As a father, my dream is to provide a better future for my children. I want to switch careers to acquire new skills that will lead to financial freedom and create a better lifestyle for my family.
Meet Michael, a dedicated delivery driver and a devoted husband and father of two. Eager for a career change, he aspires to gain new skills that will lead to financial independence and provide a better life for his family. Despite his determination, Michael faces obstacles including limited education and experience in fields beyond driving, time constraints due to work and family commitments, financial worries about the cost of education or training, and the unfortunate impact of systemic racism and bias in the job market.
Problem and Solution
65% of underemployed workers face the challenge of limited access to skill development opportunities and a lack of knowledge about job markets in their desired career fields.
Design an app that will empower underemployed individuals to navigate and successfully transition to new careers.
My Role
As the UX designer for the app and responsive website project, I led the end-to-end design process. This involved conducting user interviews, creating wireframes, and developing low and high-fidelity prototypes. I conducted usability studies, prioritized accessibility, and iteratively refined designs based on user feedback. I also determined the information architecture and implemented responsive design principles to ensure a seamless device experience. From conception to delivery, I ensured a user-centered approach and a cohesive design solution for the app and responsive website.
UX Research
Through in-depth user interviews, I explored the challenges underemployed workers face when switching careers. Research revealed that many users felt discouraged due to skill gaps and a lack of support, highlighting the need for a structured roadmap to guide career transitions. A usability study with seven remote participants uncovered key user needs, including clearer search tool cues, a well-defined roadmap for tracking progress, improved personalization in questionnaires, and the ability to save progress for later. Users also expressed interest in mentor visibility through photos and videos, as well as a progress-tracking feature to boost confidence in their career journey. These insights shaped the design strategy, ensuring a user-centered approach to the CareerSwitch platform.
Wireframes and Prototypes
To prepare for usability testing, I created a low-fidelity prototype that connected the user flow of creating a user profile, assessment, and exploring new career paths. The high-fidelity prototype retained the user flow from the low-fidelity version, incorporating design enhancements based on insights gained from the usability study.
Accessiblity Considerations
The accessibility feature includes a high-contrast mode toggle, enhancing readability and aiding users with visual impairments in distinguishing between screen elements.
Keyboard navigation support has been implemented, enabling users who rely on keyboard input or alternative input devices to navigate the app without requiring a mouse or touch input.
Post Launch Planning
Moving forward after the app launch, we will conduct research through surveys and app reviews to gather insights for design iterations. We will prioritize adding the most requested resources from the user wish list to enhance the app's functionality. Additionally, we will establish a mentorship program, incentivizing successful career transitioners to become mentors within the app. These future steps will foster a supportive community, ensuring continuous improvement and empowering users to achieve their career goals.
Project Overview
We’re creating a CinemaTick movie reservation app to provide our customers with a way to reserve movie theater seats in advance. We noticed that our competitors offer similar mobile apps for their customers to perform seat reservations, and they have been very successful. We want to create a product that can compete in the market, improve ticket sales, and increase customer satisfaction.
I hate to see the disappoint on my kid's faces when we get to the theater and can't sit together or the movie they want to see is sold out.
Meet Gabrielle, a 32-year-old school social worker, who leads a busy life with her husband and two children. Family movie nights and occasional date nights with her husband are important to her, and she often purchases movie tickets directly from the theater's box office. With her demanding career and family responsibilities, time is precious to Gabrielle. She desires a reliable solution that guarantees seats for her family at the theater, allowing her to make the most of their movie-going experiences without the stress of last-minute arrangements.
Problem and Solution
Customers struggle with guaranteed seat availability and waiting in long lines at the box office.
Design a movie seat reservation app that will let users reserve seats prior to attending the movie which will affect how moviegoers purchase tickets at the box office by giving them the ability to secure seats in advance.
My Role
As the UX Designer for this project, my roles and responsibilities encompass a range of activities aimed at delivering a seamless and user-centered experience. These include user research, competitor analysis, UI design, wireframing, and prototyping. Throughout these responsibilities, I work closely with cross-functional teams, such as developers and product managers, to ensure seamless integration of design solutions. I prioritize user needs, research-driven insights, and industry best practices to create a compelling and user-centric digital product experience.
UX Research
The research phase began with secondary research to identify user pain points, behaviors, and motivations, which informed the screening questions for usability studies. A remote, unmoderated usability study with 11 participants tested the CinemaTick low-fidelity prototype, uncovering key user needs. Findings revealed the necessity for features such as reserving seats for multiple movies in one transaction, an interactive seat map for better visibility, and a save payment option for future purchases. Users also needed clearer navigation between screens, the ability to cancel or edit reservations, and a way to distinguish between available and occupied seats. These insights guided the refinement of CinemaTick, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly experience.
Wireframes and Prototypes
Here is the first-round low fidelity prototype that demonstrates the basic user flow for completing a seat reservation transaction. The high-fidelity prototype retained the user flow from the low-fidelity version, incorporating design enhancements based on insights gained from the usability study.
Accessiblity Considerations
In response to user needs, wheelchair seating has been included in the reservation seating map, ensuring accessible accommodations for users requiring mobility assistance.
To cater to users seeking accessible auditorium features, a filter option has been implemented in the movies and showtimes selection screens. This enables users to easily identify theaters that offer the specific accessibility features they require.
A high-contrast mode has been integrated into the app's design, enhancing the user experience for individuals with low visibility. This feature allows users to switch to a color scheme that maximizes contrast, making content more legible and improving usability for those with visual impairments.
Post Launch Planning
In the coming months, our team will diligently measure the app's KPIs to ensure it consistently meets users' needs. We plan to conduct another usability study post-launch, seeking to uncover any new challenges not previously identified. Additionally, we are preparing surveys for repeat users, aiming to gather valuable feedback and suggestions for potential future feature additions. Our commitment to ongoing assessment and user engagement will drive continuous improvement, ensuring our app remains responsive and tailored to our users' evolving requirements.