Interview Preparation Platform-UX Case Study
Navigating the Challenges of My First Freelance Project
Introduction
Fulcrum is more than an interview prep platform; it’s your go-to for all-around career readiness. What sets Fulcrum apart is its focus on preparing candidates for their target companies. The platform offers a range of services aimed at empowering individuals at every stage of their careers.
In addition to refining interview skills Fulcrum also assists with creating personalized resumes ensuring that users can effectively highlight their abilities. To further enhance preparation realistic mock tests are available for users to practice and gain confidence in an interview setting. One key aspect that distinguishes Fulcrum is its dedication to user growth providing feedback of interview sessions and conducting analyses to identify strengths and areas, for improvement.
Background
Riya, a college student on the verge of graduation and eager to enter the professional world. As Riya prepared for her first job interviews, she encountered the challenges many college students face when transitioning from academia to the workforce. She recognizes that interview preparation for a student is different and that different companies have unique expectations.
Existing interview preparation platforms seemed distant and generic, leaving her with the lingering question, “What happens now?" Lisa’s frustration mirrored that of countless students in similar situations. The need for a resource that understood the unique concerns of college students became apparent. This is where Fulcrum comes into play.
My Role
It was a solo freelance project, so i was the only designer working on it and the deadlines were also tight. Considering it is a SaaS product and it was my first time working on a SaaS product from scratch, It was a rough ride.
Facilitating seamless communication with clients, conducting in-depth user interviews, conducting surveys, and thorough competitor analyses were just the beginning of my multifaceted responsibilities. In addition to these foundational tasks, my role extended to encompass..
1. Analyzed and organized the requirements, and defined the problems
2. Conducted research and user interview to verify the use cases
3. Created user flows and wireframes to communicate with stakeholders.
4. Created an Prototype for user testing.
5. Created the high-fidelity mockups.
Timeline: 1 month
Target Market
The potential user base has diverse members such as recent grads and mid-career professionals. They seek job interview help and career growth.
Most Fulcrum users are early in their careers or looking to advance professionally. They want help in interviews due to lack of experience. The users often have limited time. They need an easy platform that helps them prepare for interviews efficiently.
Use Cases
- Riya, a final year college student is gearing up for her initial job interview in the tech industry. Wanting to make a strong impression, she explores an interview preparation platform. Riya decides to use the platform to enhance her interview skills.
- Prakhar, a mid-career professional looking for a career shift, comes across a comprehensive career resource while researching online. Prakhar decides to leverage the insights to analyze industry requirements, identify growth areas, and create a strategic plan for his career advancement.
- Pulkit, an experienced professional, decides to explore a platform initially known for interviewee preparation. While navigating the platform, Pulkit discovers an option to become an interviewer. Fascinated by the chance to offer their knowledge and unique perspectives, Pulkit decided to delve deeper into this aspect.
User Research
Survey: 43 Responses
Age: The majority of respondents fall within the 22–34 age group, indicating a significant representation of people who are just starting or are mid-career professionals.
Occupation: A diverse range of participants includes recent graduates, mid-career professionals, and senior-level professionals.
Starting my research with a google form survey, I gathered some useful information such as the age of majority users, how do they prepare for interview, What features will they find most valuable, and what their travel pain points often were. The two pain points that lead to Fulcrum’s Most Viable Product (MVP) features were ‘Generic Interview Preparation’ and ‘Lack of Comprehensive Career Guidance’.
I thought this question “How likely are you use an interview preparation plaform” was interesting as it indicated to me that there is a significant demand of preparation plaform.
The question “How often do you anticipate accessing the platform from a mobile device” was useful as it helped me understand that most respondents are interested in using it only on laptop.
Survey Questions Asked:
- What is your age range?
- What is your current employment status?
- What features would you find most valuable in an interview preparation platform?
- How do you prefer to consume interview preparation content?
- How important is it for you to have a personalized interview preparation experience tailored to your specific needs and goals?
- Would you be interested in customization options for your interview preparation journey?
- How often do you anticipate accessing the platform from a mobile device?
- What additional features would you like to see in this platform?
- Is there anything else you would like to share or suggest regarding your ideal interview preparation platform?
Overall the survey gave me some useful answers but it should be redone with more pointed questions that support the app’s current MVP features.
