A personalized approach to skill development
Product design
Overview
My team aimed to create a feature empowering users, especially those without access to dedicated career counselors, to independently reach their career goals. Through onboarding information (such as their current status e.g., student, employed), and the selection of their goals, the feature generates a personalized plan. This plan guides users with a series of tasks, helping them navigate the most relevant features of the application and achieve their goals efficiently.
Challenge
The primary challenge was the underlying complexity of the product, serving a diverse range of users, from recent high school graduates exploring career options to job seekers overcoming barriers to enter the market. Another challenge was ensuring the feature catered to both new and existing users who may have already completed some of the tasks in the plan. These factors made it challenging to create adaptable career plans that would provide seamless support across different scenarios.
Outcome
Despite the complexity, we delivered a robust solution over a tight two-month timeline (including development), working closely with a cross-functional team. The feature was successfully launched, providing users with personalized career plans and tasks that cater to their specific needs and goals.
Company
SkillLab
Year
2024
Field
UX research • Product design
Role
Lead Product Designer
Understand the context
To create an effective career plan, my team leveraged the Career Development Framework and Tools developed by Harvard and analyzed the comparative study, conducted by our marketing analysts, of national career guidance platforms.
The platforms were evaluated across four key dimensions of career development:
• Reflect to help users explore their strengths and interests.
• Explore to allow users to investigate career opportunities.
• Develop to help users enhance their skills and experiences.
• Connect to link users with advisors, employers, and education opportunities.
Additionally, we conducted workshops and interviews with stakeholders to further understand the goals and expectations of the feature.
Understand the context
To create an effective career plan, my team leveraged the Career Development Framework and Tools developed by Harvard and analyzed the comparative study, conducted by our marketing analysts, of national career guidance platforms.
The platforms were evaluated across four key dimensions of career development:
• Reflect to help users explore their strengths and interests.
• Explore to allow users to investigate career opportunities.
• Develop to help users enhance their skills and experiences.
• Connect to link users with advisors, employers, and education opportunities.
Additionally, we conducted workshops and interviews with stakeholders to further understand the goals and expectations of the feature.
Identify the requirements
My team defined the audience through eight archetypes, representing the different user segments, such as career explorers and mentorship seekers. This ensured the feature would be customizable for each group. Through research and analysis, we created a set of different career plans, with a comprehensive list of tasks, tailored to each user archetype. These plans were then integrated into the framework, ensuring a thorough and adaptable structure for various user needs.
Design the solution
First we defined the task list. The management of this list was complicated by the numerous variants that needed to be considered.
The design process focused on how users would set up, interact with, and visualize their career plans and tasks. Frequent updates with the product team and developers ensured alignment with technical requirements, given the tight deadlines.
Test and Evaluate
While designing, we conducted small user tests to assess the discoverability and clarity of tasks, while also working closely with the QA team to ensure everything functioned as intended. Given the integration of the feature with other app components, we decided to conduct thorough testing only after development, working with different user groups to evaluate the entire system.
Iterate and Deliver
We broke the delivery process into phases to maintain a consistent workflow for the development team. Post-delivery, we gathered feedback from users and created a stream of tickets to update and improve the feature. These updates were prioritized based on urgency to ensure a smooth user experience.
Impact
The Career Plan significantly boosted user engagement and profile completion rates. By offering a personalized set of tasks aligned with users' career goals, the feature guided them through the app’s most relevant tools, streamlining their experience. Metrics showed a marked increase in completed profiles, especially among those who had no prior access to career counselors. This feature underscored our commitment to providing adaptable, user-centric solutions that empower individuals across diverse backgrounds.