Mentor Me Now Multiplatform
Career Mentorship Service
Background
Mentor Me Now is a multiplatform career mentorship service for new graduates aiming to provide comprehensive guidance and support to millennials and Gen Z individuals as they embark on their professional journeys. This innovative platform offers a holistic approach to career development, leveraging technology and expert mentorship to empower and equip new graduates with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to thrive in the competitive job market.
The Problem
As a college graduate myself, I understand the challenges that many young professionals face when navigating the job market and determining their career path. While there are many resources available to help with job searches and career advice, they often lack personalization and can be overwhelming to navigate. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to create a career mentorship mobile application that provides highly personalized mentorship and other resources unique to the user needs and career goals.
The Goal
Overall, the aim is to ensure that the platforms effectively meets the needs of college graduates seeking mentorship and career guidance, while also providing them with personalized and effective tools and resources to help them achieve their career goals.
Empathize
Research Approach
To get a better understanding of the current market and expectations of the potential users, I employed two research methods--competitive analysis and customer interviews. For the competitive analysis, I examined direct and indirect competitors and conducted research on current trends and obstacles as well as future trends of the industry.
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Research Goals
Overall the aim is to ensure that the app effectively meets the needs of college graduates seeking mentorship and career guidance, while also providing them with personalized and effective tools and resources to help them achieve their career goals.
Competitive Analysis
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User Interviews
For this project, I recruited 12 participants who graduated college within the last 20 years. The age of participants ranged from 23 to 51; 6 identified as woman and 6 identified as man.
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Insights
Here are some general insights I observed:
Mentor Support: The application can match mentees with experienced mentors who can provide personalized guidance and support. Mentors can offer career advice, share their experiences, help mentees set goals, and provide feedback on mentees' progress.
Job Search Support: Many individuals expressed difficulties in finding a job and the need for guidance. The mentorship application should provide comprehensive resources and support to assist mentees in their job search process.
Networking Opportunities: Networking was identified as crucial for job seekers. The application should facilitate networking by connecting mentees with professionals in their desired industries and providing guidance on building and maintaining professional relationships.
Interview Preparation: Mentees can benefit from guidance on interview preparation, including researching companies, practicing interview questions, and improving communication skills. The application should offer resources and tools to help mentees excel in interviews.
Skill Development: Lack of experience was highlighted as a common challenge. The mentorship application should provide opportunities for mentees to gain relevant skills through online courses, workshops, or internships to enhance their employability.
Motivational Support: Maintaining a positive attitude and resilience were mentioned as important qualities for job seekers. The application should include motivational resources, success stories, and strategies to help mentees stay motivated and overcome challenges.
University Collaboration: Some respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the support received from universities. The mentorship application can bridge this gap by partnering with universities and offering resources that complement their existing career services.
Mobile Accessibility: The popularity of mobile apps for job searches indicates the importance of having a mobile-friendly interface. The application should be accessible on smartphones and provide a seamless user experience.
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Define
Personas
I conducted user interviews to gain insights and feedback from our target audience. These interviews allowed me to identify user goals, behaviors, and pain points, which were then used to inform the design decisions.
Persona 1: Tiffany​
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Persona 2: Alex
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Ideate
Sketches
During my primary research users were about 50/50 accessing a service like this via app or desktop. This project was designed for both so I decided to start with the booking experience with a mobile 1st approach.
In my sketches, I implemented what my users said they wanted out of a mobile app which is something fast, easy and straight to the point. Specifically, I enjoy minimalism so I wanted the home screen to show the meat and bones of the features. So on the homepage, I wanted to integrate icons of the top 5 features and I wasn't sure how to show that at first until I put something on paper.
Wireframes
I After the sketches I compared my sketches to the competition and came up with this design for a minimalistic, fast, easy, and straight forward approach.