Interviews: 6 Interviewees
Lastly, I interviewed six people, four face to face and two were done over the phone. All of them had varied motives and experiences. My interviewees were quite cooperative and happy to talk about their experiences.
Although I know my interviewees are mostly from technical background and Tier-1 college graduates but it was suprising that they haven’t used any platform for company specific preparation. They usually prepared using the past interview questions and placement tests.
Interview Questions Asked:
- How old are you?
- What does your typical day look like?
- Some of the preparation apps you use on a regular basis?
- Tell me about your role at your company.
- How did you come across the interview preparation platform you’re currently using or considering?
- What motivated you to explore interview preparation platforms in the first place?
- What do you like or dislike about these other apps?
- Are you looking for assistance in a particular aspect of interview preparation, such as mock interviews, resume creation, or company-specific insights?
- What aspects of interview preparation do you find most challenging or time-consuming?
- Can you share any challenges or pain points you’ve encountered in your previous experiences with interview preparation?
- If you’re currently using an interview preparation platform, what do you like most about it?
- Final questions, comments?
My all interviews ran for 25–30minutes. They were fun for me, and I obtained more crucial data as compared to that gathered in the survey. Understanding someone’s body language and facial expression proved very helpful in realizing whether to go further down a line of questioning or know when I hit a dead end.
Personas
Using my survey and interviews I combined my findings to create three personas that would be typical users of Fulcrum.
Riya: an ambivert 20-year-old college student, aims to secure her first job in tech sector. Lacking experience in professional interviews and uncertain about industry expectations, she seeks targeted interview prep for specific tech roles.
Prakhar: a 28-year-old Marketing coordinator with several years of experience in non-tech industry, seeks to enhance interview skills for career progression in marketing. Facing challenges in preparing for interviews, needs interview preparation tailored to non-tech fields and guidance on effectively communicating marketing expertise.
Pulkit: a 40 year old Business Analyst with extensive experience in his field.Wants to leverage expertise to contribute as an interviewer, share insights, and expand professional network.
Colleges: wants their students to be prepared for interviews, wants to offer mock interviews, lacks people and it would be more economical to partner with some other platform
Must Haves:
- Targeted Interview Preparation
- Non-tech roles preparation
- Growth Analysis
- Mock interview with remarks
Pain Points:
- Generic Interview Preparation
- Resume Ineffectiveness
- Platform navigation
- Limited Soft Skills Focus
- Overwhelming Content Volume
- Unclear Interviewer Criteria
- Unable to find the platform
Empathy Maps
SWOT Analysis
Competitive Analysis
As we don’t have the first mover’s advantage in this sector, so we need to at least provide something that the competitors lack. For understanding the features provided by the competitors, i studied and used their platforms.
Here’s an overview of the our competitors:
MVP Features
There are preparation behemoths such as GeekforGeeks, InterviewBit, Preplaced, Interview buddy etc that already do many tasks incredibly well. To differentiate itself, therefore, Fulcrum has to be unique. The majority of people I surveyed or interviewed are already using these giants and would gladly remain so, until someone comes up with something better.
- Preparation for non tech roles
- Limited Content Volume
- Remarks from interviews
- Option for colleges to give access to this platform with curriculum so that even college can keep a record
Userflows
Wireframes
Technical Constraints
- Compatibility Issues:
It may face challenges in ensuring compatibility across various devices, browsers, and operating systems. - Tech Bandwidth:
Didn’t have the bandwidth to integrate AI based resume creator in MVP
Design System
Hi-fidelity UI
Feedback
The stakeholders towards the end asked me to change the primary color towards PURPLE, I tried my best to make them understand why BLUE will be more suitable but they were rigid so finally I changed the color to purple.
Learnings
- A major lesson learned was understanding that a thorough freelance agreement is crucial. By clearly laying down of terms, expectations, and payment structures between both parties, a mutual understanding was established and thus avoiding any mix ups.
- Knowing how to communicate effectively with the clients, appreciate their needs, & maintain a harmonious relationship with them. The main thing to successful project is clear and constant communication.
- As it was a freelance project, I was the only one responsible for it. So i learnt a lot about taking responsibility and getting things done on time
Thanks a lot for reading. Have any doubts or want to discuss anything, shoot an email at priiiyanshu.design@gmail.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.
