Building an App to help students and professionals make better career choices.
10 min read
Product
Nxtout.app
Role
Co-founder, Design & Product
Responsibilities
Product Design, User Research, Product Management
Team
Timeframe
Jun 2019 - Aug 2021
The Challenge
In 2019, we aimed to solve a major challenge faced by students and professionals in Sweden— the struggle to choose the right study program or a job that align with their interests and skill sets. Largely due to lack of guidance, overwhelming choices, biased information and mismatch of skills and jobs.
The Solution
We launched Nxtout— a web app that allowed users to explore honest opinions on schools, workplaces, study programs, and professions, enabling informed decisions about their careers. We were one of the 10 startups in Sweden selected for the Jönköping Science Park's Product Accelerator program in Autumn 2019.
My Role
I wore multiple hats at Nxtout—conducting user research, leading design reviews, design prototyping, and managing hand-offs for developers. Additionally, I worked closely with our engineering team to execute the development.
Problem Discovery
Back in 2011, when I moved to Sweden to study design, I have had so many students from my alma mater connect with me to learn about the right study program to pursue that matched with their interests. In India, it’s common to earn a degree first and then figure out what to do next.
The narrative wasn’t any different in Sweden. During our design education, interacting with more students at the university, we discovered that there were many who were still exploring several different career paths that didn’t really match with what we were studying. We learned that there was a huge gap in our understanding about what we had decided to learn in school and our career expectations.
For many who were trying to align their career paths with their interests, the task had become overwhelming. Some careers felt a lot more appealing to them than others in which they were actually good at. This was likely making them choose an alternate career path with all those years of school education going in vain.
The Motivation
At some point in our lives, we've all wished we had studied something entirely different in school, chosen a different workplace, a profession or even started something of our own. Sometimes we lack that push from a mentor or we're blinded by societal norms to not pursue something that we love. We lack enough evidence or information about things we are gifted to pursue.
For many of us, this scene from the movie 3 Idiots remains vivid- As soon as Farhan is born, his family already decides what he is going to become."Mera Beta Engineer Banega!" My son will become an engineer!.
While Farhan eventually pursued his passion for photography, it took him some time to get there. Those who discover their true passion and make a living out of it are the lucky ones. We decided to build Nxtout for the not so lucky ones- who needed help making the right career choices when it came to choosing a study program, a university, a workplace or a profession they're truly interested in.
Exploratory Study
In Sweden, 34% of workers are in fields unrelated to their studies, and only 30% of young Swedes are aware of which disciplines offer good job prospects. As a result, field of study mismatch is common, with 71% of humanities, language, and arts graduates and over 60% of agriculture and veterinary graduates working in different jobs.
30%
Graduate students regret their choice of education
17%
Drop out during a program due to the wrong choice of program
50%
Unhappy with what they had studied and what they do in their jobs
"Only a few choose to become a teacher or a nurse or an industrial worker in Sweden due to the way these jobs are perceived."
What the students have to say
A survey shared with 30 students from different study programs at the graduate school on their difficulty finding careers that match their interests and their motivations to seek a career outside their existing academic skill-set revealed the following perspectives.
Observations
Lack of firsthand information leading to career mismatch
Individuals frequently experience frustration while choosing career paths due to lack of firsthand information about university programs and professions. This gap often results in a disconnect between their selected study programmes and their actual interests or skills, leading to career misalignments.
"I remember my friend decided to drop off from a study programme and choose another one in the middle of the term. She said she had the wrong idea about the programme. She had already lost a year."
"I want to pursue something within law. I'm still at school and would want to learn more about studying law and the opportunities I may have. There is not much information available online. The internet is filled with tech content."
"There are friends of mine who complained about the lack of job roles that fit their interests and how difficult it was for them to find something online due to lack of it being less popular amongst others."
Seeking career paths outside academic skill-sets leading to career mismatch
People are seeking career paths that align not only with their academic skill-sets but also with their personal interests, which can change over time. However, the absence of concrete evidence about how their interests could translate into viable opportunities often results in them remaining in their current roles.
"I have a friend who is now a full-time sky-diving instructor in Germany. He studied Aerospace engineering. It’s normal to look for passion within your passion."
"I have this hunch to switch my career into a completely different profession matching with my love for the outdoors. I just cannot make a decision yet because I am not very confident about the choice I may make."
"If it’s something that they enjoy and pays well, then I don’t see why they shouldn’t opt for the alternative path as long as it pays well."
Not enough guidance from mentors or experienced professionals leading to mismatch
A sizable group of students emphasized the importance of receiving career guidance through mentors, whether on a regular or occasional basis. Another group who were aware of the skill gap problem were eager to help others by answering any questions they may have about related professions or study programmes.
"For me, I have always wished to have access to mentors or friends who share similar interests and who can guide me with answering the number of questions I have outside of my academics."
