EduLink
August 2023 - December 2023
EduLink is a career-building application tailored to support students as they navigate the transition into the professional world.
GOALS
EduLink aims to support the UN goal of Decent Work and Economic Growth by fostering entrepreneurship through a networking platform. The goal is to drive economic growth and technological innovation by helping students build their online professional presence and connect with opportunities.
CHALLENGES
Students struggle with establishing a professional online presence and navigating existing networking platforms effectively.
OUTCOMES
EduLink was continuously refined based on user research, addressing students’ challenges in networking and professional development. Our studies informed the platform’s structure, navigation, and functionality, ensuring it meets user needs while promoting economic and professional growth.
How does EduLink differ from LinkedIn?
EduLink acts as a stepping stone for students to jumpstart their professional career.
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This is done by providing career resources, curating opportunities within your university to get involved in networking, career building events, and opportunities to join student organizations. EduLink also aids in the exploration of your professional interests to find applications best fit for you.
Project Most Likely to Have a Real-World Impact
Team
Alexis King
Camilla Clark
Harper Hay
Salai Aung
Timeline
13 weeks (Aug-Dec 2023)
Roles & Responsibilities
UX Research, Interative Design, Co-Design, Prototyping Contextual Inquiry, Card Sorting Social Media Tracing, Wizard of Oz
Status
Completed
I developed a high-fidelity prototype through five design sprints, incorporating contextual inquiry, social media research, and Miro organization, while leading Wizard of Oz and Co-Design studies to guide iterative design.
Key Methods Used:
01
Contextual Inquiry
Each team member conducted interviews to identify user challanges with existing platforms and challenges in networking or career exploration. After analyzing the interview data, we identified...
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Existing networking platforms feel impersonal, leading to users feeling obligated to maintain an inauthentic agenda.
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Students, both less experienced and more seasoned, expressed feeling inadequate due to a lack of job or internship experience, with some experiencing imposter syndrome and stating that they didn’t start networking until they were upperclassmen at the earliest.
02
Social Media Tracing
We utilized data scraping on Reddit forums to find relevant information such as r/Careerguidance and r/Jobs from real users we can implement in our design. Then this data was organized into an affinity diagram.
Through this, our team gained valuable insights from users, particularly regarding participants' aversion to AI-driven resume scanning by employers, and that they do not know how to appease these algorithms with keywords. This informed the decision to incorporate a tailored resume-building tool into EduLink's design.
03
Card Sorting
By conducting user research through Optimal Workshop, we were able to accomplish a card sort study to decide our home screen navigation bar.
Similarity Matrix with Card Sort Data
The study recruited over 30 participants, who consistently ranked career exploration and organization involvement as the most important feature of our app. We implemented this in our design through our Get Involved and Career navigation tabs.
What is Wizard of Oz?
04
Wizard of Oz
Wizard of Oz involves creating a physical mock-up of a product where certain functionalities are controlled manually by a person, rather than being automated. This allows designers to simulate the full user experience without fully developing the technology behind it.
Video Demonstrating Wizard of Oz from our Study Protocol
From our study, we refined our prototype as we moved from wireframing to high-fidelity. We cleaned up the flow of our portfolio builder with the feedback given from our participants.
05
Co-Design
Co-design is a collaborative approach where designers work closely with end-users to ensure that a final product meets uses needs and expectations.
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