SUMMARY
Designed Recess to address a critical problem among college students: ineffective time management and the tendency to waste free time on unproductive activities like social media scrolling.
OVERVIEW
Rice University UI/UX Design Competition
Team Placement: Best Design Finalists
Duration: 48-hour competition + continued individual refinement
ROLES
UX Research
Understanding our student user base.
Product Design
Creating a product to solve a problem.
TEAM
Sarah Chang
Eric Zhou
QUESTION
How can we create a more intuitive and engaging experience for mobile job seekers?
RESEARCH
Quantitative Interviews
Survey with 32 job seekers
25% of respondents reported satisfaction levels above 6 out of 10 with existing job search platforms.
60% found current platforms to be overly complex and not user-friendly.
70% of users experienced a response rate of less than 30% from employers on job application platforms.
85% expressed a preference for a more interactive and engaging job search process, like swiping mechanisms and AI-driven recommendations.
Qualitative Interviews
Survey with 7 job seekers
5 out of 7 participants used external methods for application tracking, indicating a lack of efficient tools on platforms.
6 out of 7 participants expressed frustrations about communicating with prospective employers
TAKEAWAYS
The job search market is ripe for disruption, with widespread user dissatisfaction stemming from complex platforms, low employer responsiveness, and a clear demand for more interactive, AI-powered solutions that streamline the job application experience.
USER PERSONA
From our research I envisioned that our most ideal user would look like this:
ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS
Based on the information we gathered, we can reframe the identified problems as questions to address and design product elements that provide effective solutions.
REFLECTION
Milestones:
With a tight 48-hour timeframe, setting milestones was essential for staying organized and tracking progress effectively.
Iterations:
Multiple iterations refined the project through user interviews and usability testing, uncovering and addressing key issues. Additional time allowed for clearer reasoning and market comparisons, reinforcing the product's value.
Next Steps:
Thus far, we’ve designed the onboarding experience for users booking plans. The next step is to create the event planner’s side of the app.