Lack of a dedicated career guidance app among students and professionals leading to mismatch
Majority of the participants showed interest in social apps and university websites when it came to finding the answers to career-related queries. The next best source was friends and family. About 80% of participants reiterated the need for a dedicated app for guiding students as the existing social apps were either distracting or filled with irrelevant content with regards to schools and workplaces.
"What I would want is something that lets me see how people are enjoying different jobs. That could help me make a choice between different roles I am interested in."
"If I could post questions directly to students or alumni in a school about their programmes and what are the potential career opportunities after."
"Individuals that know what they are capable of, what they want and where they are headed are needed on the market. That’s why it isn’t surprising that career opportunities can change for those that have found support."
Arriving at a hypothesis
At this juncture we hypothesized that students and professionals are more likely to pursue fulfilling careers when provided with a dedicated career guidance platform that helps bridge the gap between their personal interests, academic skills and available opportunities, as opposed to relying on existing social networking sites, friends and family.
Research
We decided to test this hypothetical scenario when students and professionals have a career-guidance platform solely dedicated to finding what truly matches their interests. At the onset of the research phase, we had enough aggregated data to build personas for the representative sample groups identified during the survey. We selected 3 unique personas during the study and followed up with an in-depth interview to narrow down on their motivations and pain points.
Understanding our personas
Alex, a student interested in a master’s program, was unsure which of two universities’ design programs to choose, as he hadn’t received helpful opinions from friends or other sources.
Eva, a design manager at Facebook, who also helps students from her alma mater by answering questions about careers and design in general. She was frustrated about not having an organised means to communicate with students and find the right questions to answer. The process was consuming a significant amount of her time.
Erik, an experienced professional, was considering a career switch to trekking guide after rediscovering his passion for the outdoors. We focused on him to explore career transitions, as data shows most professionals switch careers around age 39.
Identifying, listing and prioritising needs and wants
Using the information from the interviews and the personas developed, we derived a list of user needs and wants that were prioritised based on a MoSCoW prioritisation technique.
Understanding the market
Where would this platform sit amongst other solutions currently in use? What are some USPs we can brainstorm that would help our users better than what they are using now? To answer some of these questions, we also did a benchmarking study of the current market and the current trends of top website usage in Sweden.
Based on the most frequently visited sites in Sweden and the preferences indicated in the survey, Facebook and Reddit had the highest adoption amongst the participants. We were also able to list some of the strengths and weaknesses of the websites and apps currently in use, which would help us come up with potential concepts. It was interesting to note that LinkedIn and Quora had very little adoption in Sweden in general.
Making sense of it all
Our research highlighted the need for a platform that helps students and professionals find career-related answers, connect with mentors, and explore experiences from various professions and study programs. Anonymity, relevant discussions, validation, and rewards were key priorities. To target this niche, we also needed to include both traditional and non-traditional career topics, aligning with insights from our persona development and market analysis.
Brainstorming Ideas
We started with 15 minutes of research on ideal solutions, followed by 15 minutes of brainstorming. Each member then presented their ideas, explaining the thought process. Finally, we rated them based on user needs, business and tech viability, resources, and market potential, selecting the highest-scoring idea for further development. Although the StoryApp idea scored the highest amongst others, some of the features from the other ideas were noted down for feature upgrades in the future.
Setting Design in Motion
Storyboarding
Using StoryApp as the reference for a potential concept that we could test, we came up with solution scenario keeping the personas in mind. We came up with 3 different storyboards for the 3 personas. The storyboards were presented to the respective personas for feedback. The idea was to check the level of empathy the users had with their storyboards and if the scenario was solving their problem in any way.
The storyboard review helped us come up with a basic flow for the platform with a list of potential screens and features. Since this was going to be a community app, we also decided to apply The Hook model of behavioral design wherever possible in the user flow. This would help us find ways to improve retention, introduce gamification while we design the product.
As soon as we had a basic architecture ready, we presented an early wireframe with our personas to gather early feedback on how their journeys presented using storyboards were going to be. The interaction was very fruitful as we were not only able to refine the overall architecture we had planned earlier, but also make adjustments to the features presented in the wireframe.
Lightning Demos
We aimed for a speedy ideation to explore the best practices used by popular social networks and using it to come up with our wireframes. A lightning demo was used to rapidly explore and brainstorm how the components and features from the user flow diagram was going to be put together. We explored several existing apps namely Reddit, Imgur, Quora, Pinterest and Medium to name a few, for inspiration. Components were rated across the team and
Wireframing
As soon as we had a basic architecture ready, I created wireframes for the desired user flow. We presented these with our personas to gather early feedback on how their journeys presented using storyboards were going to be. The interaction was very fruitful as we were not only able to refine the overall architecture we had planned earlier, but also make adjustments to the features presented in the wireframe before moving forward to prototyping.
Rapid Prototyping
At this stage, we were confident about what we were building. The feedback were largely positive. As soon as the final wireframes were reviewed and locked, we built an interactive prototype for an early evaluation with participants.
