Case study: REDEMPTION, A centered around providing easy access to jobs to the formerly incarcerated
Project Overview
This was a very challenging project for me because i understand level of stigma attached to ex-convicts in Nigeria and the realities of an average employer offering jobs to those formerly incarcerated. While human-centred design is at the fore-front of what we do as designers, it’s pertinent i try to solve an existing problem and hopefully, this could help some NGOs out there in looking out for them and ushering them into the society in a better way as everyone deserves second chance.
Research findings
some key findings as to why its tough for the formerly incarcerated to get jobs are listed below
- Limited experience and cognitive skills
- Limited work experience as the world have left them behind
- Substance abuse & physical/mental health problem
- General lack of support by members of the public and the continued stigma
- Failure to secure sustainable employment and housing is a key reason that people re-enter prison
- 80% 0f Ex-convicts get re-arrested within 5 years according to Tribune newspaper.
- There is no real stat on the number of Nigerians in jail as over 70% convicted are still standing trial which makes it a total chaos.
Project scope
Find a solution that gives ex-convicts a better chance at securing jobs which would obviously need some input from NGOs and sponsors. come up with a dedicated mobile app and a responsive website.
Project Duration
2 weeks
Role
Responsible for the entire Design process
Responsibilities
Creating Affinity maps, User personas, Journey map, Creating user-centered designs by understanding business requirements, User research, conducting interviews, and user feedback. Creating user flows, Paper prototypes, Responsive website design, wireframes, Low and High fidelity prototypes, Usability testing and studies, factoring accessibility in my design and mockups. Translating requirements into style guides, design systems, design patterns, and attractive user interfaces.
Tools
- Figma
- Miro
- Google slides
- Google sheets
- Google Docs
Why the incarcerated?
According to the United Nation StandardMinimum rules for the treatment offenders, the periodof imprisonment should be used as much as possible to ensure that upon returning to the society, ex-prisoners shouldbe able to live law abiding and self-supporting life (United Nations, 1955).
MY DESIGN THINKING PROCESS
User Research
It was a challenge getting info from ex-convicts in Nigeria so i had to make do with research on existing journals to bridge a lacuna in knowledge
An excerpt from a research done by Ugwuoke, Kelvin Abuchi
Results show that all sixty-three (63) respondents representing 100% reported that they were stigmatized by members of their communities and that denial, mistrust and question marks put on them by government officials and ordinary people have decelerated their momentum to receive important social assistance and support available in their communities.
Results also showed that ex-prisoners were not effectively prepared for reintegration into their communities when they were in prison. out of the 63 ex-prisoners interviewed, only two (2) are trained as carpenters. Clement, a 38 years old male who served 9 years for drug related offences recount his ordeal in prison:
“I was sentenced to 4 years in prison for dealing and trafficking in cannabis. when I got to the prison, I was just idle without much to do except to sleep and eat. Infact, for the period I served, I did not acquire any skill that can help me stay off drug peddling! eventually I was released and I had nothing doing because I have no skills! The workshops in the prison where I served were obsolete and not functioning”.
Isidore, a 35 years oldpetrol attendant share his experience:
”I was released from Eket prison 3years ago (2008). for two years, I was jobless. I lost all of the job opportunities I had because I was an ex- prisoner! I was seen as a social misfit, an unreliable person. Even my present Job is being threatened.
Anefiok is a 31 years old store attendant who abused cannabis andtobacco when he was in prison.
“when I got to prison, I had to take to drugs so as to help me relieve the pains of imprisonment! I was stressed up and all my cellmates smoked mari6uana and cigarette! my cellmates hoodwinked me into smoking. After I was released from prison in 2009, I continued with the act of smoking.”
User Pain point
- Lack of human capital and required skills to sustain them after incarceration.
- Lack of accommodation.
- Stigmatization.
- Lack of jobs.
- Drug use and related problems.
User personas
Affinity Map
Competitive Audit
I ensured i researched on companies that are already doing this and while it was tough getting meaningful insight around Nigeria, i had to seek solace on information i got from other parts of the world, mainly from felonyrecordhub.com, Ex-offenders.net just to name a few. However while most of them didn’t make allocation on dedicated mobile app. I had to improvise.
User journey map
Mapping out the user journey of two ideal users: one user making use of the dedicated mobile app and the other hypothetical user making use a responsive website.
IDEATION
Part 1: Framing the problem
Q1. How might we, bring together community leaders, NGOs and the common people to bring about a unified social change to ease ex-convicts back into the society?
Q2. How might we, increase awareness on the need to give ex-convicts equal chance at job?
Q3. How might we, institutionalize a culture of helping ex-convicts in a country where they are seen as a misfit?
Q4. How might we, legitimize the authenticity and positive impact created from volunteering?
