✦ Overview

Client: Indeed.com

Team: Saam Ejlali, Raya Ranjbar, Lily Zimmerman, Felicia Chandra, Dana Wang

Project: Revamping Job Search for College Graduates

Duration: 3 Months

My role:

• Conducted heuristic evaluation on indeed.com and combined it with the evaluations of my team members.

• Assisted with research preparation to ensure the usability tests would yield meaningful results.

• Wrote the script for the usability tests in a way that allowed us to collect both qualitative and quantitative data.

• Recruited applicants who matched our user persona description in coordination with the rest of the team, who also recruited three applicants each.

• Facilitated three usability tests, as did every member of the team.

• Synthesized the findings of all team members, collating the data we gathered to identify trends and key insights.

• Created visual representations of the data to aid in our analysis and presentation of the results.

• Developed the final presentation, integrating all of our findings and presenting them in a clear and concise manner.

✦ Challange

Indeed is thinking of appealing to young college professionals. Based on the given user persona, create a strategic plan for indeed.com; targeted towards this persona.

✦ Mobile-First Analysis

Findings:

• The given user persona prioritized mobile-first design, but our research found that this demographic may not be fully receptive to mobile job searches.

Pain-points:

1. Users had to re-input their data when directed to an employer's site.

2. Accessing files through mobile devices was difficult for some users.

3. Some job search websites were not mobile-friendly.

4. Updating information during the application process was a hassle for many mobile users.

Solutions:

1. Vet employer sites and establish standards for those directing potential employees to their site.

2. Incentivize employers to post directly on Indeed.com through discounts.

3. Communicate the benefits of mobile-first design and posting directly through Indeed.com to employers.

✦ Heuristics Report - Website

To gain a better understanding of the user experience on indeed.com, we took the following steps:

• Conducted a thorough heuristic evaluation of the website to assess its adherence to key design principles such as the Support Mental model, situational awareness, and supporting user goals.

• Utilized the findings of the heuristic evaluation to identify user needs, pain points, and user goals for our persona.

By taking these steps, we were able to gain valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of indeed.com's design, as well as the needs and goals of our target user. This information informed our approach to the subsequent phases of our research and helped ensure that our efforts were aligned with the needs and expectations of our users.

Key findings:

• When multiple steps are required of the user, there is no clear indication of where in the process they are at each stage.

• Lack of transparency through communication.

• Underutilization of valuable content. (Career Advice)

✦ Usability Test - Script

After identifying the user needs, pain points, and goals, we had to test our hypothesis. Based on the questions that we came up with from our heuristic report, we put a script together to test our hypothesis.

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Script Break Down:

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• In section A, we are trying to identify our demographic.

• In section B, we ask them general questions about the site. Have you been to this site before? What are your first impressions? Etc. 

• Section C is where we ask them to apply for any job that they like so we can test the search result accuracy.

• Section D is the controlled task where we asked the user to apply for a job at Nana’s Green Tea. We were also trying to see if the user knows they have created a profile once they use the easy apply option.

• Section E is where we asked the users to find the career advice section.

✦ Usability Test - Interview Sample

Subsequently, the script was utilized to conduct interviews with a cohort of fifteen college students enrolled at the University of Washington. Sample interviews are available for your review below, and for a comprehensive listing, kindly consult the usability script.

✦ Usability Test - Data

After conducting the interviews, I analyzed the collected data using Excel and Tableau to evaluate the product's usability. This involved examining both quantitative and qualitative information gathered from the interviews. 

✦ Task 1 - Search Result Accuracy

Findings:​

• Our research shows that we have a 73% above-average satisfaction rate.

• However, when we asked some of the subjects, “Do you have enough information to make a selection from the results given?” for some, their answers vary greatly. We need more data.

• Some subjects may have felt that they were being rushed into applying for a job. Thus, not thinking critically about their decisions.

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Solution:​

• Talk with developers about how to further improve the accuracy of the search results.

✦ Task 2 - Controlled Search - Apply to Work at Nana's Green Tea

Findings:

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• 100% of the subjects had no idea that they had just created an account after applying directly through Indeed.

• The lack of transparent communication violates the heuristic rule of visibility of system status.

• It leaves the users unsure of how Indeed will use their private information.

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Solutions:

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• Add a navigation bar on the top to indicate where the users are when they are applying for jobs.

• Private information should not be required to proceed to the next step.

• Add a window asking the users whether or not they want to continue completing the profile.  Letting users know that they are about to create a profile.

• Demonstrate all the benefits of having an account.

• Add a back button option to give the users a way out if they don’t feel like registering for one.

✦ Task 3 - Find the Career Advice Page - Tree Testing

Why does this matter?

Taking our persona into consideration, this information could really help young college professionals to get a head start in their careers.

Findings:

• 47% of subjects (6 out of 15) did not find the career advice section.

• The people that did find it, found it quickly. This indicates that they are power users.

• During our interviews with the Indeed staff, we found out that they are using the career advice section as bait to get higher ratings on the Google search result. It is not their top priority.

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Solution:

• The homepage is the most viewed page on the website.

• It is the first step in the user journey.

• It also creates the first impression.

• The current strip at the bottom only serves a small portion of the population.

• Add a career advice strip to the Homepage.

• It is a useful tool for all.

• It shows that you care.

• You will have a higher retention rate.

✦ Final Presentation