Empowering Students Pathway to Professional Success
USER RESEARCH
The primary goal of our research was to understand the difficulties students encounter while attempting to build professional connections and integrate into their respective industries. We aimed to uncover the obstacles that hinder their journey, explore the gaps in the existing solutions, and identify the scope for enhancement and innovation. To ensure the reliability and relevance of our research, we focused on our proto personas, which provided a representative sample of our potential user base.
Research Methodology
We employed a qualitative research approach, conducting a series of 6 comprehensive interviews with potential users, both on Zoom and in person. This method provided an in-depth perspective into the experiences, challenges, and aspirations of our target audience. The interviews were designed to be interactive, allowing for an open-ended discussion that encouraged the participants to share their experiences freely.
User Insight
1. University students may feel overwhelmed by the competitive job market and may require assistance in standing out among their peers.
2. Students may be unaware of the specific skills and knowledge required in their desired industries, making tailoring their education and experiences difficult.
3. Students may have limited access to industry professionals and mentors, making it difficult for them to gain relevant insights and advice.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
University students struggle to get industry-relevant knowledge and opportunities due to a lack of resources, direction and competitive job markets.
IDEATION PHASE
The brainstorming process generated several promising themes, and we clustered these into five key categories to guide our ideation:
Personalization & Customization: Users expressed a desire for a customized list of mentors tailored to their industry, specialization, availability, and goals. The idea of personalized questions and surveys to better understand the users' goals and personality was also considered.
Mentorship & Networking: The participants highlighted the need for a global platform to connect not just with mentors but also with alumni, professionals from various universities/companies, and other students in their field. They liked the idea of different methods of communication with mentors, including chat, audio call, and video call functions.
Access to Opportunities & Knowledge: This category involved granting users access to industry-specific opportunities, knowledge, exclusive job postings by mentors, and integrated access to jobs/internships on platforms like LinkedIn/Monster. It also included ideas like industry-specific courses and panels to discuss current trends.
Gamification & User Engagement: Ideas included the implementation of a reward system, wherein challenges are issued and users are incentivized for task completion. A referral program was also suggested, stimulating user activity and increasing app engagement.
Security, Verification & Quality Control: Participants emphasized the need for robust verification mechanisms like university ID verification and experience verification. They also proposed the implementation of a rating/review system for both mentors and mentees to ensure quality interactions.
The user floW
Log-in: The journey begins with a splash screen displaying the app's logo, followed by a log-in screen. New users are directed towards the sign-up process.
Sign-Up & Verification: Users enter their university credentials, followed by a verification process to ensure authenticity. At this stage, users also have the option to upload their resume and link their LinkedIn profiles, which can be skipped if preferred.
Mentor Preferences: Once signed in, users are directed to a form where they enter their mentor preferences. This includes their industry, specialization, and main goals. Detailed entries allow users to specify their desired skills, specific field-related knowledge, preferred mentor's experience level, communication frequency, and personal attributes like introversion or extroversion. They can also indicate their interests.
Dashboard & Mentor Selection: The user is then taken to the dashboard. Key features include a chat function with audio/video options, a list of 'favorited' mentors, and a search bar for mentor exploration. To find a mentor, users input their detailed preferences (from step 3) and receive a customized list of mentors. They can scroll through this list, open mentor profiles for more information, and 'heart' profiles they like to save them for later.
Mentor Request: When a user finds a mentor they wish to connect with, they hit the 'Mentor Me' button to send a request. This decision is not abrupt; the user can choose to return to the dashboard or continue to explore more mentors. If a mentor accepts the request, the user is notified and can start communicating with the mentor.
wIREFRAMES
HI-FI MOCKUPS AND PROTOTYPE
FINAL THOUGHTS
The ability to facilitate the ability of students to break into their desired industry and achieve their career goals is the main motivation behind the Mentor Me app and we are excited about the potential the future may bring.