Introduction
The product
Lotus is a responsive website that offers free career coaching to new college graduates looking for new job opportunities.
Project duration
September 2023 to October 2023
The problem
Many fresh college graduates struggle with getting new job opportunities & feel that they have inadequate guidance on how to do it.
My role
UX Designer designing a responsive website for Lotus from conception to delivery for a Google UX Design course project.
My duties
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
Tools and Methods
Figma, User personas, User stories, User journey maps, Affinity diagrams, Site maps, User interviews, Competitive audit, Usability tests.
UX Design Process
I used these steps to complete this design project:
1. Empathize
• Understand the user.
• Conduct user interviews.
• Create user personas, user stories, user journey maps.
• Conduct competitive audit.
2. Define
• Create the problem statement.
3. Ideate
• Come up with ideas for design solutions - Crazy eights, Paper wireframes, Digital wireframes.
4. Prototype
• Create lo-fi prototype or hi-fi prototype, depending on the maturity of the product.
• For the hi-fi prototype, I create the mockups first.
5. Test
• Test lo-fi prototype or hi-fi prototype.
• Record user feedback & observations from usability tests.
• Create affinity diagram.
• Extract insights form usability test.
• Refine designs.
6. Launch
• Launch the product - This stage was skipped because this was a design project done as part of the Google UX Design course.
User research
Research methods used
I conducted user interviews and created user personas, user stories & user journey maps to understand the users I was designing for and their needs. I also conducted a competitive audit.
Learnings from research
User research
The users for this project were new college graduates according to the design prompt for this course project.
The user groups identified through research were:
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New college graduates who need a dedicated mobile app to guide them on how to find new jobs. The research also showed that this was the main user group. Most new college graduates use their mobile phones more than any other device.
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New college graduates who need a responsive website to guide them on how to find jobs.
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New college graduates from low-income backgrounds who need an affordable online platform that gives guidance on how to find new jobs.
The user research revealed that users felt they had inadequate guidance on how to get jobs as fresh graduates as most employers only want experienced workers. The research showed that college graduates had different goals for seeking career coaching, not just getting jobs. Some wanted guidance on self-employment & handling taxes as a working professional. Other user problems included needing an affordable platform that was accessible offline when they could not afford internet bundles.
Persona 1: Gina
Problem statement
Gina is new college graduate with no experience who needs career coaching conveniently on a mobile app because she needs steady pay.
Persona 2: Jack
Problem statement
Jack is new college graduate on the go who needs career coaching on a responsive website because he needs access to advice on how to get new jobs on any device.
Persona 3: David
Problem statement
David is new college graduate from a low-income background who needs career coaching on an affordable online platform because he needs access to advice on how to get new jobs in a financially sustainable way.
Competitive audit
The audit revealed there were no online platforms specifically dedicated to providing career coaching to new college graduates. It also revealed that some of them did not have a responsive website that can be used on multiple devices, some only had mobile apps.
Research Influence on design
I decided to first design a mobile app giving career coaching services to new college graduates as most users use their mobile phones the most. Then, I proceeded to design a responsive website for the same product as there are users who use other devices like tablets & desktops. I made sure to provide a diverse range of services catering to the problems users expressed in the user interviews, including help on taxes & self-employment. In terms of making the platform affordable, I added an offline mode feature. I also added options to book a session when users cannot afford internet connection i.e. booking by call or text.
Define the problem
From the research above, I was able to clearly define the problem statements for this project. I broke them down according to user groups.
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Gina is new college graduate with no experience who needs career coaching conveniently on a mobile app because she needs steady pay.
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Jack is new college graduate on the go who needs career coaching on a responsive website because he needs access to advice on how to get new jobs on any device.
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David is new college graduate from a low-income background who needs career coaching on an affordable online platform because he needs access to advice on how to get new jobs in a financially sustainable way.
Ideation
I started with ideating for the mobile app first as most users use their mobile phones most often. I then ideated for the tablet & desktop designs.
Crazy eights
I did a quick ideation exercise using Crazy Eights.
Wireframes
I then created paper wireframes to advance the design ideas from the Crazy Eights.
Paper wireframes examples - Mobile app
I then transformed the paper wireframes into digital wireframes.
Digital wireframes examples - Mobile app
I proceeded to create designs for the tablet & desktop websites to ensure a responsive platform for the users. I started by creating sitemaps to guide me on the architecture of the scaled-up sites.
Sitemap - Tablet Website
Sitemap - Desktop Website
Digital wireframes example - Tablet Website
Digital wireframes example - Desktop Website
Mockups
I created mockups for the career coaching platform to guide the design of the high fidelity prototypes. I started with the mobile app, then proceeded with the tablet & desktop mockups.
Mockups - Mobile App Main Userflow
Mockups - Tablet & Desktop Home Pages
Usability tests details
Test & Iteration
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I conducted a moderated usability tests for the lo-fi & hi-fi prototypes.
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The location was in Nairobi & in-person.
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There were 5 participants.
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The length of each session was about 20 minutes.
Usability Tests
Findings Lo-Fi Usability Test
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Need for clear “Book session” button: Users had some difficulty seeing the Book session button.
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Need for a blog: Users need a blog giving career tips that they can access at their own time.
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Need for social media contacts: Users need social media contacts to connect more with the company & for social proof.
Findings Hi-Fi Usability Test
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Recommended jobs: Users need access to a list of jobs targeted to new college graduates on the app.
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Option to review bookings: Users need a bookings history page to review their appointment details.
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Career tips in video form: Users want a videos page to get career tips in a content form that they prefer.
Iterations Based on Usability Tests
I will focus on the findings that influence the main function of the Lotus platform which is to give career coaching sessions.
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I made the “Book session” button clearer. I also removed the hero image as it was too big for the space & distracting from the “Book session” button.
Before usability tests
After usability tests
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I created a My Bookings page & an "Edit booking" button under each booking.
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I created blog & videos page for users to get career tips that they can access at their own time.
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I created a Jobs Board page with a list of recommended jobs targeted specifically to recent graduates.
Before usability tests
After usability tests
No recommended list of jobs available for users.
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On my own initiative, I decided to add a"Set as recurring booking" toggle switch button to give users the ability to easily schedule the same session again to enhance the user experience.
Before
After
Learnings
Impact
The Lotus responsive website helps fresh college graduates get jobs & steady pay to change their lives. The website shows the importance of providing specialized career coaching that works for recent graduates. The website also helps college graduates maintain long-term career & financial success.
What I learned
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I learnt that accessibility extends to designing for different economic backgrounds. Therefore, for college graduates from low-income backgrounds, I added an offline mode feature & an option to book a session by call or text.
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I completed free video tutorials to learn how to create interactive dropdown menus in Figma.
Next steps
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Conduct research on how useful the responsive site is in helping new college graduates find jobs.
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Conduct more user research to determine any new areas of need.
Let’s connect!
Thank you for taking the time to review my work on the Lotus Career Coaching Responsive Website!
If you’d like to see more or get in touch, my contact information is provided below.
Email: lindaaotieno@gmail.com