TransCanWork (TCW) is a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, California and is committed to advancing workplace inclusion for the TGI community through innovative training strategies and workforce development. This system was created to help alleviate the job-seeking process for the TGI community.
As a collaborative endeavor between LA Blueprint and TransCanWork, our dedicated team, comprised of 3 designers and 8 developers, worked hard on this year long project!
How can we create an engaging and interactive job-hunting
experience for jobseekers, while also ensuring it remains
standardized and manageable for navigators?
Lost in Shuffle: Difficulty in Tracking Process
For jobseekers, the increasing workload and numerous assignments made it increasingly challenging to keep track of job updates and their overall progress. Navigators, on the other hand, found it prone to human errors when dealing with a high volume of clients.
Stuck in Repetition: Lack of Interactivity
Google Sheets limited job seekers' ability to actively engage with their progress. It hindered their capacity to visualize milestones and comprehend the logical sequence of steps essential for achieving employment success. Each day felt like a repetition of the previous one.
Drowning in Data: Limited Monitoring Capability
Google Sheets posed significant hurdles for navigators. The absence of a centralized system made it arduous to gather valuable insights, identify bottlenecks, and provide timely assistance to job seekers. The sheer volume of data became overwhelming, making effective monitoring a daunting task.
From the problem diagnosis, we dived further into how we can create an engaging and interactive job seeking process. In order to understand our audience, the design team conducted user interviews, competitive analysis, and affinity mapping.
Competitive Analysis
We conducted an analysis of three competitors which offer services similar to that of TCW’s: JibberJobber, Youth@Work, and Job Search Journey. We were then able to identify commonalities between the sites which suggested features we found important, as well as their value proposition.
User Interviews
The design team conducted two interviews with jobseekers and one interview with a navigator to gain comprehensive insights from different perspectives. A recurring theme that emerged from these interviews was expressed succinctly by one participant:
“The current process works, but it’s pretty limited… it’s very cluttered and spread out because there’s an overload of info.”
This feedback reinforced the notion that TCW's current workflow relied heavily on manual processes. It underscored the imperative to develop a product capable of efficiently and effectively tracking all tasks while enhancing overall organizational capabilities.
Affinity Mapping
Finally, we gathered and synthesized all our findings and data from both the competitive analysis and user interviews to identify recurring themes and emerging trends.
Drawing from our extensive research aimed at comprehensively understanding our audience's needs, we have distilled the following key insights:
Workload Burden
The current job-seeking process at TCW relies on manual efforts, placing a burden on Navigators. Effective job seeker tracking and management necessitate significant individual work and organization.
Spreadsheet Dependency
The existing use of separate spreadsheets for each job seeker contributes to a slow process. We see an opportunity to optimize the workflow while retaining the familiar spreadsheet design.
Enhance Efficiency
Our aim is to create a solution that enhances efficiency, eliminates redundancies, and simplifies the overall job-seeking experience.
This process is where we started to study the flow and structure of our desired roadmap. Keeping the above questions and research in mind, the next phase focused on exploring a wide variety of new approaches to creating an engaging and interactive job-hunting experience for our users.
Information Architecture
The information architecture serves as an introduction to our primary features, providing insight into the content and functionality of each navigation page within the TCW roadmap. It offers a comprehensive view of what each component entails and how it fits into the broader TCW framework.
User Flow
By designing a user flow administrators, navigators, and jobseekers, my team was able to simplify the main goals of the job-hunting experience. the streamlined processes and access to relevant information empower administrators to manage the program effectively. navigators can easily track their progress and access resources. through this user flow, we have successfully ideated the overall job-seeking journey, creating a standardized and manageable experience for all involved parties.
We began by creating a one-year timeline to stay on track and work hard for the project to launch on time! Every step was essential to creating the final employment roadmap.
Ideation and Initial Sketches
In order to best highlight the newly introduced TCW platform, our team made the decision to represent the jobseeker milestones in the form of a pirate roadmap! We decided that this would not only be a fun and unique way to make the job-seeking process interactive, but also a fun and informational way to introduce the LGBTQ Pride flag, the main motif of TCW logo!
Lofi & Midfi Wireframes
After conducting preliminary research, we began designing mockups for our key features: client management, profile, and employment roadmap experiences. These initial sketches prioritized conveying screen content over the final design. We also developed a design system, exploring colors, typography, and other elements to shape the product's visual identity. The progression from low-fidelity to mid-fidelity designs allowed us to refine our concepts and gradually approach our desired user experience.