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Prototype
Low Fidelity Prototype Usability Test
I preformed an unmoderated usability test/study that was about 30-45 mins long, remote and n tested this low fidelity prototype on 5 participants. From this test, I was able to understand what vital pieces were missing and what was confusing. Here are some of the findings I used to improve my design for my high fidelity prototype:
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Design - Majority users stated that Users liked the design because it was minimalist and straight to the point.
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Grammatical & Navigation Errors - There were some spelling issues. Switching and Interested were spelled wrong. There was confusion with the icons at the bottom because they weren't filled in so I filled in the icons at the bottom of the screen to stop any confusion. Make the home button fully functional cross the app.
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Voice Command - Most users preferred typing but would like the option for voice commands in the Ai knowledge base.
Test
Low Fidelity Mentor Flow Usability Test
I preformed a final unmoderated usability test/study that was about 30-45 mins long, remote and n tested this low fidelity prototype on 5 participants.
From this test I wanted to understand:
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Test users ease of navigation and experience setting up a mentor consultation.
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Test if users find the process intuitive and if there are any portions that were overlooked.
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Identify any pain points, unmet needs or design decisions.
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Here are some of the findings I used to improve my design for my high fidelity prototype:
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Color - Majority users stated that Users liked the design because it was minimalist and straight to the point.
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Mentor selection process not complete - There were some spelling issues. Switching and Interested were spelled wrong. There was confusion with the icons at the bottom because they weren't filled in so I filled in the icons at the bottom of the screen to stop any confusion. Make the home button fully functional cross the app.
Final Designs
Color
I chose to use Egyptian Blue #1134A6 because it has a soothing quality and symbolizes the positive. Bright blues, like this shade, inspire ideas of loyalty, confidence, security, and reliable authority. It conveys a sense of calm and tranquility, which is important in creating a comfortable and welcoming environment.
In addition, I incorporated Spring Green #33CC99 because it represents new beginnings and growth. Through my research, I discovered that this color appeals to millennials and Gen Z, who are drawn to its vibrant and refreshing nature. It signifies optimism and a forward-thinking mindset, making it an excellent choice for creating a dynamic and engaging space.
By combining Egyptian Blue and Spring Green, I aimed to create a harmonious color palette that not only evokes positive emotions but also resonates with the target audience, capturing their attention and fostering a sense of enthusiasm and positivity.
Connect with Mentor Flow Mockups
In my initial low-fidelity wireframes, I included the "View Mentors" screen and the "View Specific Mentor's Profile" screen. However, after gathering user feedback, it became clear that I needed to incorporate the process of actually obtaining a mentor. To showcase the complete flow and provide a more comprehensive user experience, I introduced the "Set up Consultation" screen and the "Confirmation" screen to simulate a mock flow.
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By adding these new screens, users can now visualize the entire journey of selecting a mentor, viewing their profile, setting up a consultation, and ultimately confirming the mentorship arrangement. This addition addresses the feedback received and ensures that the wireframes accurately reflect the user's journey from start to finish.
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Including the "Set up Consultation" and "Confirmation" screens in the wireframes helps create a more realistic and engaging representation of the application's functionality, enabling stakeholders and users to better understand the flow and interact with the design concept.
Impact
The career mentor app empowers individuals by providing personalized mentorship recommendations and facilitating connections with mentors who align with their career goals and needs, ultimately leading to enhanced professional growth, guidance, and increased opportunities for success.
What I Learned
​Users tend to skim over instructions in unmoderated usability studies. To ensure comprehension, instructions should be written at a kindergarten level of simplicity.
Providing a specific deadline and emphasizing its importance helps prevent delays in the process.
Offering incentives increases the probability of users completing the task or study.
Next Steps
Conduct a new usability study, to test the last modification I made on the desktop version to see if there are any user pain point I did not reach.
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Add a user feedback and ratings: Enable users to provide feedback and rate their mentorship experiences.
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Add University Support/ Collaboration as a feature to help not only students but also universities. This can also help regain students trust.