Career Compass
Project Overview
Problem
Undergraduate students at the University of Michigan face challenges in navigating career development resources, including job searching, interview preparation, and professional networking. While multiple career support services exist across different schools, students experience varying levels of accessibility and effectiveness. Through qualitative analysis of interview transcripts, this project aims to identify key user needs and break points in the current career support system. Insights from this research will inform the development of a final project that enhances career guidance and support for undergraduate students.
Roles
UX Design, UI/Visual Design, Information Architecture
Methods
Wire-framing, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Need Identification
We reviewed transcripts from interviews conducted with seven undergraduate students across different schools and majors. These students shared their experiences with job searching, career center interactions, and resource accessibility. Using affinity diagramming, we categorized their responses into themes, highlighting common pain points and opportunities for improvement.
User Needs
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Personalized Career Guidance: Students expressed the need for more tailored career advice that aligns with their unique backgrounds, majors, and job interests.
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Streamlined Resource Navigation: Students often struggle to find and utilize the right career resources due to scattered and inconsistent information across different career offices.
Pain Points
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Limited Cross-School Collaboration: Career services vary significantly across schools, leading to uneven support for students.
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Insufficient Interview Prep Resources: While some schools offer industry-specific interview prep, most students reported difficulty in accessing effective mock interview sessions tailored to their fields.
Ideation
Brainstorming Possible Solutions
To begin visualizing possible solutions, we created a number of storyboards, each illustrating a unique approach to solving the defined problem.
Each storyboard showcased a scenario with a persona, the proposed solution, and the outcome.
To validate our ideas, we designed storyboards that tackled both identified user needs, allowing us to compare which solution resonated more with target users. Each storyboard was accompanied by two leading questions to guide discussions during the speed dating session.
Question: What resources did you use/or plan on using to decide between multiple job offers?
Question: What parts of job offers do you find appealing/important? (e.g. healthcare, location, etc.)
Usability Testing & Iterations
To test our initial prototype we conducted Think-Aloud Protocol Interviews using the 4 prompts below.
Make an appointment with the University career center
Explore job recommendations
Get targeted resume feedback
Connect with UCAN
Research Finding #1: Obscurity of Calendar Functionality
Users have expressed confusion regarding the purpose and functionality of the calendar feature located on the home page application. This confusion is evident from user feedback and a noticeable lack of interaction with the calendar.
Frequency: Common
Impact: Moderate difficulty for users to overcome, as they are unsure how to utilize the feature effectively. Persistent as users to overlook or misunderstand the purpose of the calendar.
Solutions: Implement a tooltip or informational pop-up upon first interaction with the calendar, explaining its purpose and how users can benefit from the feature.
Trade-offs: Screen Real Estate.
Research Finding #2: Insufficient Alumni Information
Users have expressed frustration with the limited depth of information available about alumni within the application. Many users seek detailed insights into alumni career paths, experiences, and networking opportunities but find the provided information lacking in depth and detail.
Frequency: Common
Impact: High difficulty for users to overcome, as lack of detailed information hinders their ability to leverage alumni networks effectively for career advancement and guidance.
Solutions: Enhance the alumni profile sections within the application to include comprehensive details such as career trajectories, industry insights, skillsets, and contact information where appropriate.
Trade-offs: Increased Content Maintenance.
