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Applitrack

Case study

TIMELINE

Jun - Aug 2023

MY ROLE

  • Research

  • User interview

  • Prototyping

  • Visual design of 2 features.

CONTEXT

When at OpenKnect - a government staffing startup, I helped design the Applitrack web app.

Applitrack is a versatile SaaS platform that streamlines application review and empowers staffing managers to assign tasks to employees, including job posters and recruiters.

TEAM

THE PROBLEM

The current workflow within the internal team is managed using Google Sheets, but it lacks real-time updates and effective management. Prolonged meetings and inefficient communication have resulted in an inefficient recruitment process, requiring daily meetings.

THE GOAL

  • ​Create an internal product centered around the staffing team workflow that fits perfectly in their daily routine and common practice to review and report application.

  • Make the product easy to use for staffing manager to assign tasks, manage employees and evaluate their productivity.

  • Create a communication platform that helps improve the recruitment process that requires less daily meeting.

EMPATHIZE

Discovery:

​

Our first step was to interview the staffing team and get to know their process, business objective and expectation for the project.

User interview:

​

We wanted to get a better understanding of potential users regarding:

 

  • Background and environment

  • Job requirements, processes and tools

  • Pain points within their roles and processes

  • Opportunity areas within their professions

Main questions:

​

  • Can you describe the staffing process and workflow?

  • Which tools do you use?

  • How much time do you spend to complete each task?

  • What are the advantages and challenges of the current workflow?

Key findings:

​

  • There is no product that combines all needed functionality with a user friendly interface. Users shared that they still have to perform manually tasks on Google sheets (such as taking notes, review applicants).

​

  • The staffing team would meet about 1 hour everyday on Zoom 5 days a week  and communicate via Facebook Messenger.

DEFINE

From the user interviews, our team emerged feature ideas that would achieve all of the different user goals and needs
 

Dashboard — will be used to review upcoming meetings, task board and analytics

 

Task — will be used by the manager to create and assign task.

 

Schedule — will be used by all staffing team to schedule meetings strategically.

 

Team — will be used by the manager to manage HR, employee’s information, assign roles, add and new staff.

 

Applicants — will be used by the staffing team to manage candidate’s information

 

Job posting — will be used by the recruiter-staff to rank applicants based on ranking system, reject or approve and send it to state government.

 

Reports — will be used by manager to analyze the team and personal performance.

 

Analyze — will be used to view analytics and insights of applicants

.

Chat/ Message — will be used by the internal team to have synchronize communication flow

​

I have a specific focus on developing two features that highlight HR aspects for the staffing manager:

​

- Task management

- Team management

User persona

​

Persona offer a user-centric framework for comprehending and addressing the requirements of individuals, leading to more effective and successful design and marketing initiatives. My 'Staffing Manager' persona was crafted by distilling vital insights gathered from interviews conducted during the empathize phase.

User stories

​

These user stories focusing on our 'Staffing Manager' persona, Sarah. These themes play a crucial role in creating a well-organized task flow and enhancing the functionality of the web application.

Competitive analysis

​

I used secondary research to identify the top softwares using leader Matrix, which meticulously assesses product and seller variables for user-informed decision-making.

Feature 1: Task management

Feature 2: Team management

IDEATE

Task management flow

Team management flow

Strengths /weaknesses analysis in context of our user story

After conducting an online assessment, I identified the top three apps by considering their highest ratings in terms of usability and satisfaction. Regarding collaboration features:

PROTOTYPE

Feature 1: Task management wireframe

Team management flow

Iterations
 

Our team provided feedback and collaborated with developers on multiple iterations to enhance user experience. Recognizing the challenge of implementing a Kanban, we simplified the app features for feasibility.

'Hi fi wirefames

 

Feature 1: Task Management

To leave a note, simply click the "View Details" button.

Calendar view

Calendar pop-up mode

Task page functionalities

How to assign new task?

Feature 2: Team management

Performance tab

Designing the Performance feature is both challenging and exciting as I'm tasked with creating an effective productivity evaluation system for employees.

I've devised a system based on tasks, categorizing them as done, overdue, or both to measure productivity within a weekly timeline.

Consistent design style to both task management and team features enhances coherence and improves the user experience for managers.

Archived employee tab

REFLECTION

My internship at OpenKnect concluded before entering the testing phase. Nonetheless, I experienced substantial growth in UX/UI and honed soft skills as a designer.

The takeaway from  this project

- Google Material 3:
This internship deepened my knowledge in Material 3, refining my skills in modern design principles and interface creation.

- Practical Feature Selection:
Trimming down app features balanced user expectations with technical constraints, ensuring a more feasible development process.

- Crucial Team Collaboration:
The collaboration between design and development teams was essential. Regular communication and feedback sessions enhanced our understanding of technical constraints and user experience goals, resulting in a more refined and feasible web app design.

How can improvements be made?

- Quantifiable Data:

A substantial part of our design decision data was qualitative; incorporating surveys can seamlessly generate quantitative insights, offering a more robust foundation.


- User Confirmation:

Our interaction with potential users concluded post-research, and dedicating more time to wireframe testing could have provided valuable insights.


- Diverse Research Sources:

Acknowledging our reliance on qualitative data, allocating more time to research from various sources is crucial. This mitigates bias and minimizes anecdotal evidence for a more comprehensive understanding.

Thank you for your time :)

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