pivot
Career advice and support from verified experts you can trust.
uncomplicating career & job help
Pivot takes the intimidation, run around, and confusion out of figuring out work life and how to navigate the ups and downs by connecting users with verified career experts in numerous fields and disciplines to answer questions and provide guidance and compelling dynamic content.
Giving users access to level up their careers with credible, accessible, and personalized guidance and support. Because everyone should have access to affordable, credible, and inclusive resources to elevate themselves and their future.
PROJECT: Creating a mobile application that connects users with experts.
ROLE: Product Design, UX/UI, and UXR
DURATION: 12 Months
TOOLS: Figma, Zeplin, Optimal Sort, Invision, & Usability Hub
preview the solution
Personalized account
Easy search
Quick connect with an expert
The Beginning of a long confusing journey
From a young age, we get asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” As we get older that question becomes structured a little differently, “What kind of work do you do? What field are you going into?,” and the answer to that question becomes more complex.
We’ve all spent time at some point in our lives endlessly searching the internet for answers to job and career questions.
What is lacking in the quest for what we want to be are answers and guidance on how to get there, how to handle tough situations along the way, or where to go when we feel lost. Between starting careers, changing careers, searching for a new job, or navigating challenges in the job you already have often there are more questions than accessible answers.
Eventually, you find your way onto someone’s blog or a random website where it somewhat addresses your question, but it’s not relevant because your situation is different. Can you trust them? Are they a bot or a self-dubbed “expert?”
300
Job-related Google searches are conducted every month.
13
Of the average person's (more than likely you) life is spent at work.
51
Of workers actively looking for or open to the idea of a new job
why not just hire a professional?
Access
Many work on a referral basis through networking- if you don’t have an “in” you won’t get in with any of the top coaches.
Scammers
Hard to verify credentials other than social proof. There isn't any education or certification required to practice.
Cost
Price per hour can range from upwards of $250 to $500. Making this an extremely unaffordable option for most people.
narrowing it down
- Difficulty finding credible advice and guidance for career and job questions.
- Career sites and apps are generic and lack clear focus areas.
- Information isn't relevant to more specific situations and industries.
- Qualified career coaches and resume writers are costly and hard to find.
- An app where users are able to quickly and easily connect with the most qualified person(s) to answer their specific career and job-related questions.
- Users building a base profile of past experiences, relevant milestones, and education providing a personalized match with the best expert to help.
- Eliminate "one size fits all" career advice.
- Verify experts to build credibility and trust with users.
a winning plan
Competitive Analysis
User Interviews
Data Analysis
Problem Statement
User Personas
User Journey Maps
User Task Flows
Site Map
Card Sorting
Sketching Wireframes
Low Fidelity
Mid Fidelity Prototypes
User Testing
A/B Preference Testing
Design System
Style Guide
High Fidelity Prototype
discover
lacking focus, expensive & over hyped
Having a background in marketing, I've conducted many SWOT analyses. A main focus to understanding the competition was completing a UX Features & Functionality Analysis which gave me direct insight into the user experience on each platform- both good and bad.
what do my users need?
Compiling all the feedback and data there were four clear themes and insights. Knowing these will shape the development of my designed solution.
Give users options to choose which expert they want to connect with, when, and how. Give users control of their experience.
Show the Expert’s work history, reviews, and any additional “proof” that they are a trusted source. Also that the app verifies the credentials.
Ongoing content in both video and text for users to passively consume about general careers, job info, and changes in the world of work overall.
Use simple friendly language and tone. Stay away from using hyperbolic words and statements. Use a friendly conversational approach.
meeting the users
Having conducted countless interviews in my previous positions, this was a comfortable task for me. Being able to hear directly from users provided valuable insights and a guiding voice which made my design decisions.
User's behaviors, attitudes, frustrations, needs, and goals regarding job and career-related issues and questions.
What websites or apps (if any) they are currently using when they have job and career-related questions.
How often they find themselves searching for career advice online.
If users would feel comfortable interacting with someone that matched their specific needs to get a direct answer to questions.
If users engage with career-related content to stay up-to-date on issues and trends. Also, to determine what kind of content and medium they prefer.
Themes & insights revealed
After user interviews, I pulled out notable quotes and interactions creating an affinity diagram, having turned these puzzle pieces into groupings that created a clear picture of themes and insights.
pain points revealed
standout statements
- Regarding working with a career coach or resume writer.
- Regarding the frequency of searching online for questions.
-Regarding where they find answers to career questions.
DEFINE
turning the data into design direction
Initially, I thought by users creating a fully-fledged user profile it would enable them to connect with experts faster to receive better support. After talking to users, the focus is on the credibility of experts being able to see their full qualifications, work, and where users want to go in the future. Users don’t have a full idea of what they want to do. Asking users to upload and create a full profile of career information is contradictory to them trying to receive that information and guidance on how to do it- this would create user confusion and stress.
Creating a simple account/starting process, and focusing on Expert profile details to establish credibility will give users less stress when starting to interact, feel that it’s more inviting, and give them information to feel confident about who they choose to interact with and how- whether via chat or video chat. This way the expert can talk them through what, if any kind of documents (e.g. resumes, cover letters, portfolios) should look like.
"How Might We..."
- How might we design an app to quickly connect users to experts to answer their career and job questions?
- How might we show our users that they're interacting with a trusted source?
- How might we design an app that is friendly and inviting for those without any extensive work history?
what do my users need?
Compiling all the feedback and data there were four clear themes and insights. Knowing these will shape the development of my designed solution.
An app that is focused on career information and services. Users noted being frustrated bouncing around various websites and apps.
