PIXEL POND
CASE STUDY
Transforming Pixel Pond with Career Coaching Integration
ROLE
UX Designer
SKILLS
Wireframing, prototyping, research methods, user testing
TOOLS
Figma, figjam, slack, Microsoft Office
TIMEFRAME
5 Days
SETTING THE SCENE:-
Embark on a journey of transformation as we explore the evolution of Pixel Pond into a dynamic platform offering comprehensive career coaching services. The mission was to reimagine Pixel Pond as more than just a booking platform and recruitment website but as a supportive ecosystem empowering aspiring professionals to achieve their career goals.
BUT HOW DID WE GET HERE?
CORE CHALLENGES:-
Exploring challenges in integrating career coaching into Pixel Pond's platform revealed insights into user experience and service expansion complexities.
​
-
Finding people to engage with – modern enough to attract younger users but not too technologically advanced to deter older people.
​
-
Selling benefits of a career coach – make it known what it is.
-
Pricing positions (make it affordable) – free trial, emphasis on varying membership plans.
​
-
Driving the content to sell the coaching service – appealing to people, outline the benefits of coaching service, success stories.
STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVE: TALKS WITH PRITESH:-
To gain a comprehensive understanding of Pixel Pond's business objectives and aspirations, a stakeholder interview was conducted. This early-stage discussion provided valuable insights into the Pritesh's vision, allowing for alignment with Pixel Pond's overarching goals and objectives. Understanding the Pritesh's perspective laid the foundation for subsequent research and analysis.
​
​
Key findings include:
-
15 years of experience in the recruitment space.
​
-
Set up Pixel Pond, specialising in scale-ups and global tech companies.
​
-
Interested in bridging gap between education and industry.
​
-
Last 2 years building coaching practice.
​
-
Career coaching goes hand in hand with his recruitment business.
​​
-
Ideal user is someone who is possibly going through a career transition, wanting to progress/grow into a role; overall needs direction.
RESEARCH INSIGHTS: KNOW THE COMPETITION:-
Armed with insights from the stakeholder interview, comprehensive research and competitor analysis were conducted to gain a deep understanding of the landscape surrounding career coaching services. Various platforms and services, including ADP List, LinkedIn, and Monster, were scrutinized alongside non-website options such as the utilization of family, friends, colleagues, and coworkers for career guidance. The aim was to conduct a detailed comparison across different aspects including affordability, ease of use, types of services offered, and other relevant factors pertinent to Pixel Pond's pending service integration.
VS
INITIAL USER INTERVIEW: GATEWAY TO UNDERSTANDING:-
Following the stakeholder interview, an initial user interview was conducted to gain preliminary insights into the needs, challenges, and aspirations of potential users. These insights served as a starting point for understanding user preferences and informing the design process.
​
Key findings:
​
-
Take into consideration international candidates.
​
-
Never heard of a career coach.
​
-
Finance not being main issue. (A challenge to my pre-existing concerns others may have regarding coaching; avoiding confirmation bias)
​
-
Learned that if they were to find one it would be from existing websites.
​
-
They want someone with value, best return in investment e.g. Face-to-face.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Pritesh needs a way to make career coaching more well-known and trustworthy because many aspiring creatives don’t know how it can help them. We believe that by highlighting his career experience and how he has helped others will warm up aspiring creatives to the idea of having a career coach. We will know this to be true when we see increased bookings for the free consultation.
Through stakeholder and user interviews, analysing the current career coaching space and taking into account current business goals, an overall problem statement was successfully crafted to guide design decisions.
USER PERSONA: UNDERSTANDING THE AUDIENCE:-
Meet Jessica, a dynamic designer with two years of agency experience, eager to transition into a UX-focused role. Jessica's persona emerged from the synthesis of research insights, initial user interview findings, and stakeholder input. Her persona provided a focal point for design decisions, ensuring alignment with user needs and preferences.
​
SECONDARY USER INTERVIEWS: MAPPING USER EXPERIENCES:-
Building upon the initial user interview, secondary user interviews were conducted to gain deeper insights into user behaviour and preferences. These interviews informed the creation of journey maps and user flows, which allowed for empathy with users' experiences and identification of pain points in their journey of navigating a new industry, gaining experience to stand out in today's job market and finding suitable jobs. These tools served as a compass, guiding design decisions.
Journey Map
Engaging with two individuals closely matching the stakeholder's target user profile provided valuable insights into the user experience of transitioning into a new industry, particularly among bootcamp students. This journey map captures the tasks, emotions, and challenges users may face post-completion, highlighting opportunities for the stakeholder's expertise to make a meaningful impact.
User Flow (version 1)
User Flow (version 2)
User Flow Version 2 Improvements:
Integration of enquiry form directly on career guidance page:
​
-
Eliminates need for users to navigate to separate help page.
-
Reduces clicks and streamlines browsing experience.
-
Allows for easier scrolling to revisit previous information.
-
Enhances journey fluidity and user-friendliness.
