Skills Sprint: Sprinting towards a digitalised future
Having taken part in several creative designing, entrepreneurial, and marketing projects, I was not only drawn to learning more about digital design but also something new this summer — this course did just that.
by Summer Sutanto
Over the course of six weeks from June to end July 2021, CareerContact carried out its fourth-ever Digital Skills Sprint. In the first two weeks, students were introduced to the fundamentals of User Experience (UX), User Interface Design (UI), Low/No-code web development and Digital Marketing. Every day involved small assignments that culminated in a mini-project. After completing CareerContact’s online digital skills curriculum, students embarked on a month-long digital challenge with partner SMEs in Singapore.
Digitalisation is growing faster than expected, taking shape in many different ways. Having taken part in several creative designing, entrepreneurial, and marketing projects, I was drawn to learning more about digital design this summer— and this course did just that. Through the User Experience (UX) and research process in particular, I learned something new every day. Whether numerically or through observation, I was able to gain insight into different viewpoints on everyday experiences, both positive and negative.
Supplementary to the UX design was the User Interface (UI) design. Although I was familiar with the concept, I now can exercise better judgment when deciding which features and graphic designs to include. Lastly, gaining more knowledge about digital marketing was the cherry on top of the UX/UI design process. Throughout the two weeks of the course, we continued to develop our individual projects.
Individual Project: I.l.food
During this stay-at-home period, many people have turned to cooking or baking to ease their boredom — leading some to eventually start their own cookeries/bakeries at home. By utilising certain social media platforms, home chefs are continuously promoting their goods whereas food junkies are constantly scouting for the latest treat to satisfy their food cravings.
“I Love Food (i.l.food) was created out of a pure passion for food lovers and creators. The company’s goals, ambitions, and inspirations to unite and support one another during this global pandemic hope to continue a cycle of creator and food-lover satisfaction. Through constant updates on our application, regulated through user feedback, i.l.food goes above and beyond to ensure customer contentment and meaningful partnership with our merchants. “
Design Process (UX, UI, Digital Marketing)
As per the Design Double Diamond journey, the first part of i.l.food’s design process was the UX design. To start off, I conducted research by sending out a Google Form to gain user perspectives from both home cooks and potential buyers.
Results of the survey display the challenges of home cooks selling their products on their current platforms such as sales tracking, exposure, and advertisement. Nonetheless, respondents also indicated features they enjoy from using their favorite platforms such as free (no-cost), commonality amongst target customers, and ease of use. Moreover, potential users/buyers have also indicated the convenience of buying homemade goods through their current platforms; yet, place emphasis on the delays in orders.
Through further research and follow-up conversations, I was more equipped to create a solution the market truly needed. Prioritising user needs increases positive experiences for the user and ensures a “need” for the product. However, conducting extensive research is not limited to the business itself, but can be applied universally. It is important to establish a strong understanding of the issue before one can create an effective solution. The more designers that are able to walk in users’ shoes, the better technological tools can create better and more creative solutions.
Organising the information you have acquired through a method known as affinity mapping helps identify, sort the main problem(s) and find potential solutions, even as early as this stage.
Now with a bigger picture in mind, I created a user persona, to keep in mind my ideal clients, along with a ‘How Might We’ problem statement, that eventually guided me to create a user journey map.
Moving forward, I created low-fidelity prototypes: rough sketches of designs that could be potentially used for the application. Drawing inspiration from the web, I accumulated several images, designs, color palettes to use as part of my design. I chose more nurturing and soft tones that elicit the feeling of homecooked or baked goods. Next, I created wireframes on Figma that illustrated the application’s appearance but were subject to change based on user feedback.
Aside from creating the application designs, I was to make a website that would be used to inform the public about the product and offer insight into the design process. Consequently, I used techniques such as Card Sorting and Tree Jacking to outline the user flow and design of the website.
Furthermore, I conducted a SWOT analysis of my products to identify opportunities, threats, strengths, and weaknesses. This was helpful in creating strategies to ensure a competitive edge in the market.
In summary
Overall, I am pleased with the amount of information and knowledge that I have acquired over the course of two weeks. The pandemic has impeded many employees from returning to their workspaces, conveying the bleak truth of the importance of technological literacy. Nevertheless, technology, creativity, and digitalisation go hand in hand, unlocking new opportunities for advancement. Learning tools and skills such as UX, UI, and digital marketing allowed me to grow as a more effective self-directing learner. Especially through the online self-learning method with additional guidance from the mentor.
In an economic environment where customer demands constantly change in response to technology, the skills learned in CareerContact’s Skills Week can be beneficial for SMEs. It reduces costs through an automated business strategy with a process that is less reliant on manpower. Henceforth, I hope to be able to enhance my understanding of consumer behaviour and collaborate with SMEs I work with now and in the future.
Summer is a rising 11th grade student at United World College Southeast Asia (Singapore).
CareerContact is an ed-tech platform designed to bridge the gap between school and work. We help students develop digital skills and connect them with SMEs in Southeast Asia. Feel free to reach out to us at CareerContact.cc or check out our courses on Thinkific.
