viaMaven
Problem: Hiring managers and recruiters need a way to properly vet new hires and cut down on the recruiting process time. How might we create a way to centralize referrals so hiring managers can find trusted referrals and streamline the recruiting process.
Role:
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Synthesized market research to inform wireframe decisions
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Conducted usability testing
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Led a design sprint to brainstorm ideas for the payment dashboard
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Worked closely with engineering to discuss the feasibility of designs and updates needed before pushing to production
My Role: Interaction & Visual Designer
Team: Me, Associate Marketing Manager/Researcher, Software Engineer, CEO
Timeframe: 3 months
Tools: Sketch, Pen & Paper, Sympli, Trello
FROM PEOPLEMAVEN TO VIAMAVEN
An example of a user generated list from PeopleMaven
Conception of ViaMaven:
The original vision of PeopleMaven was a people search engine where users can create lists of referrals for different job functions and services. However, 3 years after its conception, it turned into an entertainment platform where the majority of the lists were celebrity-focused rather than job-focused. Our CEO wanted to create a new platform that executed the original intent of centralizing referrals to cut down on recruiting churn. viaMaven was born!
RESEARCH
Conducting Research:
Based on the user interviews our Marketing Manager conducted with hiring managers, recruiters, and software engineers to gain insight into their motivations and needs, I created 2 user personas.
Jon - Referrer Persona:
Jon can make passive income by leveraging his network and referring people directly on the platform. Jon is interested in side hustles and helping his friends find jobs. Referrers wanted compensation for their referrals. We added a compensation model where referrers get paid each time someone purchases their referral incentivizing them to produce quality referrals.
Jess - Finder Persona:
Our persona Jess is frustrated by the inefficiencies of the recruiting process. She does not trust interviews. Some of her best hires have been vetted referrals which also cuts down on recruiting time.
CONCEPTING & EARLY WIREFRAMES
V1 Lo-fi Wireframes (Created by CEO):
To set the foundation and direction of the platform, our CEO created the initial lo-fi wireframes (above). Moving away from the image dominant platform of PeopleMaven, viaMaven is content-heavy focusing on the quality of the referral. The idea is heavily influenced by Reddit where referrals submit a name and testimonial to a specific list/community. The submissions are moderated by experts in that community. Users can upvote and comment on the referrals. It takes a crowd-source approach where insights about the person referred are community-driven.
Refer a Person
MAVEN
V1 Hi-Fi Wireframes & Working with Engineering:
I created hi-fi wireframes following the style guide design system I created and provided technical specifications for engineering including redlines for HTML, CSS, and responsive design. I tested all the prototypes on our testing platform and gave detailed directions to our engineer on backend, front-end, and UI fixes before the implementations are pushed to production.
V1 Style Guide:
I adapted the color palette and typography used for PeopleMaven for the initial style guide. I also created style guides for buttons, responsive design, and iconography. Below are samples from a V1 style guide that was shared with engineering to communicate designs. Some components are adapted from Material Design.
Homefeed
List/Community
FINAL MAVEN DESIGN: PRODUCT LAUNCH
User Feedback:
After receiving feedback from users, we made some major changes to the platform before launch. Recruiters and Hiring Managers wanted a more robust referral form that highlights tech skills, interpersonal skills, years of experience in the industry, and a LinkedIn profile. There was no incentive for people to refer and compensation was brought up several times. We completely transformed the product and categorized our users into FINDERS and REFERRERS. My responsibilities included concepting the new platform, sketching wireframes, creating a product roadmap for launch, and creating hi-fi wireframes for engineering.
Design Sprint:
I led a design sprint with our team and a UX consultant to visualize what the profile page and payment dashboard would look like for earners.
Home/Referral Card:
The Referral cards are comprised of 6 different interpersonal sections that make up the MAVEN rating. From our user feedback, Hiring Managers and Recruiters wanted to see how the referrer rated the potential hire compared to other engineers on interpersonal skills, programming languages, and web tools. Users also wanted to see one dynamic form instead of having to sift through 8 different sections which was an early version of the referral cards.
Refer a Person:
Originally the form had a required "testimonials, stories and descriptions" story in each section. Users found it tedious to fill out. It was eliminated from the final design. A slider system was introduced to replace radio buttons to make it easier for users to rate their referrals
Profile Page & Messaging:
Images above shows the Referrer's dashboard. Referrers can see how much money they've made on their referrals. There is a private messaging feature so Finders can reach out to Referrers if they have any questions
NEXT STEPS & REFLECTION
Product Launch:
For the July 15th, 2019 product launch, an MVP version was implemented to test the concept and make it functional for "Earners" to start submitting referrals. Although the interface, functionality of the platform, and visual design were received positively, our potential target market could not see themselves using the platform regularly due to breach of confidentiality and lack of trust in referrals. Based on the feedback and the nature of recruiting is a highly competitive space, our CEO decided to reshape the to calibrate and compare performance reviews. I created mockups for viaMaven 2.0.
ViaMaven Today:
Since I've left the team in August 2019, viaMaven has since rebranded. The product is and now a performance phrase software generator that helps managers with performance reviews and renamed to Manage Better.