Usability Testing
At this stage, our app was prepared for usability testing, and our team interviewed 3 participants, including 2 jobseekers and 1 navigator. Given that our target audience consisted of these individuals, we placed great emphasis on actively listening to their feedback. Based on these interviews, we gained valuable insights and feedback, which enabled us to make the necessary adjustments to our prototype for better client satisfaction.
Clear Landing Page Introduction
Users expressed uncertainty about whether they had landed on the app's starting point due to the absence of a proper landing page. To alleviate this confusion, we created a dedicated page that introduces TCW and then seamlessly transitions to the login page.
Removing Redundant Elements
We received feedback about the Menu button, which was perceived as adding unnecessary complexity without providing additional accessibility. To simplify the user experience, our team engaged in discussions and decided to replace this button with a direct link to an external calendar featuring TCW events. This change aimed to offer jobseekers easy access to TCW events, streamlining their navigation within the app.
Enhancing Roadmap Navigation
In response to feedback regarding the navigability of the roadmap islands, we introduced a hover option for the islands. Initially, the islands appear in black and white to signify that no tasks have been completed. As jobseekers make progress and complete milestones, the corresponding islands gradually transform into color, providing a clear visual indication of their journey. This enhancement allows users to easily track their completed milestones and offers a more intuitive and streamlined navigation experience within our roadmap.
After a year of dedicated effort, we are thrilled to present the completed Employment Roadmap for TCW! Our design focuses on user-friendliness and a touch of fun, recognizing that job-seeking doesn't have to be a daunting experience.
Landing Page & Set Up
The landing page offers users the option to sign up for an account or log in if they already have one. We've incorporated welcoming imagery and graphics to create an inviting and enjoyable experience, injecting some much-needed fun into the job-seeking process.
Jobseeker Employment Roadmap
The centerpiece of our TCW interactive app: The pirate-themed roadmap featuring playful and unique names like "Internship Inferno" and "Assessment Archipelago." Each island transforms from black and white to vibrant color once the corresponding milestone is completed, underscoring the engaging and interactive nature of our roadmap.
Roadmap Details
Clicking on an island reveals a popup with comprehensive details about the milestone it represents. These details can include forms to fill out, checklists to review, resources to explore, and more, ensuring jobseekers have all the information they need at their fingertips.
Navigator Dashboard
The navigator dashboard offers an organized view of all assigned jobseekers, simplifying access to each client's information. Navigators can effortlessly view their clients' roadmaps and profiles by clicking on the respective cards.
Administrator Dashboard
The admin dashboard serves as a central hub for managing navigators and jobseekers. It facilitates tasks such as assigning specific navigators to jobseekers and tracking essential internal data, including demographics.
Profile Page
The profile tab within the user profile system allows users to preview how their public profile appears to others, providing transparency and control over their public information.
PASSION x PURPOSE: Why did I choose TCW?
In all my professional endeavors, I've held one steadfast principle: to invest my time and skills in projects that align with my passions. As a designer, I feel a deep sense of responsibility to deliver work that I'm genuinely proud of and that serves a meaningful purpose, no matter the scale of its impact.
One key aspect that sets my work apart is my unwavering commitment to inclusivity and representation. Throughout my journey, I've actively volunteered and collaborated with organizations such as healthcare centers, autism centers, and those dedicated to individuals with neurological variations. These experiences have instilled in me the profound importance of ensuring that every group, regardless of background or ability, feels heard, seen, and valued. This commitment to diversity and inclusivity is not just a professional choice but a personal conviction that I bring to every project I undertake.
Therefore, working on a project that focuses on representing the transgender community was particularly special. TCW's commitment to this cause resonated deeply with me, and it was a unique opportunity for me to channel my passion and purpose into a project that has the potential to make a significant impact.
Reflection
I had the privilege of collaborating with an incredible team of designers and developers on this project, and I am so grateful for the valuable memories and skills they have gifted me. Thank you to the project leads, Nasser and Solia, my fellow designers Jeff and Megan, and the developers Aaron, Alan, Angela, Dan, Diya, Jiamin, Kaylee, Kevin, and Ryan! I love you guys so much <3 forever tcslay
