Preliminary Research

Before our first meeting with the client, we conducted research on:

• The client

• The industry

• Identifying competing, alternative products/
  services

• ‘Best-in-class’ solutions

Based on the research and information we gathered, we determined that in our kickoff meeting with the client we wanted to discuss the following: the client's view on authenticity in interviews, who the future users are, and how the client wants them to use Wedge. After a great meeting, we developed a sense clarity on the purpose Wedge and the client’s vision. We were then able to embark on our three week sprint.

Usability Testing Findings

After testing with 3 different users on Wedge's original platform, we found that:

• Users are uncomfortable with hearing themselves in the test playback as well as watching themselves answer questions on the screen

• Most of our users didn’t understand that “practice position” was an audio and video test

• Some users were unclear about when the recording started during their response

The Opportunity

• Where does the video cover letter fit in today’s hiring process?

• Under which circumstances will job seekers use this?

• Where is the opportunity for Wedge?

Interview Findings

Out of the 8 job seekers we interviewed, only one had used a video screening tool to apply for a job. She has very negative views about the experience. The 6 HR managers and recruiters we interviewed all had very similar hiring processes. Here are some of the key insights:

Target User

How will a job seeker find Wedge in the wild? It does not currently fit in the application process. We decided that Wedge’s first customer needs to be:

Figuring out who our first ideal user would be was one of our biggest challenges, especially because the client's idea of who it would be differed from ours based on our research. The client has intended for it to be a college student or recent graduate, but we found that Wedge would be most useful for people who have been working but are seeking a career change. These job seekers are motivated to grow their networks, and since they are applying for jobs in a different field, Wedge could give them that extra (w)edge. We also found through our industry research that it would be most effective at opening opportunities if used in a referral system.

First Major Pivot

One day we were trying to define what the “perfect wedge” would be. We were working on synthesizing our user needs, and we realized that what we really wanted from our users was a personal brand statement — a general overview of where they’ve been, who they are and where they’re going. This differed from the original platform because we would no longer be including specific questions by an interviewer.

Design Principles

• Valuable for sharing

• Easy to navigate

• Design to support relaxed focus

• Help people distill a compelling story

• Help people understand how to bring out the best in themselves

After establishing these design principles, we came up with tons of features (53 to be exact!). We were also able to create our site map, a broad overview of the site, as well as a user flow of the MVP (minimum viable product).

Sketches

In our original sketches, the users picked three key words that they identified with the most, thought of what the words meant to them, and created a video about who they are based off of one of those key words.

Second Major Pivot

After testing the paper prototype, we realized that basing a video off a few words was too broad. To get to know who someone is, it’s helpful to get the details of a specific story. At that point, we decided to change Wedge from a personal brand statement to a values narrative. This new framework would help users craft a compelling story based on their successes and values with guided steps.

Wireframes

For the wireframes, I built a step by step process for the job seeker to get an understanding of the framework, brainstorm, practice their story, and finally film their Wedge. At this time we were referring to the framework as the STAR method, a common technique used in interviewing where you discuss a specific situation you were in, task you had, action you took, and result you created all in one story. 

Hi-Fidelity Mockup