Part 2: Brainstorming solutions:
A dedicated mobile app and responsive website that gives Ex-convict a second chance at life with different tools to upskill themselves while trying to secure a job which the final product sought out to do being the middle man between companies and the target users. It would be made possible offcourse with collaboration from NGOs, Charitable causes e.t.c
Sketching (Crazy 8s)
DESIGN PHASE
Design Approach: Progressive Enhancement
Step 1: I decided to start my design process from the smallest screen to the largest and as such, i sought out to create a dedicated mobile app first as i felt i had to since i couldn’t locate applications that targets that pain point.
Step 2: An attempt was made to come up with a responsive website for three viewports namely Desktop, Ipad and Mobile so users could access the platform anyway they choose.
Dedicated Mobile App
Sitemap
After i was done with my research and the functionalities i envisaged could work well in line with my primary goal. i drew a sitemap on how my target users would use the app.
Paper Sketch
I sketched samples on how i wanted the overall app to feel. that gave me much needed clarity as i could iterate easily and have a bird eye view on what key features needed to be included.
Digital Wireframe
I decided to refine my sketch after making a final decision on what needed to be included in my design.
Low fidelity prototype
I linked up all the screens together to make a replica of how the overall app would feel
Usability test
I carried out usability test after my low-fidelity was tested. i needed to know if users could complete my set task with ease and if they couldn’t, what are the reasons why there was a stumbling block.. In a nutshell, the test went well asides me having a few hiccups with my white spacing, some interaction not flowing seamlessly unless they tapped the button over and over.
This gave m much needed clarity as i went back to my artboard to correct those mistake and further re-test to be sure it was no longer there.
Design System
In order to make my work seamless, i drafted out my design components ranging from icons, typography, color, font sizes, Animation to be used, modal screens, buttons, Navbar and footer components e.t.c
Mockups
I took another step in my design process by coming up with screens that looked like the real deal. Adding visuals, icons, typography, animations to the design to give it life.
High fidelity prototype
After my mockup screens were ready, i linked up the screens to form a full app.
Usability test for my High fidelity prototype
I carried out usability testing on users just to note if there are stumbling blocks and i get quite a number of reviews but they were mostly related to decisions around either using an svg animation or real life pictures to perfectly depict what i was driving at. the app needed to have that emotional side to it and the animations wouldn’t do justice to it. Asides that, the other complains i got were around transition from one screen to the other.. The movement needed to be slick so i had to take extra classes on how to make good use of prototyping tools. I had to look up Protopie, some figma animation plugins like lottiflies.
RESPONSIVE WEBSITE
It was time to design the website and that came with its own demand.. what would it feature and how should the overall web app feel.
IDEATION
Part 1: Framing the problem
Q1. How might we we build a platform that gives Ex-convicts equal chance at job opportunities if they had the required skill?
Q2. How might we, increase awareness on the need to give ex-convicts equal chance at job?
Q3. How might we inspire them that the world truly cares about them?
Sketching (Crazy 8s)
DESIGN PHASE
Design Approach: Graceful Degradation
I started with the largest screen size which was the desktop version and then went a step down afterwards to design the tablet version, before finally doing the mobile version.
Digital Wireframe and Low fidelity design
Mockups and High fidelity design
Accessibility
Considering the users this product was focused on were Ex-convicts, i had to put them in mind as i figured they might be out of touch with technology. so i took the following steps
- I ensured they didn’t have to register or sign in with an email as they might not have any. so a phone number would be good to go.
- I ensured it had language functionality as there are several tribes in Nigeria so they can comfortably use the app irrespective of the language they speak.
- I ensured it had a voice option which could detect what language they speak so as to change the language of the app if they don’t know their way around the app.
- I used headings with different size texts for visual hierarchy.
- I made use of icons that easily give away what a function does.
Problems faced
- It was a daunting task for me because i didn’t know what to expect when i took on this project as my last project idea in the Google UX Design course but i needed the uncertainty as i knew i would face tougher jobs… Issues surrounding adequate data was a problem for me the data weren’t readily available and so, i had to make do with secondary data.
- it was tough doing a full project consisting of a dedicated mobile app and responsive website for 3 different screen sizes.. dedicating so much time and effort on it with less time was real hardwork.
TAKEAWAYS:
On my final Google UX Project, i was able to go over what i’ve learnt from my design journey. follow through on all the steps involved and come up with a masterpiece i can be proud of with little to no supervision.
- I learnt that you mustn’t get tired of getting feedbacks and iterating your designs to tally with what the users need.
- Research is the first step in solving problems. you can only solve problems you have data to back up.
- Good prototyping skill can’t be overestimated.
- I also learnt that the learning never stop with design. it’s a lifetime process.
Thank you for taking the time out to read my piece.
If you’re interested in this project and what to hear more, see more of my work, or just want to chat, feel free to contact me!
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