UX/UI RESEARCH & DESIGN PROJECT
WEGO
WORK AND EDUCATION SKILLS
GAIN OPPORTUNITIES
PERSONAL PROJECT
DURATION
ONE MONTH (NOV 2023)
ROLES
UX/UI RESEARCHER & DESIGNER
OVERVIEW
Work and Education Skills Gain Opportunities, also called WEGO, is a groundbreaking mobile application designed to empower ex-offenders by providing them with essential tools and resources about employment to reintegrate into society seamlessly. The app is a comprehensive platform offering three key features: job opportunities, mentorship connections, and community engagement.
IDEATION
HOW I START
How likely do you think you are to become a criminal? I apologize politely if this question hurt your feelings.
The reason I ask this question is for letting you know that anyone can be criminals anytime.
I am not mean to support those who commit crimes, but in fact, a significant number of criminals are bound to fall into crime because they belong to the environment where are exposed to the crime. In fact, in the numerous interviews I have experienced while participating as a research assistant, many of the inmates naturally fell into bad organizations due to their unfavorable environment or became criminals by touching drugs due to pain that was difficult to escape.
However, due to a moment's mistake, they lose the opportunity to live normally for the rest of their lives. Those who fail to settle appropriately in society after being released will likely end up in the same choice, committing a crime. The number of prisoners continues to increase due to recidivism rather than first offenders, and our society suffers greatly economically and psychologically from mass incarceration. I came to think of WEGO as essential for a better world to help the ex-offenders return to society for an individual, the community, and the society, and that the first step to successful adaptation is to have a stable job.
RESEARCH
THE REALITY
What do you expect the unemployment rate of ex-offenders? The correct answer is 62%. Considering that during the Great Depression, when numerous people lost their jobs and the entire world faced an economic crisis, the unemployment rate was 24.7%, it becomes evident that the figure of 62% is unbelievably high. The United States is one of the countries to suffer because of mass incarceration. According to Liz Benecchi (2021), "Two out of three (66.7%) former offenders are rearrested within three years of being released, and more than 50% are incarcerated again." Recidivism is a critical public issue that harms our society and the criminal justice system. However, Benecchi argues that returning to society without employment opportunities seems nearly impossible for former prisoners. Having a job and economic stability is essential for survival in society. However, for ex-convicts, the freedom to live while meeting these essential conditions does not exist. Finding employment and engaging in consistent economic activities to resettle in society are crucial issues for maintaining livelihoods. However, their criminal records obstruct their path back into society.
USER RESEARCHES
THE DIFFICULTY TO FIND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EMPLOYMENT
There are four main reasons why the majority of individuals released from prison face limited employment opportunities and do not successfully reintegrate into society:
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Lack of employability skills: according to research, nearly 80% of ex-convicts lack education experience and do not have a traditional high school diploma or under.
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Limited job opportunities: there is a limitation in the diversity of job opportunities. Primarily, it is difficult to participate in tasks required to secure employment in education, state and federal government, medical, and security fields. Therefore, restrictions leave low-paying, entry-level jobs as the typical employment option.
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Negative career attitudes: because of limited education experience, they have low self-esteem, self-efficacy, and motivation to get employment.
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Lack of motivation to search for and obtain legal jobs: because of limited job opportunities, it is hard to meet a minimum income condition for maintaining a livelihood, leading them to choose desirable outcomes from illegal activity again.
INTERVIEW (OPINIONS FROM EMPLOYER)
I interviewed an interviewee, Mr. Cho, who works as a physical assistant and HR manager at the urgent care in Irvine. The interview was processed for approximately 20 minutes as an in-person meeting. Mr. Cho is currently 29 years old and is the father of two children. For 12 years, he lived in New York until graduating the medical school and then moved to California 4 years ago. He now has two medical assistant co-workers who have a criminal history: one was a gang member, and the other was a drug addict. As a person who did the hiring interview with those two persons, Mr. Cho said "They are actually performing their roles quite well and have no issues in their relationships with colleagues. I do not have any doubts that they will cause any problems like reoffending."
DEFINE
EMPATHY MAP
JOURNEY MAP
DESIGN
USER FLOW
By visualizing the information as much as possible, I focused on helping users have no difficulty obtaining it. In addition, I tried to have a positive impact on their lives beyond job creation by putting elements that can motivate users (mentor-mentee, mental counseling encouragement, etc.) on each page's flow so that they can return to their families, friends, communities, and society without losing their will to find a job through WEGO.
UX GOAL
Based on the findings, the primary thing individuals released from prisons need to return to society successfully is 'finding a job.' Therefore, I tried to provide various job opportunities by choosing 'Jobs' as the first essential UX goal of WEGO. To succeed in finding a job, I found that they need help to develop their educational and career background and to maintain their will/motivation, so I have chosen 'Develop' and 'Network' as the second and third main essential UX goals of WEGO.
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Jobs: provide various, proper job opportunities for prisoners released.
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Opportunity to develop: Help develop more education experience and career skills by providing resources.
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Network to get help: encourage them to maintain their will to return to society and feel a sense of belonging.