WIREFRAMES AND PROTOTYPING: FROM CONCEPT TO CREATION:-
Informed by user flows, journey mapping, and stakeholder input, the design phase commenced with the creation of low-fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes. These prototypes were meticulously tailored to address user needs and pain points identified in the research phase. The design process flowed seamlessly from insights gathered, ensuring alignment with user preferences and objectives.
Lo-fidelity Wireframes
Landing Page wireframe
Free Consultation Page wireframe
Career Guidance wireframe
The wireframes act as a precise guide, directing users to book a free consultation—an essential step in accessing the career coaching service. They outline the layout and functionality of the platform, with a focused emphasis on intuitive design to facilitate easy navigation and understanding of the services offered, which can be found on the newly added 'Career Guidance' page.
Hi-fidelity Prototypes
Enhanced Landing Page Featuring New Career Coaching Service Section
This prototype demonstrates the incorporation of a new segment on the stakeholder's landing page, highlighting their latest career coaching service. Users are provided with options to 'learn more' about the services or promptly 'book a free consultation'. This cohesive update extends to the website's navigation menu, where a dedicated 'Career Guidance' page has been introduced for streamlined access to comprehensive resources.
Interactive Career Guidance Page
This prototype showcases an interactive career guidance page, offering users seamless navigation to explore various services provided by the stakeholder. Users can simply click on a service from the secondary menu, and the page will automatically scroll to the detailed description of the selected service. This intuitive design enhances user experience by allowing easy access to relevant information, ensuring users can make informed decisions about the services offered.
Enhanced User Engagement features on Career Guidance Page
This prototype iteration features sticky functionality for the 'Book a Free Consultation' call-to-action (CTA) on the career guidance page. As users scroll through the page, the CTA remains fixed, ensuring easy access for booking consultations at any point during their browsing experience.
Additionally, an enquiry form is positioned at the end of the career guidance page, allowing users to submit questions or queries regarding the stakeholder's services or recruitment business effortlessly. These enhancements aim to streamline user interaction and facilitate seamless engagement with the stakeholder's offerings.
USABILITY TESTING: ENHANCING USER EXPERIENCE:-
Collaborating with a seasoned UX designer, usability testing focused on refining the website's new features, particularly in promoting career coaching services and encouraging free consultation bookings.
Streamlining Navigation:
-
Feedback highlighted users' struggle with 7-page scrolls before reaching the consultation CTA.
-
Solution: Implementing a fixed modal to ensure constant CTA visibility for streamlined interaction.
Improving Information Accessibility:
-
Users expressed the need for quicker access to desired information.
-
Solution: Anchor navigation was suggested, allowing prompt navigation to specific sections of the page.
Optimizing Consultation Form Usability:
-
Positive feedback on simultaneous date and time selection visibility in the consultation form.
-
Enhancing overall form usability for effortless consultation scheduling.
Overall Comments:
-
The tester praised the comprehensive coverage of essential information, presented in a user-friendly format for easy comprehension.
-
Ease of navigation was highlighted as tester found it straightforward to navigate the website.
IMPLEMENTATION IMPACT: DRIVING CHANGE:-
Due to time constraints inherent in the project, there wasn't an opportunity to measure the direct impact or quantify the success of the initiatives through traditional metrics. Nevertheless, the primary objective was to seamlessly integrate career coaching services into the stakeholder's website while fostering interest among early industry professionals.
​
Success, therefore, would have been gauged by the number of booking confirmations, serving as the initial step in a client's journey towards coaching. With a dedicated focus on career guidance, bolstered by the introduction of a dedicated webpage, the aim was to instill confidence in prospective clients seeking guidance in navigating new industries, refining their CVs, mastering networking skills, and ultimately, positioning themselves as top candidates for their ideal roles.
CONCLUSION: LEARNINGS AND FORWARD STRATEGIES:-
Reflecting on the project, it's crucial to acknowledge the valuable insights gained and consider strategies for future improvements. These experiences have provided opportunities for growth and refinement, shaping my approach to similar projects in the future.
Reflecting on Learnings:
-
Creative Problem-Solving: The project presented unique challenges, such as time constraints and a limited participant pool. Embracing these constraints fostered creative problem-solving and prioritization.
-
Valuable Insights: Despite limitations, the project yielded valuable insights into user needs and preferences, informing design decisions and implementation strategies.
-
Iterative Adaptation: The iterative approach allowed for adaptation and refinement based on feedback, enhancing the project's outcomes.
What I'd Do Differently:
-
Incorporating Real-Life Experiences: Given more resources and time, I would have explored incorporating real-life experiences of past clients into the project, adding authenticity and credibility to the service offering.
-
Diversifying Participant Pool: To capture a broader range of perspectives, I would have expanded the participant pool in user interviews to encompass various career stages, providing a more comprehensive understanding of user needs.
-
Measuring Success Metrics: Implementing robust measurement mechanisms to evaluate the effectiveness of design decisions would have been essential. This data-driven approach would provide valuable insights into the impact of efforts and decisions made and guide future iterations.
In conclusion, while challenges were encountered, the project has been a valuable learning experience. Moving forward, I am committed to applying these insights and strategies to drive success in future endeavors, leveraging constraints as opportunities for innovation and improvement.