The GreenConnect App
A new platform for career development
for The Community Dreams Foundation (CDF)
Role: UX Designer, later promoted to Product Manager for the Design team
Team: Founder/Key Stakeholder, Product Manager, UX Designers, Researchers, and Developers
Business Needs
The organization’s Mission was to create environmentally-friendly infrastructure, which they aimed to do by expanding opportunities for infrastructure development, and by encouraging people to join the workforce. They focused on closing the opportunity gap for people with lower incomes and less formal education. They had identified a pattern of younger people in lower-income areas who felt like they lacked access to jobs in the Green Economy.
Our Goal
I was assigned to the "GreenConnect" team, but ran into a lack of communication and progress. I reached out to Dion, the Founder and our key stakeholder, to find out what could be done.
He wanted to make use of CDF’s pool of available mentors, and the organization’s previous research into Green Economy career paths, to create a support system for anyone considering a career in sustainable practices.
Dion urgently wanted a Minimum Viable Product of a mobile app for career mentorship that could be tested, so that CDF could determine the product’s value from user feedback.
We combed through previous user research and market research from throughout the organization. I then wrote an interview script to fill in specific gaps, and the Researchers returned with feedback from our target users.
Figuring Out How to Build a Mentor Search Process
Mentors, with their personal profiles, needed to be able to express themselves clearly. There had to be a simple and effective process for users to search, filter, and personalize their mentor search. All interfaces had to look and feel fresh, transparent, enthusiastic, and engaging. We couldn't include anything that created unnecessary pressure on the mentees.
Our solution: By default, a feed, which the Developers created to present mentors by order of relevance. Above the feed is a clear and ever-present search bar. In the feed, each mentor's card contains only the most universally important information – their experience and skills. Mentees can search to look for any term present in any Mentor's profile, thus allowing for customizable searches. Additionally, filters and a bookmark system can reorder the feed. These multiple clear paths for conducting searches lead to less decision paralysis.
Final Features
A mentor-seeking process that gives a clear look at what each mentor offers
A profile-building experience that enables mentees to express their values, skills, and interests in ways meaningful to mentors, despite mentees not necessarily having prior familiarity with industry-specific terminology
A mentorship process driven by the mentees, as to maximize the value they derive from the experience, while minimizing the burden of work on each mentor
User Testing
(I did not conduct the user testing.) What our team looked for was:
Connections: Are users encouraged by the process of searching for a mentor?
Mentorship: Do users find these relationships meaningful and valuable?
Shortly after receiving warm feedback on our MVP, I was promoted from UX Designer to managing the GreenConnect product team. Next, we prepared to hand off our design to the Developers.
Handoff
Not long after we handed the app off for development, CDF made a high-level switch towards developing AI tools for purposes such as "initial property assessment, securing incentives, and managing… upgrade projects.”
Our success was the overwhelmingly positive reaction of prototype users during testing. For now though, the project has been delayed.
“Alex assembled and led a cross-functional team of UX Designers, Researchers, and Developers. Throughout the process, [he] consistently demonstrated an understanding of our target users, and a refined ability to address their needs with specific designs. He had a proactive approach, was receptive to new ideas, and incorporated my feedback while iterating the app. Alex proved to be a valuable team member, consistently delivering high-quality results.”
– Dion Richardson, Founder of The Community Dreams Foundation
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