LO-FI WIREFRAMES
BEFORE
According to the UX goal I defined, I focused on providing three primary services: helping them find job opportunities, encouraging them to develop themselves personally and professionally, connecting them with others, and having consistent interactions to motivate them. Therefore, I guided users to use these three services easily and quickly by making each main page 'Job,' 'Develop,' and 'Network' in the navigation bar. For the 'Job' page, I mainly emphasized that users can easily search and find the proper job opportunities depending on each one's background. So, by adding the 'recommended jobs' section first, I hoped users would spend less effort and time, so they would not lose motivation because of the difficulty of searching. For the 'Develop' page, I added the 'mental helper' section because users need an opportunity to care for and develop their mental health for continuous motivation. Lastly, for the 'Network' page, I assisted users in connecting with individuals, communities, and societies by providing nearby community events and mentor/mentee service. In addition, by making the 'Account' page in the navigation bar, I improved the user's experience by simultaneously reviewing and managing all data.
Jobs
Develop
Network
Account:
Profile
Account:
Resume
Account:
Activities
AFTER
There was a big update: creating the 'Home' screen. To minimize the users' steps for checking their current status, I realized that the 'Home' screen, where they can see all information and activities in the application, is needed for a better user experience. In addition, there were several updates in the 'Develop' and 'Network' screens. For the 'Develop' screen, I added a banner encouraging users to care about their mental health and maintain their will/motivation to return to society. The 'Network' screen, I initially added the motivation videos in the 'Network,' but I thought that they were more suitable for the 'Develop' screen; therefore, I removed the motivation section from the 'Network' and decided to move to the 'Develop.' So then, to emphasize the purpose of the 'Network' screen, I added the section where users can check what network they can reach out to right now.
CONTINUE...
One more update on the 'Develop' screen explained each skill's expected effects. So, I updated the recommended skills section by including the explanation.
Home
Develop #2
Network #2
Develop #3
Develop:
Skill
FINAL DESIGN
01.
HOME
A gateway to a personalized experience. Access essential features, stay updated, and explore seamlessly.
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Application Status
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Resume Management
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Upcoming Events
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Recent Viewed Jobs
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Current Enrolled Courses
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Motivation
GOAL: "DO NOT CONFUSE WHAT IS YOUR NEXT STEP"
Provide the best, personalized information depending on the user's current status: employed or unemployed, resume update needed or not, etc., to reduce the possibility that users lose track of what to do for the next step.
02.
JOBS
Recommend the opened employment that the user has a high possibility of getting and also help the user to keep tracking their application status easily and to find the right employment information depending on their conditions quickly.
GOAL 1: "LEARN WHAT YOU WANT AND LIKE TO DO"
Assist users in finding what they want to be and what they would like to do by taking a career aptitude test. According to the results, suggest the perfect fitted careers for you depending on your answers
GOAL 2: "TO BE A STRONG SUPPORTER"
Accompany the users through every step of the job searching and application process, from the beginning to the end. Not only support to apply for jobs but also keep monitoring the application status together.
Remind the users to update their resume consistently for job applications and provide an opportunity to develop their educational and career skills that make their resume stronger.
DEVELOP
GOAL: "DISCOER INNER PEACE AND CLARITY"
A suggestion of mental health counselors through the banner encourages users to maintain their well-being by discovering inner peace and clarity and not losing the motivation to find a job and return to the community.
03.
Mentee Section
Users can find a mentee if they want to encourage and give help to others who experience similar problems with you. Sharing successful experiences to get a job or overcoming low self-esteem or motivation will benefit other users.
Mentor Section
Users can find a mentor if they need assistance solving psychological or career problems. Select the mentor whom you want to contact by using the information about the mentor's current job position or skills they have in the card easily.
04.
NETWORK
Expand the world by connecting with someone who makes you valuable as a mentor/mentee and joining events.
GOAL: "MEET A PERSON WHO MAKES YOU VALUABLE"
Make the users feel valuable by advising and encouraging others to develop as mentors or by receiving advice and increasing motivation through interaction with others as mentees.
Access, manage, and personalize your information easily. Update data for the profile, customize the resume, and view activities that you saved or are interested in.
ACCOUNT
05.
ACCOUNT: PROFILE
Customize, update, and manage your personal information (biography, experience, education, and any achievement.)
ACCOUNT: RESUME
Craft, edit, and present users' professional journey effortlessly. Create and manage the resume with ease using our intuitive tools and templates.
ACCOUNT: ACTIVITIES
Track, view, and manage your activities all in one place. Stay organized and informed with a comprehensive overview of your interactions and engagements.
REFLECTION
WHAT I LEARN
During my involvement in research, while analyzing interviews with current and former inmates, I realized how challenging it is for them to reintegrate into society. Through these research endeavors, I discovered that obstacles preventing their reintegration into society, especially in securing employment, extend beyond mere difficulties due to criminal records. It encompasses additional factors such as the lack of academic experiences and the fear of societal judgment, which serve as deterrents, hindering what could be their greatest opportunity for societal reintegration: employment.
Rehabilitating ex-offenders and facilitating their return to society is not just an endeavor for individual redemption; it stands as a crucial societal concern. We must not forget that anyone can make mistakes. Ultimately, what matters most is the willingness to reflect on one's errors and strive continuously to become a better version of oneself. With a supportive attitude toward those making such efforts, I completed the WEGO project.