Project Background

• Overview: GroupTrail is a platform designed to streamline job searching and university course registration, with a focus on accessibility and user-friendly design.
• Objective: Our goal was to improve GroupTrail’s user experience by addressing usability challenges, enhancing accessibility, and ensuring the platform aligns with the diverse needs of its audience.
• Audience: The primary users are neurodivergent and POC college students navigating job and education opportunities.
• Themes: The project focused on three core themes: Simplified Onboarding, Transparency, and Accessibility to improve user engagement and satisfaction.

Project Details

• Scope: This project included conducting user research, analyzing founder feedback, creating low-to-high fidelity prototypes, and testing key features of the platform.
• Team: Collaborated with a partner, LK, to address feedback from GroupTrail’s founders and improve functionality across multiple touch points.
• Methods:
  • Conducted three user testing sessions to assess onboarding, navigation, job filters, and other platform features.
  • Analyzed pain points and opportunities for improvement using qualitative and quantitative feedback.
  • Designed and iterated on prototypes in Figma to address identified issues and improve usability.
• Key Deliverables:
  • Simplified onboarding process.
  • Enhanced navigation bar for intuitive usability.
  • Redesigned job filters to improve clarity and functionality.
  • New resume builder and calendar view features for streamlined job applications and scheduling.

My Roles & Responsibilities

• Onboarding & Sign-Up Flow: I led the design and development of Flow 1, which includes the sign-up, account creation, and initial preference setting processes. This involved ensuring a seamless user experience from the moment they landed on the platform.
• Navigation Bar Design: I created the navigation bar, incorporating essential features like the Home, Help, Profile, and Favourites buttons. This helped users navigate the app intuitively and quickly.
• User Interface & Experience Design: I was responsible for designing various key screens of the app, including the Favourites page, Calendar page, Profile page, Help page, Settings, and the Chatbot. These elements were designed to be visually cohesive and user-friendly to improve overall usability.
• Onboarding Process: I was in charge of the entire onboarding flow, ensuring users could set up their account, customize preferences, and seamlessly integrate with the platform from the start.
• Collaboration: While I focused on the elements mentioned above, I worked closely with my partner, LK, who followed my lead with Flow 2 (focused on job filtering and scheduling features), ensuring consistency across the design.

The Key Problem

<aside> 💡 How might we simplify the onboarding process and navigation to make GroupTrail more intuitive and accessible for neurodivergent and POC college students, so they can effectively manage their academic and career goals?

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Why we chose to address this problem:

We chose to address this problem because we recognized that the current user experience of GroupTrail wasn’t meeting the needs of its diverse user base, especially neurodivergent students and students of color. By focusing on the onboarding process, accessibility, and navigation, we could create a platform that supports these users in navigating their academic and professional journeys with ease. We believed that simplifying and streamlining the experience would help users engage with the platform more effectively, empowering them to reach their goals while also feeling included and supported.

The Solution

<aside> 💡 To address the key challenges identified during user testing and feedback, we focused on improving the user experience by simplifying the onboarding process and enhancing navigation. By addressing pain points related to account creation, job search filters, and platform accessibility, we designed a solution that would better support neurodivergent users, students of colour, and others with varying needs.

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Key User Flows

Our main user flows are:

1. Sign-Up & Onboarding Flow
   • Users are introduced to GroupTrail with a simplified sign-up process, where they can easily create an account and set up their preferences (e.g., location, accessibility features).
   • After signing up, users are prompted to personalize their profile, including setting up job shadowing interests and adding relevant information.
   • Finally, users are guided through a quick tutorial on the platform's features and how to navigate the app, with support available through the Help Bot for any questions.
2. Navigation & Feature Access Flow
   • From the home screen, users can easily access the main sections of the app (Profile, Help, Favourites, Calendar) via the streamlined navigation bar.
   • Users can save job opportunities or other resources to their Favourites page for easy access and tracking.
   • The Calendar view allows users to view, save, and track job shadowing opportunities or important dates, all with the option to integrate into personal calendars.

Example User Flow Chart

Brainstorming

Primary Research

Insights from our surveys:

• Participants struggle with navigating course registration platforms due to lack of clarity in course descriptions, prerequisites, and instructor details.