Evaluation
The entire session was a mix of qualitative and quantitative assessment. The interview guide was split into 4 parts- introduction with consent form, cognitive walkthroughs + survey, open-ended questions and concluding thoughts. The 1:1 session was conducted with 12 participants out of which we had a mix of students and professionals. 7 were experienced users of community apps like Reddit, Quora and Facebook groups. 5 were familar with these apps. All 12 participants had re-iterated a need for a career-guidance app earlier in the background studies.
Our goal was to evaluate the following and gather feedback before launching the public beta.
- Assess our task flows and user goals for both experienced and inexperienced users.
- Perform emotional assessment to improve user satisfaction and perceptions.
- Assess practicality, usability, functionality and accessibility of the overall prototype and suggest improvements.
Findings and iteration
Cognitive walkthroughs- Task flows and user goals
One major feedback was about the friction points on the landing page. Users stated they only got a vague idea about what they can expect from the platform. This affected the perception and usability of the product.
This had to be addressed by re-designing and testing the landing page by adding more context. Another friction point identified was during the content publishing stages. Many suggested they needed more context on what to post. Our recordings of the interaction suggested alternate placements of the primary buttons to publish stories and ask questions.
A section of familiar users also recommended improvements to the tagging experience as there was very little clarity on what tags were mandatory for a post.
Emotional assessment
The level of pleasure was the lowest on the landing page followed by the publishing content scenario. It was the highest during the exploration stages. This suggested either a state of confusion or lack of enthusiasm during the task. Arousal levels were above mean during the exploration stages. This can be connected perhaps with the curiosity level of users while exploring content.
Practicality, usability, functionality and accessibility
Accessibility scored the lowest followed by functionality and practicality. This closely matched with the feedback shared by participants during the interview and was expected as very little focus was given on colours and shades during the prototype design.
Issue prioritisations and narrowing scope of work
All the issues identified were prioritised based on the severity scores. Those with medium and high severity were taken up for further improvements.
Applying Ethical Design Principles
We had learned of feedbacks related to the display of metrics on card components. We decided to redo the card designs by removing all metrics from the story and question cards on the feed.
These metrics such as the number of upvotes, favourites and comments when displayed on the feed were all potential sources for imaginary reward expectations that result in compulsive behaviours while using the app. However we were compelled to place these metrics on the expanded views of story and question cards.
The re-designed story and question cards are shown below. I made the designs minimal, highlighting only the contents that really mattered. The only action we added below the cards was the freedom to report the published post.
Final design
At this stage, we took the next step and launched Nxtout for the public with the final updates to design and performances. Below, I’ve shared details about the thought process behind our design decisions and short descriptions on how the app works.
Envisioning the Design System
The design system was envisioned based on feedback gathered from our prototype study and a deep understanding of our target audience's needs, with a strong focus on color and accessibility.
How it works
After anonymous onboarding with a username, users can browse stories, explore questions, or subscribe to topics of interest. The platform curates work and study discussions, allowing users to share experiences, ask questions directly to schools or workplaces, and engage with posts through upvotes and downvotes. Popular content appears on the home feed, while each topic, school, and workplace has a dedicated profile showcasing relevant discussions and shared experiences.
Launch and Early Feedback
The initial launch was pitched at a university in Jönköping, Sweden, where some of our test participants were based. We let some of the faculty and students at the school try the platform and the feedback were largely positive with the Question and Answer feature being a popular topic.
Smoother Onboarding
Feedback from our first public launch after beta testing was well received by participants and core personas. The new release improved onboarding with better context and a sign-up process that was up to 2x faster.
Better Accessibility
Observed a significant uptick of positive feedback on accessibility and usability, even from 'familiar' user types.
Relevant Content Needs
Students and professionals expressed the need for more relevant questions about schools and companies on the platform.
Content Moderation
A common concern was how content would be moderated for topics and school/workplace profile pages.
Challenges and Learnings
Nxtout went live in early 2020, just as the pandemic hit. Our roadmap initially involved pitching the app at technical universities in Sweden before a public release. We demonstrated the platform at schools and received approval for student use at a Swedish university. However, many sessions were postponed or canceled due to university closures during the pandemic.
Every project is a learning opportunity if you're open to it. Here are my key takeaways from the Nxtout journey.
Understanding Product-Market Fit
Breaking into the target market was challenging. We noticed a lack of tools for testing product-market fit, making it a trial-and-error process that consumed significant time and resources.
Balancing Ethical Design vs Growth Hacking
Avoiding dark patterns while ensuring engagement was tricky. We aimed to respect user concerns while leveraging behavioral models like Hook’s to enhance retention.
Revisiting Needs During Design
Defining user needs early on was difficult with limited initial input. Constantly revisiting requirements created anxiety about chosen design directions.
Remote Work Challenges
User research, brainstorming, and roadmap planning were harder without consistent team support. Remote usability tests faced low engagement and required adaptation.
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