Users felt intimidated interacting with some career-focused apps because they don’t feel inviting to those with limited career experience.
All users cited the importance of knowing that they are speaking to/following the guidance of someone that has proven to be a credible source.
Users noted willingness to pay for a service that would ensure they're working with credible sources as long as it was straightforward and affordable
Creating the persona
Now, having an understanding of user's behaviors, motivations, and goals based on the data collected; I created two primary personas and a secondary persona. These personas will keep my users at the top of my mind when I’m making design and functionality decisions ensuring solutions to their pain points and achievement of user goals.
Brad uses the app passively, primarily for the diverse content, and will only need to connect directly with someone on rare occasions. He will benefit from the designs geared toward the primary personas.
Ideate
the journey to users achieving goals
Creating user journey maps gave me a visual of the steps users would take to achieve their goals, and how they would feel along the way.
seeing how the users will move
Big picture view of the steps users would take to achieve a desired task. This would help ensure that each step is made clear and free of friction for the users.
Card sorting to get the site map right
The site map was adjusted after a round of card sorting was conducted. It was identified that users needed clearer identification of what expert profiles contained.
PROTOTYPE
low-fidelity sketching initial ideas
Putting my research to work, I started sketching out wireframes to map out how my users would achieve their goals using the app. Armed with a pen, paper, and my iPad, I was able to narrow down some good design ideas to run with.
Wireframes & Prototype
In Figma, I created mid-fidelity wireframes to add more weight to the skeleton of the app created during the sketching process.
high - fidelity prototyping
In Figma, I created high-fidelity wireframes and a prototype to add more details and clarity in preparation for user testing.
test
putting designs to the test
After undergoing several rounds of iterations and building up the design from a basic sketch concept to a workable high-fidelity prototype, it's time to put it in the hands of users and see how well it's working and what changes need to be made in the next iterations.
6 Sessions
-Conducted Remotely
-Session Length: 15-25 Minutes
6 Participants
-5 Females
-1 Male
-Ages 25-43
105 Insights
-Actions Observed
-Comments Heard
-Body Language Witnessed
4 Tools
-Zoom
-Laptop & Desktop
-Figma
what is this supposed to do?
The 911s identified from user testing pinpointed where the design failed- lack of hierarchy, no clear CTA, and missing icon labels.
too long & confusing
It's clear that the process of setting a time to connect with an expert is overly complicated and has too many steps.
a trustworthy smile
Users overwhelmingly selected Screen B. Noting that seeing a real person with a smile instead of a "cartoon" feels more trustworthy and reassuring.
refine
Behind the scenes- pulling it all together
style guide
Building the visual foundation and components that would be used to create high-fidelity design iterations based on user testing results.
- Colors evoke trust, happiness, and calm emotions.
- All colors were screened to ensure that use throughout the design was accessible and passed WCAG standards.
- I chose Inter to be the global typeface because of its legibility in user interfaces.
a name change & the Onboarding experience
Although initially naming the app, "My Mentor," after user testing I decided to change the name to "Pivot". Reflecting on the premise of the app and the multifaceted needs of my users- this is a platform, not a specific expert/mentor and users can interact with many at the same time.
Represents The Goal Users Are Trying To Accomplish
"Pivot" to a better job or career. "Pivot" towards better decision-making and more knowledge.
friendly lighthearted tone
users can see how to interact with the app
clean & clear profiles & navigation
During user testing, it was revealed that it wasn't clear what users should do first to connect with an expert. Using only a primary and secondary button, along with a slider created a hierarchy and clarity on which actions users can take. Adding labels underneath icons in the bottom navigation clarifies each action.
Clear CTA
"Work with Me"
Expert Credentials
Easy to see work experience, reviews, and content they have posted. Giving users a quick insight to see if this could be a good fit for them to work with.
Bottom Navigation Upgrade
Labels were added underneath the icons to reduce the cognitive load on users and eliminate any confusion.
Calendar Added
User testing revealed that users wanted and expected a calendar feature to see what they have scheduled.
smooth Connection & Scheduling
Giving users control of how and when they interact with experts is crucial. Through initial screen prompts, users can easily decide what's best for them.
Clear Options
Message or Video Chat
easy direct connect
Tap "Connect Now"
smooth scheduling
Easily set up a time to connect for a video chat appointment in one screen.
Easily search & discover
User testing revealed a 50/50 split between users who used the quick search at the top, and those who used the search from the bottom navigation.
quick search bar at the top
Easy access.
search page offers more
Users can see what's recommended for them and what's trending on the app.
Informational Results
View a quick summary of each expert's area of specialty and filter results if desired.
all screens
What I learned & takeaways
What's trendy in the design world doesn't always resonate with users- ESPECIALLY when it comes to using illustrations.
Comes in many forms- from user testing to teammates & stakeholders. It doesn't take a huge pool of people to gain valuable insights
There isn't one tool that is "king." Figma does come close. New tools are always popping up and it's a lot of fun learning new ones!
Seeing how users interact with the design is always cool and insightful. It's refreshing looking at the design with fresh eyes again after user testing.
next steps
I'd like to explore using a goal-setting feature. If users are looking to improve interview skills- map out the plan and tasks to do to achieve it. Enabling users to see their progress in real-time.
Utilizing gamification elements with the goal-setting feature to make it engaging and incentive-based for users.
After each interaction with an expert, send users a summary of what was discussed and any plans of action. Users can then easily reflect back on conversations and meetings regardless of how long ago they occurred. This would also ensure users don't miss out on information if they forgot to write it down.