L i f e A l e r t
Akimbo has built an inclusive workforce by connecting individuals, facing significant challenges to employment, with professional opportunities via their digital platform. They want to increase the impact of non-profits, social enterprises, and government agencies running workforce development programs
Akimbo - Connect
User Experience Student
My Role
User research/ Interviews
Competitive analysis
User sentiments analysis
Persona Study
Storyboarding
User flows
Information architecture
Wireframing
Usability testing
Techniques-
Google Analytics
Sketching
White Boarding
Photoshop
Sketch
Tools
User research
Personas
Wireframes
Hi-fi mockups
Key Deliverables-
Our team
Swapna Kulkarni
Clifford Ho
Akimbo Connect has 3 key user groups
Employment
Seekers
-
Underprivileged youth
-
Physically challenged
-
Intellectually challenged
-
Previously incarcerated
-
LGBTQ community
​
Non- Profit
Orgs, NGOs
-
Orgs who want to help their community
​
Willing
Employers
-
Companies that have a goal of hiring inclusive and diverse workforce
​
Needs -
Need a platform to display
their talent and skills.
Needs -
Need to connect employment
seekers from the community with gainful opportunities.
Needs -
Need a platform to
search for untapped talent
​
Mind map study of the key user groups
-
Get a fresh start
-
Integration with community
-
Be self - sufficient
-
Showcase hidden potential
-
Overcome personal struggles
​
Aspirations
-
Empower underprivileged
-
Fight unemployment
-
keep students off the streets
-
Positive engagement with the community
-
Reduced crime rates​
Aspirations
-
Give back to the community
-
Diversify workforce
-
Hire untapped talent
-
Practice inclusive hiring
​
Aspirations
User Research
User Interviews/ User Surveys
Employment Seekers
​
Users felt that traditional employment seeking platforms were not for them
​
Users felt invisible in the cookie cutter hiring process
​
Users felt the need to voice their personal struggles, life experience and little victories.
​
Brainstorm & Ideation
Persona Study
Megan, with mild autism
Billy, previously incarcerated
Wants to showcase her hidden talent
Wants a second chance at life
Design goals-
Build a platform where Megan and Billy can display their talent, showcase their personality and gain meaningful employment
We identified the most vital parts of the employment seeking platform and decided to focus on those-
1. On-boarding process
2. Profile page
3. Dashboard
User Research
On - boarding Experience
User Task- Register on LinkedIn and complete the on-boarding process
User Sentiment Analysis
Key Findings -
Users felt Confused, Overwhelming ,Exhausted by the existing on-boarding process.
They thought the on-boarding questions were very intrusive
It made them annoyed
It was best to keep the on-boarding process light, to the point and frustration free.
User Research
A/ B Testing for on- boarding experience
Filling the blanks
Welcome to the community!
​
My name is__________________and I am ________________years old.
I currently live in____________________(City)_________________(State)
My interests are______________,_________________ and ____________
Form Filling
Welcome to the community!
​
First Name
​
Last Name
​
Birth Date
​
Home Address
​
Interests
​
Step - by - step questioning
Welcome to the community!
​
First Name________________________________________________________
​
Last Name________________________________________________________
​
1/4
Conversational
Welcome to the community!
​
Let's get to know you a little better! What is your name?
​
__________________________________________________________________
​
1/4
User Testing Findings -
Users really prefered the conversational on-boarding experience
They thought it was easy, welcoming, encouraging and not overwhelming
Therefore we thought it was the best way of on-boarding our users
User Research
Profile Page
-
LIFE EXPERIENCE
-
TALENTS
-
VOLUNTEER WORK
-
TRAVEL
-
INTERESTS
-
PROJECTS
-
SKILLS
-
CERTIFICATION
What inclusive workforce meant to users
Card sorting experiment
What inclusive workforce meant to leading platforms
-
WORK HISTORY
-
EDUCATION
-
DIPLOMA
-
CERTIFICATIONS
Competitive Analysis
Design goals for profile design
Design components
Simple and clean
Inviting
Non-overwhelming
Intuitive
Allowing for Personalization
​
Profile picture
Personal banner
Picture gallery
Video files/ Audio files
content boxes
​
​
​
DESIGN
Initial Sketches
Iteration 1
Iteration 2
User feedback -
Confusing
No sense of hierarchy
Feels constraining
overwhelming
Cluttered
​
User feedback -
Simple and clean layout
Easy to understand
Interesting
Users should be able to re-arrange the order of the row.
DESIGN
Initial Wireframes
Iteration 1
Iteration 2
Iteration 3
DESIGN
Hi- Fi mockups
+
Profile- Edit mode
Profile - As seen by employer
DESIGN
Dashboard
Iteration 1
Iteration 2
Final Mockup
Key takeaways
Single solution, though commercially successful, can not be used in diverse context.
Users and the design context should drive the design outcome.