tiered subscription.
Pricing for universities and companies will be customized based on their specific needs and volume of users, ensuring a flexible and tailored approach that delivers maximum value.
Sketches
Initial sketches addressed the challenge of showcasing a comprehensive career history within a single screen. I explored different layouts, information hierarchy, and visual metaphors to present a clear and compelling narrative of the user's professional journey.
Initial sketch of the visual profile
Idea Mockup
Final Design
The final design of a visual and interactive resume for individuals came out as shown below:
Why Widgets?
User Experience
Clear Organization: Widgets create distinct sections, making it easy for users to quickly find and digest information. This is especially important for a resume, where information is often dense.
Visual Hierarchy: Widgets allow you to prioritize certain information over others, guiding the user's eye to the most important details.
Scannability: In today's fast-paced world, users often scan content rather than read it thoroughly. Widgets facilitate this by presenting information in bite-sized chunks.
Interactivity: Widgets can be designed to be interactive, allowing users to click, expand, or hover over elements to reveal more details.
Development
Modularity: Widgets are essentially self-contained components, making them easier to develop, test, and maintain.
Responsiveness: Because they are self-contained, widgets can be easily adapted to different screen sizes and devices, ensuring a consistent experience across platforms.
Reusability: Widgets can be repurposed across different pages or sections of your application, saving development time and effort.
Dark vs Light
Initial user testing revealed that the dark theme, while visually striking, presented challenges for some users in terms of readability and accessibility. To address this feedback, we developed a light theme alternative. This light theme maintained the same widget-based structure, visual hierarchy, and interactive elements, while providing a brighter and more accessible experience for a wider range of users.
Responsive Design
In addition to visual design, I developed a comprehensive responsive design system for the platform. This ensured optimal user experience across various devices – desktops, tablets, and mobile phones. The widget-based design proved instrumental in achieving this, allowing individual components to seamlessly adapt and rearrange themselves for different screen sizes. This not only enhanced usability but also contributed to a consistent brand experience across platforms.
Usability Testing
To validate design decisions and gather feedback, I conducted usability testing sessions with 3 representatives from each user group. These sessions involved task-based scenarios, observation, and post-test interviews to uncover pain points, identify areas for improvement, and refine the platform's user interface and functionality. The findings are as follows:
Positive Feedback:
Visual Appeal: Users find the interactive, visual resume format more engaging and memorable than traditional resumes.
Ease of Use: The platform is intuitive and easy to navigate, even for those who are not tech-savvy.
Personalized Recommendations: Users appreciate the tailored job recommendations and career guidance, feeling it saves them time and effort.
Skill Gap Analysis: The feature helps users identify areas for improvement and discover relevant learning resources.
Streamlined Application Process: Users find the one-click application and communication tools convenient and efficient.
Constructive Feedback:
Learning Curve: Some users may need initial guidance on how to best utilize all the platform's features.
Information Overload: Too much information or too many options can overwhelm some users.
Customization: Users may want more control over the visual appearance and layout of their profile.
Mobile Experience: The mobile version of the platform may need further optimization for smaller screens.
Specific Issues:
Technical glitches: Bugs, slow loading times, or errors have disrupted the user experience.
Confusing Navigation: Some users found it difficult to find specific information or complete certain tasks.
Unrealistic Expectations: Some users expected the platform to do more than it is capable of (e.g., guarantee a job offer).
Privacy Concerns: Some users were hesitant to share personal information or connect their social media accounts.
Next Steps
With the platform launched and gaining traction, the next steps are focused on growth, refinement, and ensuring long-term success. Here's a breakdown of potential next steps:
1. Monitor and Analyze User Data:
Track Key Metrics: Monitor user engagement, retention, conversion rates, and other relevant KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
Gather Feedback: Conduct surveys, interviews, and focus groups to gather qualitative feedback on user experience and satisfaction.
Analyze Data: Identify patterns, trends, and areas for improvement based on both quantitative and qualitative data.
2. Refine and Enhance the Platform:
Address Usability Issues: Fix any bugs or glitches reported by users.
Optimize Performance: Improve page load times and overall speed for a smoother user experience.
Enhance Features: Add new features and functionalities based on user feedback and evolving market needs.
Personalize Further: Develop more sophisticated algorithms for personalized job recommendations and skill gap analysis.
3. Expand Marketing and Outreach:
Content Marketing: Create blog posts, articles, and social media content to educate and attract potential users.
Public Relations: Involve with users on social media platforms and stay active.
Referral Programs: Encourage users to refer friends and colleagues to the platform.
4. Build a Strong Community:
Forums and Groups: Create online spaces for users to connect, share experiences, and support each other.
Events and Webinars: Host virtual events focused on career development, industry trends, and skill-building.
Mentorship Programs: Connect experienced professionals with those seeking guidance and support.
User-Generated Content: Encourage users to share their success stories and testimonials.
5. Monetization and Sustainability:
Optimize Pricing Model: Experiment with different pricing tiers and features to find the optimal balance between revenue and user acquisition.
Explore New Revenue Streams: Consider additional monetization options like premium job postings, employer branding packages, or targeted advertising.
6. Innovation and Future Growth:
Stay Ahead of Trends: Monitor industry trends and emerging technologies to ensure the platform remains relevant and competitive.
Experiment with New Technologies: Explore the potential of AI, AR, and other cutting-edge technologies to enhance the user experience.
Expand to New Markets: Consider expanding to new geographic regions or industry verticals to increase reach and impact.
Learnings
The synthesis of in-depth research through user interviews, surveys, empathy mapping, and iterative design prototyping, coupled with rigorous usability testing, has revealed key insights that effectively address the following questions:
How can we revolutionize the job search experience for individuals seeking new opportunities or career advancement?
What strategies can be employed to streamline and optimize the hiring process for employers and recruiters?
How can technology be leveraged to enhance the connection between job seekers, educational institutions, and potential employers?
Our findings underscore that a user-centric, visually engaging platform, enriched with personalized job recommendations and targeted skill development resources, significantly improves the job search experience. We discovered that a simplified, streamlined application process increases efficiency for both job seekers and hiring managers, while the integration of our algorithms streamlines candidate matching and skill assessment, leading to more informed hiring decisions.
In conclusion, our project demonstrates that a holistic approach, combining user-centric design, technological innovation, and data-driven insights, can transform the landscape of job search and recruitment, leading to more fulfilling career paths for individuals and more efficient hiring practices for organizations.
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Posted Aug 18, 2024
Skillablers is a patented visual profiling platform connecting Individuals with Industry-curated courses and access to jobs across various industries.
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