Design an accessible career mentorship service to help new college grads

Figma
Project Overview
The product consists of a mobile app and a website for individuals who are new in their careers and looking for a mentor in their field.
Responsibilities
- User research
- Prototyping
- Wireframing
- Low and high fidelity prototypes
The Problem
It is often difficult to connect with a mentor after graduating college. Not all colleges offer easy ways to connect with mentors.
The Goal
- Make the mentorship process accessible to everyone.
- Make the process of connect with a mentor simple and straightforward for all parties involved.
User Research
Summary
User Research
Summary
I conducted a research study for a few different groups of people including; new college graduates, graduates new in their career field and working professionals who are experienced in their field.

I initially thought that a lot of these individuals would have resources from their academic institution to help them merge in to their career field. I was surprised to find that there was a huge barrier preventing the new graduates from merging into their field of choice. The working professionals also vocalized that they would love to mentor, but didn’t know how or where to connect with new graduates.
User Research
Pain Points
1) Need to consider trade schools:
The users pointed out that the app should be beneficial to people who are in trade schools. Need to tweak the wording to allow this functionality.

2) It's not always easy to connect via social media:
The users specified that they use LinkedIn as a primary connection source. Need to add a direct link to each LinkedIn profile.

3) Users aren't always confident in their abilities, since they are new in the field:
It may be intimidating to a new graduate to message a mentor. Offer some suggested starter prompts to get the conversation started.

4) Users aren't sure how to connect offline:
The app can offer ways to connect in and outside of the app including; phone calls, office tours, in person meetings etc. . 

User testing findings

- The app needs to include video as a way to contact mentors.
- A scheduling function would be beneficial to both the mentor and the person looking to connect.
- The app can be beneficial to both degree holders and individuals in trades.
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Mockup Revisions

High-fidelity prototype flow

Individual mobile mockup frames

Link to prototype:

https://xd.adobe.com/view/39254840-f500-4dbc-bd56-11efb6146939-6c76/

Individual desktop mockup frames

Link to prototype:

https://www.figma.com/file/HMFoltk03UhAGLbT2xSKEB/Job-Mentor-Website?node-id=0%3A1

Impact

“I think this product will be useful for many organizations and individuals. It will help connect the bridge between mentors and people looking to enter the workforce.”

Next Steps

- Send to developers to construct for both mobile and desktop with responsive functionality.
- Implement usability studies for both web and mobile products to determine any new insights.
- Propose the app to universities, companies and social media platforms as a way to get mentors involved.
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