Case Study
Context
Goal
Create a user-friendly platform that simplifies navigation and supports users in finding employment.
Team Makeup
Product Manager
Tech Lead
Front End Developer
Back End Developer
>Product Designer<
User Researcher
Tools and Skills
Figma, UI Design, User Research, Design System Management
The Problem
The existing platform had significant usability issues that created barriers for job seekers.
Problem 1
Overwhelming navigation with unclear pathways to tools and resources.
Problem 2
A lack of mobile optimization, limiting access for users without desktop devices.
Problem 3
Important content was buried too far down the page, leading to confusion and inefficiency.
Problem 4
Important status of system indicators were missing in the Career Navigator tool.
Problem 1
Overwhelming navigation with unclear pathways to tools and resources.
Solution
Restructured the information architecture by conducting card-sorting exercises with end users to better understand how they grouped and prioritized resources. The goal was to uncover users mental models in grouping career related services. A secondary objective was to learn what tools users were most interested in.
An initial study included an open card sort, a closed card sort, and a personal questions survey. The users included a mix of students and recent grads. 4 of the 8 were actively looking for work while the other 4 were not.
Commonly linked categories included the following:
>Employment / Job Search
>Benefits and Assistance Resources
>Education
>About
Career Exploration tools were the hardest for participants to categorize. They often were linked with job search categories or put into their own category,
A surprising finding was that cards specific to education and those specific to training were often separated into distinct categories.
Problem 2
A lack of mobile optimization, limiting access for users without desktop devices.
Solution
Designed a responsive interface to ensure functionality across devices, increasing accessibility for users without desktops. Usability studies uncovered specific mobile optimization needs by focusing on navigation ease, clarity of labels, and support availability.
Positive Findings: Users found the training provider information useful, understood in-demand occupations, and appreciated the reassurance provided by approved providers.
Growth Areas: Feedback highlighted the need to declutter the homepage and simulate a conversational approach with users. Based on this, we recommended a global search capability, improvements to search result clarity (especially for low results), and ensuring users understand that MCNJ is a directory rather than a direct service provider.
Problem 3
The tool hero sections in MCNJ lacked a cohesive visual identity, making it difficult for users to quickly recognize and engage with each tool. The inconsistent design led to confusion and a fragmented user experience.
Solution
I created standardized templates for tool hero sections, ensuring a consistent visual identity that helped users quickly understand the tool’s purpose and access key features more efficiently. These templates also improved adherence to USWDS design standards, enhanced usability on mobile devices, and incorporated SEO best practices to improve discoverability.
Problem 4
The Career Navigator tool lacked clear system indicators, making it difficult for users to understand when they had liked or disliked a job or training card.
Solution
I conducted a heuristic analysis to design clearer indicators for liking and disliking job and training cards, ensuring they aligned with user expectations. I also improved icon consistency to enhance recognition and usability. Additionally, we introduced an undo feature, allowing users to easily correct mistakes and reducing friction in the interaction.
By including a few visual cues, we can help the user better understand the state changes and importance of the interactions on the cards.
