The Product
An App designed to connect new immigrants, entering Canada, to resources, employers, companies and opportunities so that they can build their resumes, complete tasks/assignments posted by employers in order to highlight themselves in front of those companies
.jpg)
The Problem
New immigrants struggle with finding a job due to no experience to display, most complain that they would like to get experience in a much simpler way than do a Co-op or internship
.jpg)
The Goal
Design an app that will allow new immigrants to complete tasks, assignments for employers and companies as per need, while using that work towards their Resume to build experience
My Process
Empathizing with Users
Defining the Problem
Designing for problem
Refining for equity
User Research Summary
I conducted interviews, surveys and created a competitive audit to understand the users I’m designing for and their needs. A primary user group identified through research was new immigrants between the age of 19 and 25 from Countries like India, Egypt, Sri-lanka, Philippines. Another user group identified was Startup Company Owners, Founders, Entrepreneurs between the ages 25 and 40.
The selected user groups confirmed initial assumptions about a need for such a solution, but research also revealed that most employers are looking to connect with applications with more authenticity rather than just looking at their Resumes, Social Media profiles. They expect to look at some real work, and what is better than getting applicants to take on some work as assignments or tasks to display their real work.
User Research-Pain points
User Persona-1
Age:
Education:
Hometown:
Family:
Occupation:
22
Bachelor's Degree in Business
Mumbai, India
Single
Unemployed
“Work experience is important, but you can't get something new, without trying the new”
Goals
-
Be able to easily get a job to manage inflating expenses
-
Be able to eat healthy, find a good job where i can grow
-
Be able to survive in Canada and strive like i expected when immigrating
-
Be able to display my work and talents easily
Frustrations
-
Where do i get work experience from, if no one gives me a job without it
-
Why can't employers try us out in some way?
-
Where do I get followers on linkedIn from to show my authority to good employers?
-
How do I get employers to try me out?
Aarav is an immigrant who moved to Canada to find his dream job, he is a recent graduate from a Canadian University and has been applying to various jobs related to Business Development and Marketing, but most employers require atleast 1-2 years of experience. Aarav is frustrated at this and would somehow like the employers to test him out so they can see his real value. Aarav’s goal is find a decent job that can help him achieve his dreams.
User Persona-2
Age:
Education:
Hometown:
Family:
Occupation:
30
Masters in Sciences
Burnaby, BC
Married, no kids
Founder, Techno.com
“New Talents can bring creativity, but what about the risks associated?”
Goals
-
Be able to easily find new talent
-
Be able to inspect new talent and their work without commitment
-
Want to support Immigrants as they bring their culture and ways
Frustrations
-
Why can't I first evaluate the work before hiring?
-
Training and onboarding costs can go through the roof
-
Why hire new talent only to feel disappointed with the work
-
How can I try out different employees and then make a decision?
Mohsin is a Founder of a company in Canada, and also works another job as he just started his company. He wants to hire innovative, creative talent for his new company but hates going through hoops, posting jobs, only to find talent that either is asking too much in salary, or does not bring the right talent to the job. Mohsin would like to give out work in smaller assignments to get his work done while also try out employees or test them before he can sure to hire them for a full time job.
Ideation
How might we?
1.
authentically connect employers with new graduates or students that have no previous experience
2.
build confidence in employers and immigrants using real work from employers
3.
get employers to benefit with completed company tasks, while testing a potential future employee’s skills
Sitemap
Usability Study
Parameters
Study type
Unmoderated
Location
Canada, Remote
Participants
5
Length
45 minutes
Findings
Easy to Search
Users wanted to be able to search assignments and jobs based on locations
Review Submissions
Users want an alert once submission was made and accepted by the employer. Employers wanted to also get alerted for only completed submissions
Following process
Users want an easy process with employers for Assignments, while employers want to protect sensitive information by getting an NDA signed before
Final Mockups after Usability Tests
Takeaways
Impact:
This app connects new immigrants or job applicants to real employers allowing them to gain experience through task or assignment completion. Allowing users to view, complete assignments, look at potential job candidates, help employers get more creative and multiple ways to complete tasks or projects.
What I Learned:
While designing OutGrow, I learned that a continuous follow up from users, peers and friends is required to refine any app. Usability studies, friends and peer reviews helped improve the app overall.
Next Steps
1.
Improve designs to make them more accessible to more users and conduct another usability test to achieve this.
2.
Include Alerts and submission confirmation for both employers and applicants