HUMMINGBIRD
A vocational advise application
My role: UX, UI & microcopy.
Partners: Developers - Jonathan Sarry, Juho Heikkilä, Nikita Foster, Ruben Laube-Pohto
Overview
The Junction is Europe's largest Hackathon, which takes place every winter in Helsinki.
In 2017, 1500+ people participated in it, from 96 countries. Each team was up to 5 people.
There were 13 different tracks, each with several challenges. My team included 4 developers (2 Finnish, 1 Russian and an American) and 1 designer (me). I did the UX, the UI and the microcopy.
There were 13 different tracks, each with several challenges. My team included 4 developers (2 Finnish, 1 Russian and an American) and 1 designer (me). I did the UX, the UI and the microcopy.
We competed on the Productivity track, and won 1st place in our track.
Hack the Job Challenge
Within 2 years, the Finnish government intends to privatize their job seeking services, because in Finland, as in many parts of the western world, private services such as assigning companies and jobs websites are doing far better work than the government services.
However, they have tons of data about the jobs' market, and they wanted to figure out a way to use it best.
The mission, as they describe it, was to reduce the unemployment rate to a null by removing the barriers of employment with new disruptive solutions.
Our Solution
There are several barriers of employment, that cause people to be unemployed.
Informed citizens make better decisions. If you have the right information, you might choose more wisely. Being informed beforehand, you might prepare better, even if the decision you made wasn't the most profitable.
Informed citizens make better decisions. If you have the right information, you might choose more wisely. Being informed beforehand, you might prepare better, even if the decision you made wasn't the most profitable.
Informed citizens are happier, more productive, and the economy as a whole works better.
Given the vast data about the Finnish job market, we designed an app
Given the vast data about the Finnish job market, we designed an app
Personas
We chose 4 personas of people who might benefit from the system.
One is a 15 years old, who has to choose a high school, and might putting into considerations vocational ambitions.
The second is a truck driver who might be unemployed within several years, and might prepare for that beforehand.
The third is an old manual worker, whose industry collapsed, and the forth is an employed person, who wants to keep up with market demands, in order to have more opportunities available.
Experience Design
We developed farther the screens for a 15 years old student case.
UI Design
Since it was a Hackathon, I had to work quickly. The UX is already quite designed - that is, I laid the final layout from the start, worked with the final fonts and kept the final spacing.
The developers worked on the back end, when I worked on the UX, and based the front end on my UX. Then they went to sleep, while I kept working on the UI design and the Logo.
In the morning, all they had to do was changing the front end according to the design I made during
the night.
I based the colours on the Työmarkkinatori website (they redesigned it since).
The developers worked on the back end, when I worked on the UX, and based the front end on my UX. Then they went to sleep, while I kept working on the UI design and the Logo.
In the morning, all they had to do was changing the front end according to the design I made during
the night.
I based the colours on the Työmarkkinatori website (they redesigned it since).
Aftermath
After winning, along with the prize, we were invited to show the project to the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Since I had a flight back to Israel, I joined this meeting via Skype.
I couldn't continue working on the project, due to a work contract I was signed on.
I couldn't continue working on the project, due to a work contract I was signed on.
What I learned from this project
* It was the first time I used Sketch. I was amazed how quick and easy to learn this software was.
* How to design fast so that the programmers could start working while you keep improving the design.
* We won, but picking the student persona wasn't the most wise decision. We should have picked the truck driver who may lose his job in several years, or the unemployed wood mill worker.
* I know some facts about the Finnish Job market and about Finnish education as a result of questions I asked the Finnish programmers. They have no difference between periphery and central cities, in regard to education. They study practical subjects that were long ago cut away in the Israeli education system, such as woodwork and textile work.
* We won, but picking the student persona wasn't the most wise decision. We should have picked the truck driver who may lose his job in several years, or the unemployed wood mill worker.
* I know some facts about the Finnish Job market and about Finnish education as a result of questions I asked the Finnish programmers. They have no difference between periphery and central cities, in regard to education. They study practical subjects that were long ago cut away in the Israeli education system, such as woodwork and textile work.
