mobile app - edtech
duration
6 months
team
agile startup
Approach
Problem
Aspiring technologists and career changers face challenges in navigating the rapidly evolving tech landscape, with limited access to personalized guidance and inclusive educational resources.
Objective
Help users navigate career paths and successfully transition into tech and digital spaces
Provide personalized guidance and resources tailored to users' individual needs
Foster diversity and inclusion within the tech industry
Proposed Solution
Utilize artificial intelligence to offer personalized career recommendations based on users' skills, interests, and aspirations
Create engaging, self-paced learning resources that cover essential skills and knowledge areas needed in their personalized tech industry
research
Goals:
Understand how to help users successfully navigate their careers
Understand what users experience in the initial stages of their career journey
Understand how to integrate AI in the most human-centric way.
Understand the critical motivators that prompt users to pursue a specific career
user interviews
To gain insights into the needs and challenges of aspiring technologists and career changers, I conducted user interviews with a diverse group of potential Rita ABC users and those that have previous pivoted into a tech career. These interviews focused on understanding their career goals, pain points in accessing tech education, and desired support in navigating the industry.
Phase 1
Outline Questions
Created list of preliminary questions to understand participants' backgrounds and qualifications
Drafted list of 15 in-depth interview questions along with potential follow-up and clarifying questions
Phase 2
Participant Recruitment
Understand user demographics and personas via target audience and secondary research
Recruit externally focusing on background and career diversity
Scheduled sessions via Calendly
Phase 3
Conduct Interviews
Conducted seven (7) interviews using Otter.ai and Lookback to record responses
Each interview lasting between 45 minutes - one hour
user surveys
To complement insights from user interviews, I designed and distributed user surveys to a broader audience of technologists and career changers. The surveys gathered quantitative data on users' tech education backgrounds, learning preferences, and perceived obstacles in entering the industry. This data helped validate key findings and informed platform features that would best support user needs.
Phase 1
Outline Questions
Developed targeted questions to gather quantitative data on users’ career goals, tech education backgrounds, and challenges in entering the industry.
Ensured questions were clear and concise to maximize response rates and capture reliable data.
Phase 2
Segment in Qualtrics
Used branching logic in Qualtrics to tailor survey paths
Show specific questions to users who had already pivoted into tech and others for those exploring a tech career
Phase 3
Participant Recruitment
Targeted outreach to communities focused on tech education and career transitions ensured participation from users who aligned with Rita ABC’s intended audience
Leveraged LinkedIn networks and tech community groups to connect with a diverse pool of participants
analysis
To distill findings from user interviews and surveys, I conducted an affinity mapping exercise to identify recurring themes and user needs. Using these insights, I created a detailed report highlighting key findings and actionable recommendations, which I then presented to the team. This analysis helped align our design approach with user expectations and guided feature prioritization for the platform.
affinity map 1: User interviews
affinity map 2: User SURVEYS
insight report &
team presentation
After analyzing the research findings, I compiled an insights report that highlighted key themes, user needs, and actionable recommendations. This report was tailored for the team, including designers, the product manager, and engineers, ensuring that each member could understand how the insights would inform their respective roles. During the presentation, I emphasized the importance of aligning our design and development efforts with user expectations to create a more effective platform.
some key insights
Lack of Trust
Hesitant to trust AI generated career guidance
Job Insecurity
Concerns of AI's effect on the job market
Personalized Direction
Want for custom learning paths and career recommendations
Community Support
Provided benefits and motivation
Learning & Development Tools
What is useful and what is needed
Progress Guidance
Tracking steps and structuring paths
mvp design
During the design phase of the MVP, I played a crucial role in ensuring that our research findings were effectively integrated into the design decisions. I conducted quality assurance and heuristic evaluations of the wireframes, assessing their usability and alignment with best practices. By providing feedback and recommendations based on our research, I helped the team refine the designs to enhance user experience and ensure they addressed the specific needs of our target audience.