My WebWorks
A personalized networking product designed to advance careers by guiding people toward meaningful conversations and supportive relationships.
Role
Independent researcher and designer on Student Design Project. Supported by design mentors.
Date
July 2021 – July 2022
Problem
Many people feel awkward, anxious, or uneasy about networking. They avoid it even when they know it would help them advance in their career because they experience stress around asking for help, making conversation at events or during individual interactions, and maintaining relationships.
Goal
I wanted to know how to improve the experience of professional networking for people looking to advance their careers. In a world where people are connected on social media yet seeking meaningful, reliable professional relationships, just hearing the “networking” makes many people uneasy. I wanted to find a way to help people feel confident about networking rather than be intimidated or overwhelmed.
Challenge
Give people the networking tools, advice, and encouragement they want in order to find their next job or advance in their career.
Help people develop sustainable networking strategies, collaborative relationships, and confidence in their capacity for networking.
Solution
We need a way for people to feel more confident and relaxed when they are networking so that they can advance in their career and form meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships.
MVP
We need a way for people to plan and track their networking activity. They will be able to:
Be guided to make timely and relevant actions.
Draft personalized messages and discussion guides.
Document and view their networking activity.
The Process
Empathy: Mapping the problem
The problem with networking
As with many things in life, career advancement is another where “it’s all about who you know.” Networking is a top strategy touted by career advisors and coaches. I am one of many job seekers who receive the advice “just talk to people.” If only it were so simple.
Not only can these adages perpetuate systems of oppression, many people are unsure how to leverage and expand their network for career advancement. I grew curious about why networking feels so burdensome to people and what could be done to make it easier.
Secondary research to understand the context of the problem
The research and data are clear: NETWORKING WORKS.
People believe networking correlates positively with career success.
Networking as a primary job-search strategy saves job-seekers time and leads to experiencing greater job satisfaction, and receiving higher salaries.
Job searches are often fraught with anxiety and loss of confidence.
Job seekers tend to incorporate networking through interactions on social media, networking at conferences and events, and asking for support from family and friends.
Existing solutions to help people network include books, articles, blog posts, podcasts, instructional videos, and career coaching.
70-85%
People hired at companies where they have a connection
75%
Resumes rejected before they reach hiring managers
1,900% greater
70%
5 months
80%
Chance a referred candidate has of getting hired over someone who applied online
Job openings that are never published publicly
Length of an average job search
Time job-seekers spend searching for openings online
User research to learn real behaviors and attitudes
Almost all of the 50 survey respondents agreed that networking was important for career advancement, and most had experienced receiving employment offers through someone in their network. I conducted semi-structured user interviews with six of the survey respondents, asking questions such as:
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear someone refer to networking?
Can you tell me about a time when you had a good networking experience?
Shifting gears…How about a time when you had a disappointing nw’ing experience?
What advice would you give about networking to someone starting a job search?
A qualitative analysis of the transcripts led me to create an affinity map where several patterns emerged. Interview participants consistently:
Aggregating the qualitative research data into an empathy map led to discovering common pain points and potential gains. People’s desire for organic and authentic relationships, along with their insecurities and self-doubt about what to say while networking interfered with their confidence and sense of direction.
Recognize the benefits of networking
Have loads of advice about how to network
Don’t intentionally maintain contact with their connections
Avoid networking events, usually because they feel like “a waste of time”
PAINS
GAINS
finding new contacts or people to talk to
[self-imposed?] constant pressure to network while job searching or considering change
knowing what to say and do while networking (1:1, at events)
having the courage and confidence to start (i.e., initiate contact for informational interviews)
feeling of time wasted with some people
maintaining authentic, meaningful relationships over time
overcoming doubts and insecurities
increasing confidence over time, with practice and exposure
finding direction on how to proceed with networking or job-searching
measuring success through interviews and job offers
feeling that networking conversations are productive and a good use of time and energy
landing a job that fits their interests, need, abilities, skills, and values
defining what they want, plus when and how to ask for it
I created two personas who embodied these behaviors and beliefs. “Alina” is strategic and experienced with networking but is skeptical about the purpose of networking between job searches. “Jaylen” is cautiously beginning a job search but feels unsure of how to ask for help and talk about personal skills, attributes, and ambitions.
Defining the problem
HMWs: A conceptual step toward the solution
I began wondering questions that – in hindsight – went too broad. I thought I wanted to know How Might We…
…improve all facets of professional networking
…transform professional networking?
…diminish bias in professional networking?
…nurture professional collaboration?
In fact what I wanted to explore was How Might We…
…decrease feelings of stress, anxiety, and doubt associated with networking?
…make networking an enjoyable experience for all types of people?
…help people network consistently and efficiently?
…give people the tools they need to network with confidence?
Defining a solution
My original solution focused on helping people find jobs through referrals. After a while on this path, I eventually redefined the solution as:
We need a way for people to feel more confident and relaxed when they are networking so that they can advance in their career and form meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships.
Generating Ideas
Visual thinking
My team-of-one brainstorm session helped identify some key areas of focus:
the need for personalized message prompts,
a positive tone, and
ways to view progress.
I then did a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. analysis to explore how the product could be most impactful.
I condensed my options into a few rough sketches to get a clearer picture of how to give Alina and Jaylen not only what they wanted but also what they needed.
User stories — MVP
Alina and Jaylen needed ways to plan and track their networking activity, which meant having:
guidance toward making timely and relevant actions,
prompts for setting goals,
seeing curated calls-to-action, and
reviewing their progress and history.
Jaylen needed help drafting personalized messages and discussion guides. They needed to be able to select which templates they wanted to use and get quick tips for composing good messages. Alina needed a way to view their networking activity and see all of their contacts and interactions in one place.
Sketching a solution
Knowing what Alina and Jaylen needed meant I could organize the essential activities into a sitemap and user flows. These processes made clear how complex a comprehensive solution would be. I started by focusing on red routes I could build in their entirety. Even that was involved too many detailed areas of the product.
I put pen to paper and sketched a few screens. This is a product people will likely use on both mobile and desktop devices, so I followed the “mobile first” approach for designing. Facing space constraints for the first time since the project’s conception led me to develop clear, concise, and consistent content.
I conducted guerrilla usability tests using Marvel. Participants expressed enthusiasm about the product’s potential but didn’t understand its purpose without significant explanation. At the time, I understood that to mean I needed to provide more information within the product. I now think that clarifying the solution earlier could have helped me describe the product to participants more effectively.
