This website [specific names and references redacted or omitted for NDA compliance] is a project that I am still really proud to have worked on. In many ways it’s like many other professional development sites but is unique in the way it prioritizes meeting users/job-seekers where they are. The site was intended to be an empathetic career-finding tool that could suit the needs of different demographics but especially those hit hardest by Covid: service workers, stay-at-home mothers, public-facing workers, and parents. It was carefully designed to help its users identify transferable skills as they made career changes.
Research Objectives:
After the initial launch of the site, participants often abandoned the site before completing onboarding. For this research project, the goal was to Identify the needs/pain-points of different user segments going through onboarding on the site. Segments included users changing careers, advancing in their careers, returning to their careers after hiatus or furlough, and beginning their careers (students). The hope was that we could make onboarding more accessible and adaptive to different types of users so it felt relevant and useful and increased conversion.
Methods/Demographic
moderated usability tests with prototype
Recruitment and vetting through Userinterviews.com
Mixed genders
Participants with characteristics mirroring each of the four flows : (3)changers, (3)advancers, (3)rookies, (3) returners
Individuals representing/entering roles most popular on the site already
Individuals representing industries/role most affected by Covid
Mixed regions in the US
Pulled from industries most popular right now/most affected by covid/most popular on the site
Covid-hit arenas: Restaurant, hospitality, travel agencies, building admin, etc
Site’s popular roles - executive assistant, customer service, project manager
Challenges
Employment, salary, and education levels can be sensitive subjects but were necessary to understand and complete the onboarding process/UX. A key factor in the research planning and interview script was making sure participants felt comfortable with the information they were sharing and did not feel shamed or judged. Additionally, research objectives called for investigating interest in eco-friendly industries. Participants were sometimes uncomfortable or hesitant discussing their ideas about the environment as it is a politicized issue and can be a marker of class status. Thus, it was important to frame questions about “green” behaviors and beliefs in a way that was neutral and non-judgmental.
Key Findings
Participants expectations are informed by mental models developed through experiences on LinkedIn and Monster
Words like “role” and particular questions led participants to believe that the site was job-listings focused while others believed it was a skill development-platform, depending on what screens they encountered and their own interests.
Most people appreciated that tone of the site - friendly, inviting, casual, doesn’t make you feel bad , straightforward and to the point were said often, less intimidating was mentioned often
For most participants, their chosen onboarding flow and its corresponding questions felt appropriate, however there were a few requests for customization:
2/3 students expressed internships as a priority / one part specifically expressed interest in internship option being added
One participant, who chose the changer flow, wanted an an option in the middle of starting a career but already working. He had been working odd jobs but was ready to commit to something longterm.
Another participant , who chose the advancer flow, was more interested in staying up to date and competitive in his current role:
Several participants mentioned working remote was something they considered, two wanted the option to look for that specifically
Several participants mentioned they wanted to be asked about relocation specifically either because they weren’t interested in relocating and found dashboard stats relating to various locations uninteresting or because they were interested in relocating and wanted to see stats in a particular area other than where they lived.
Laborers and wage-workers may relate less to the term “career”
People assume that the rejoined option is for people who want to re enter their previous field as opposed to come back to working in a different field
People often capitalized off of multiple skills at one time and had multiple sources of income
Many participants expressed fear of missing out on opportunities because they clicked the wrong option or entered the wrong information; The participant who had the least questions/confusion throughout the flow had assumed she could go back and edit her inputs.
For young wage workers, sharing salary expectations may be intimidating.
Out of the 5 young people (ages 19-28) who were asked if they were interested in training for working in green or sustainable industries, 3 responded positively, but few could name specific industries
Experienced skilled workers seem to value industry-specific skills over those that are more transferrable; while laborers and wage-workers appreciate more transferable skills.