Brief
Look into best practice of User Experience (UX - think about the users' needs at every stage of the process) and User Centered Design (UCD - making sure the right website/product is usable), information architect and make an impact on the user journey for a clothing brand careers mobile app, that would meet the needs of target users and encourage them to apply for job roles within the company.
Description
A clothing brand company, a dynamic and diverse that offers a wide range of authoritative fashion focused around fit, detail and fabric. Not only they drive trends, they've changed the way people shop. They live and breathe fashion.
To stand out from the competition and encourage candidates to apply and be part of the family, It offers unique employee experiences.
The differences
- A dedicated careers mobile app for a great user experience
- This is a smaller company compared to its competitors, employees will grow with the company
- Offers employees to purchase shares
- Fast progression within the company
- Run by ideas and not the hierarchy
- Innovation and tech driven
Deliverables
UX Process – plan the necessary methods for user experience
Personas – to create reliable representations of the key audience for reference
Competitor Analysis – gather information about the competitor's strategies
Site Map – map out the scope of the mobile app
User Flow – identify the user journey focusing on user's needs
Wireframes – initial sketches to cover areas of user experience and the user journey
Wireframes – refine wireframes on a digital platform for clearer and concise user experience
Usability Testing – evaluate the app by testing it on users. To do this, prototyping the mobile app would be ideal
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UX Process
Before every project, I will gather the right information and the key goals of what the website/product needs to achieve as well as the users' needs.
Below are a few points I will need to cover when making a great user experience for every website/product.
- Useful
- Target audience
- Enjoyable for users
- Helps users
- How will the website/product will change the world
- Accessibility
The two things I will need to establish first, before diving into the structure of the app.
The usability – make sure everything I design, users will be able to use successfully
Information architect – make sure that content is in a hierarchy order for users to find what they need
Planning the UX process in a session helps identify which method will be the most critical for the UX project. This eliminates the unnecessary steps and providing more time focusing on other subject matters.
Persona
To create reliable representations of the key audience for reference, your ideal customer.
Jim started out studying fashion at a university level, graduated with a 2:1, then went to London to gain experience in a well-known fashion brand company. Two years later he moved on a level looking after a team of 3. As the fashion market is super competitive, you have to be ahead of the game, the trends to stand out from the crowd.
The frustrations for Jim:
- The lack of fashion roles available
- Too competitive and the struggle to get an interview
- Asking for too much experience
Competitor Analysis
This is a crucial part of the company marketing plan. Evaluating the competitor's strategies to determine their strengths and weaknesses.
There are similar things big fashion brands have in common. Due to the size of each organisation, they are able to offer much more to candidates than smaller organisations.
Topshop
- Global fashion brand
- Various locations for job roles
- Huge benefit package
- Huge exposure
- Careers website
Zara
- Global fashion brand
- Various locations for job roles
- Huge benefit package
- Huge exposure
- Careers website
Next
- Global fashion brand
- Various locations for job roles
- Huge benefit package
- Huge exposure
- Careers website
Usability Testing on Competitors
Before starting the project, it is a good idea to conduct usability testing on competitor's website/product to establish what works and what doesn't work. Doing this at an early stage to help me avoid the things I may encounter during the process of design and to understand the competitors a lot more.
Site Map
Mapping out the scope of the mobile app is an effective planning tool. It can help organise and clarify the content that needs to be in the app, as well as help eliminate unnecessary screens.
User Flow
Identify the user journey. Creating good user experiences, I must focus on the user’s needs by developing an empathetic of how to produce the best work flow for that user.
Wireframes – low fidelity sketch
Initial sketches to cover areas of user experience and the user journey. This is a way to design the app at the structural level. Laying out content and functionality, that takes into account user needs and user journeys. It is best used early in the development stages to establish the essential structure before high fidelity design and signed off content are combined.
Wireframes – digital
Refine wireframes on a digital platform for clearer and concise user experience and to provide an on-screen delivery. This gives me the opportunity to explore any issues may come upon, and to also prototype them to help me to establish further problems and solving them before going into high fidelity user interface designs.
Usability Testing
Evaluate the app by testing it on users. To do this, prototyping the mobile app would be ideal. I would ask users to complete tasks, while they are being observed by myself or a researcher, to see where they encounter problems and experience confusion. The more users encounter similar problems, suggestions will be made to resolve the usability issues. Usability testing and usability review will be performed a number of times until problems are solved and the users won't have to think when using the app.
Prototyping the Wireframes
Once the user experience has reached the satisfying level and all problems experienced by the users are fixed, the next stage will be high fidelity user interface designs. Even then, I will perform further usability testing and usability review at and after that stage, for the seamless and great user experience.
