Upskill redefined: Bridging the gap between education and career opportunities
The project
We needed to revamp the Upskill platform to tackle the enrollment stagnation for short courses designed to help individuals upskill or change careers.
This project remains one of my favourites, despite it never progressing to development due to a shift in company priorities.
Summary
The main challenge was creating a seamless experience to guide users in selecting the right pathways. We conducted user surveys and interviews to understand our target personas: parents seeking career growth and Gen-Z seeking flexibility. Our research revealed that time and financial constraints were the main barriers, not the courses.
I designed a user-centric website incorporating tools for career change guidance, job listings, and relevant course recommendations. The platform now features a job listing section based on courses that interest users, showing the average pay they could expect after upskilling. Additionally, it provides information on available jobs and required skills, helping users see the practical benefits of the courses. Free courses on budgeting and time management were included to address user concerns.
Focusing primarily on the users' physical, environmental, and emotional states during interactions led to crucial design decisions and functionalities. The result was a more intuitive and supportive platform that met users' needs and encouraged course enrollment.
A key lesson learned was addressing users' underlying concerns, such as time management and financial constraints, to drive engagement and enrollment effectively.
Research Statistics
User surveys and video interviews
Personas:
Parents (35-45) seeking career growth or financial improvement
Gen-Z (20-25) focused on employment flexibility.
60% of the respondents stated they have been in the same job for over three years.
The most challenging part of upskilling for 90% of respondents is managing time and money.
The main issue with upskilling is the lack of time and effort, accounting for 90% of the barrier.
52% of respondents expressed a desire to expand their skill set but have financial concerns.
70% of respondents said they can set aside an hour weekly for upskilling.
20% mentioned upskilling before being employed full-time.
30% of respondents have been job hunting for six months.
40% of respondents have been looking for another job in the past year but haven’t changed jobs.
40% did not get callbacks for interviews.
Enhancing enrollment: A user-centric redesign of the Upskill platform
Diagnosing Enrollment Stagnation: To tackle the stagnation in enrollments for short courses designed to help individuals upskill or change careers, we needed to revamp the Upskill platform. The main challenge was creating a seamless experience to guide users in selecting the right pathways. The goal was to provide a user-friendly interface that would assist individuals in finding courses suited to their current career goals or helping them transition to new career paths, especially given the market changes accelerated by the pandemic.
Uncovering User Barriers Through In-Depth Research: We conducted comprehensive user surveys and video interviews to understand our target personas: parents seeking career growth and Gen-Z individuals seeking flexibility in employment. Our research revealed that time and financial constraints were the primary barriers to enrollment, rather than issues with the courses themselves. Specifically, 60% of respondents had been in the same job for over 3 years, and 90% found managing time and money the most challenging part of upskilling.
Extracting Key Insights to Inform Design: From the surveys, we learned that 52% of respondents had financial concerns, and 70% could only dedicate an hour a week to upskilling. Additionally, 20% mentioned the need to upskill before securing full-time employment, and 40% of job hunters had not received callbacks for interviews. These insights highlighted the importance of addressing not just the educational content but also the practical concerns of our users, such as time management and financial planning.
Crafting a Design Strategy Centered on User Needs: Focusing on the users' physical, environmental, and emotional states during interactions helped shape decisive design decisions. We developed tools for career change guidance, job listings based on user interests, and relevant course recommendations. We also included sections detailing the average pay for upskilled positions and jobs available post-course completion. The design strategy was informed by the need to provide clear, actionable information to help users see the tangible benefits of enrolling in the courses.
Building a User-Centric Platform for Career Growth: The redesigned platform features a job listing section tailored to the courses that interest users, showing the average pay they could expect after upskilling. It provides information on available jobs and required skills, which helps users see the practical benefits of the courses. Additionally, we included free courses on budgeting and time management to address user concerns about financial and time constraints. This holistic approach ensures that users are well-supported throughout their upskilling journey.
Driving Enrollment Through Addressing Core User Concerns: The focus on users' underlying concerns, such as time management and financial constraints, led to the creation of a more intuitive and supportive platform. By addressing these barriers, we effectively encouraged course enrollment. This approach demonstrated that understanding and solving for user pain points can significantly impact engagement and conversion rates. The project taught us the importance of a user-centric design in driving meaningful outcomes and reinforced the value of thorough research in shaping design decisions.
Key solutions and takeaways from our user-centric design journey
This project provided valuable insights into the significance of a user-centric design approach. By focusing on the real needs and concerns of users, we created a platform that significantly improved user experience and drove course enrollments. Here are some key solutions we implemented, including challenges we overcame along the way:
Harnessing the Power of User Research: We conducted thorough user research to identify the primary barriers to enrollment. By understanding users' time and financial constraints, we designed solutions that directly addressed these issues, making the platform more accessible.
Balancing User Needs and Business Goals: One major challenge was balancing diverse user needs with the business goal of increasing enrollments. Initially, our focus on user experience led to delays in meeting critical business requirements. We iteratively refined our approach, aligning user needs with business objectives to achieve a balanced solution.
Designing for Practical Needs: We included job listings, average pay information, and free courses on budgeting and time management to add practical value to the platform. This approach helped users see tangible benefits in upskilling, increasing their likelihood of enrolling.
Overcoming Implementation Hurdles: We faced technical difficulties integrating third-party job listing APIs, causing delays and requiring additional resources. By implementing thorough planning and contingency strategies, we overcame these challenges, ensuring smooth integration.
Creating a Holistic User Experience: We considered the physical, environmental, and emotional states of users during their interactions with the platform. This holistic approach allowed us to create a supportive and intuitive user experience, effectively addressing user pain points.
Setting Up Continuous Feedback Mechanisms: Initially, we lacked adequate mechanisms for continuous user feedback, resulting in some design decisions based on assumptions. We rectified this by establishing robust feedback loops, ensuring real-time data informed our decisions.
Embracing Continuous Improvement: We adopted an iterative approach, welcoming continuous improvement. Implementing frequent user feedback loops allowed the platform to evolve in line with user needs, enhancing overall user satisfaction.
Adapting to Market Changes: The rapid market changes due to the pandemic highlighted the need for adaptability. We remained responsive to external factors affecting user needs and behaviours, ensuring our solutions were relevant and timely.
Refining Initial Design Assumptions: Our initial assumptions about user interaction patterns were incorrect, leading to a high drop-off rate during testing phase. We simplified the onboarding process based on user feedback, significantly reducing drop-offs.
Final Reflections
If I could change anything about the project, I would integrate advanced analytics tools from the start to track user behaviour more comprehensively. This would provide deeper insights into user interactions and identify areas for further improvement.
Overall, this project reinforced the value of user-centric design and the impact it can have on achieving business goals. The experience equipped me with valuable insights and skills that I will carry forward into future projects.
Author: Mugs (Mugunthan Balakrishnan)