Role
Product Designer
Size
Client
Service NSW
How we might better showcase SNSW Digital to potential candidates.
Problem Statement
HMW create a more accurate representation of what it's like to work at SNSW Digital, by showcasing what it is we do and how we do it, so that we can attract (and retain) skilled practitioners to SNSW digital services.
Methods
Empathising
Contextual Observation
Interviews
Generative Workshops
Synthesising
Personas
Affinity Diagramming
Ideation
Storyboards
User Journey Map
Prototyping
Testing
Usability Testing w/ Think Aloud Protocol
Context
My responsibility
I worked as a product designer with other 2 content designers and 2 product designers, I participated in user research, synthesising and other design activities. I took the lead in prototyping, UI design and communications with some of the stakeholders including IworkforNSW, the Creative team and the Website team.
Problem Statement
HMW create a more accurate representation of what it's like to work at SNSW Digital, by showcasing what it is we do and how we do it, so that we can attract (and retain) skilled practitioners to SNSW digital services.
Scope
We had explored candidates' Journey, and found out larger problems all over the recruitment process, but the scope of this project would be to focus on how we might better showcase SNSW Digital that can lead to potential conversion.
Prototyping
The project was brought to the top of the priorities because of hiring pressure, but it also influenced our pace in some way. Due to time constraints, we shifted to the CMS to host our page, but it affects the flexibility of our design. So I created a Drupal version of our design to quickly reflect our changes, which is also be used for later user testing.
Original Design
Based on the findings of concept testing, we re-order the information architecture and added new sections to test with users based on feedback
Drupal compatible version
After the conversion with stakeholders, we decided to implement our site on drupal to save time, but also it came with design changes.
Final Design
Concept & Testing
Iteration 1
Learning goals
The questions can be categorised into themes including recommendation for our career landing page, recruitment journey, knowledge of SNSW, what attracted them to the role, considerations when looking for a new role, expectations for a career landing page, categorisations preferences- departments vs disciplines, visual preferences, red flags
Feedback synthesising
We conducted 11 user testings, the findings is quite broad, the themes were categorised into landing-page related and recruitment journey related, we focused on the former as it will guide us on the design, but we also share our learnings and insights with relevant teams
User-testing
Key Takeaways
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6/11 users mentioned that they research the company only AFTER checking if there are suitable roles available for them(committed user type).
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This is also why those 6/11 participants(5 engineers) said they would go straight to the CTA to first check if there was an open role that fits their skill set.
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With hiring engineers as the top priority, we decided on a later design to accommodate their needs first.
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"I didn't know SNSW digital had a business focus, I only knew about the mobile app. So would be good to know these depts"
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Be aware of- Lack of diversity, outdated tools, over the use of buzz words (culture of "hard-workers" without well-being balance)
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Opportunity to myth-bust stereotypes of working for the government.
What others say about me
"Mike was great to work with over the last few months. He was reliable, proactive and passionate about the project we worked on together"
"Mike was a great asset to the SNSW Careers Landing Page project. He came in with fresh ideas e.g. Suggesting that we create personas when we identified trends in our user research."
"Mike is enthusiastic, friendly, and keen to take on the tasks - He's created some great designs on Figma, He is very approachable, this makes it easy to chat to him and easy for participants to speak when he conducts user interviews or usability testing"
"I valued that Mike took accessibility and inclusion into consideration throughout the process. It's always great working with someone who brings in fresh energy, new ideas and who has a great attitude towards growth."
View other work
Initial Concept
Goal
Focused on information architecture, and what would users like to see on the page, the User testings were run with 4 internal staff who recently joined SNSW
The Archetypes
After I joined the team and synthesised the data, I caught a trend that could help us communicate with our audience more effectively. The personas that I help created bridged the gap between customer needs and project priorities. They also guided our later design focus and content strategy with the committed candidates being the top priority.
Approach
The team wasn't fully formed until it became the director's priority, I joined the team at the synthesising stage at Iteration 1, and from that point, I took the lead in prototyping and UI design
Exploratory candidates
looking at multiple job sites at once and keep comparing them.
Committed candidates
know what they want and actively looking for a digital role in government, focus on their skills/development.
Key changes
Priorities
6/11 of the testers, 5 of them engineers, consider the job ad as the most helpful stage of acquiring information - moving the job advert section higher up would benefit them (committed user type)
Content
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Condense the top two sections into a single introduction as users felt it was repetitive and taking up too much space
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Use more icons, be more descriptive with the benefits
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Highlight key terms (hybrid working, guilds, etc), and diversify imagery
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A variety of products and technologies should be mentioned on our site - either through copy or imagery
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Remove the 'customer testimonial' section as most found it the least meaningful, and potentially disingenuous
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Repurpose video to include real footage of the workplace, while including our tools and products as well to speak to our team section
Overall Layout
The new proposed design will be more compact, as it will minimise the scrolls and accommodate both user type needs, to see the most relevant information upfront
Next step
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The majority of users expected to see case studies behind the product snapshot tiles to gain meaningful value.
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Continue considering accessibility and diversity within our design and content
