Upskillable
Website and SaaS Design, Brand Identity
Upskillable is an employee assessment platform with a vision to help companies assess and develop the competencies of their employees propelling their growth. The platform assesses personality, cognitive, and leadership traits among others.
Duration
March – October 2023
Team
Anthony Chukwu – Lead Designer, Brand & Product
Dubem Okonkwo – Product Designer
Maymouna Aldabobi – Graphic Designer
My Responsibilities
UX Research, Product (UI/UX) Design, UX Writing, Brand Identity Design, Usability Testing, Accountability and Design Leadership
BACKGROUND
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aims to tackle workforce challenges through employee training. Our goal was to reposition Upskillable in the market and make it profitable. To do this, I led an 8-man cross-functional team to transform Upskillable into an end-to-end employee development solution for organizations.
DESIGN ADVOCACY
Despite pressure for a quick design, I championed a user-centered approach. I outlined a new product strategy with a 4-step action plan for the team:
- User Research: Gain a deeper understanding of our target audience and the competitive landscape.
- Establish Brand Identity: Develop a cohesive brand identity to guide design consistency.
- Website & App Redesign: Enhance user experience through website and app redesigns.
- Iterative Testing & Feedback: Continuously test and refine based on user feedback.
1. WHAT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEM?
ASSUMPTION 1
Companies in Saudi Arabia are focused on employee development
ASSUMPTION 2
These companies need to carry out employee assessment
ASSUMPTION 3
They will pay for a digital solution that caters to these needs
ASSUMPTION 4
Employees are intrigued to know about their soft skills and how to develop them
WE SPOKE WITH OUR TARGET USERS
We conducted 45-60mins interviews with HR and L&D Managers to validate the problem. Asked questions about how they assess their employees and determine their training and development needs. These are some of the quotes and findings:
WHO ARE OUR USERS?
Based on the research, we created two personas that will guide us in every decision we make: The HR Manager and the Employee.
WHO ARE THE COMPETITION?
We did some research with the marketing team to know what other assessment platforms were doing. We found out that most were more focused on hiring than employee assessment and development. Our value proposition lies in the latter.
Assessments only for hiring. Not offered in Arabic
Big impact in the region. Do not offer personalized learning plans
Global brand. Psychometric assessments not tied to the workplace
Assessments only for hiring. Not offered in Arabic
2. ESTABLISH COHESIVE BRAND IDENTITY
Lacking a brand identity document, our design and marketing teams couldn’t ensure consistent visuals. This resulted in a brand lacking recognition and struggling to make a market impact. Considering user feedback, we addressed pronunciation challenges faced by Saudi nationals through a visual redesign. This involved dividing the name “Upskillable” into two sections for improved readability and memorability, using weight and color for distinction.
WE STARTED WORKING ON A SCALEABLE STYLE GUIDE
3a. WEBSITE REDESIGN FOR LEAD GENERATION AND BRAND AWARENESS
I temporarily halted app ideation to focus on designing a website. This website will facilitate lead generation while app development progresses. It will also be instrumental in our market repositioning efforts.
3b. APP REDESIGN - OPTIMIZING OUR RESOURCES
The original plan was to design a new platform but looking at time, technical, and financial constraints of the company, we opted for a redesign. Even though I had great ideas for the new design, I had to adapt and focus on refining the interface and overall user experience within the existing framework.
ACTION PLAN 1
Streamline the user flow for easy self-management
ACTION PLAN 2
Streamline features through prioritization
ACTION PLAN 3
Redesign components and align with refined brand identity
ACTION PLAN 4
Add a Freemium pathway to reduce time to value, and monetize a Premium plan
STREAMLINE THE USER FLOW AND REPRIORITIZE FEATURES
“We had a lot of support calls because users weren’t sure how to use the platform. There was a lot of clutter. Our developers and support were doing a ton of work”
By streamlining the user flow, I empowered users to self-operate the platform independently and access its value without distractions. In collaboration with the Product Manager, I further optimized the app by prioritizing essential features and eliminating redundancies.
THE PIVOT FROM B2C2B TO B2B - PLG TO SLG
Upskillable really wanted to build a platform for both individuals (B2C2B) and companies (B2B). However, we quickly realized that building everything at once would take too long, considering our technical constraints. We had to make a tough choice. We decided to focus on companies (B2B) first, since this would generate revenue to keep the platform running. Here is the reduced user flow based on this decision:
SHOWCASING THE VALUE TO NEW USERS - FREEMIUM OR FREE TRIAL
After brainstorming and wireframing, I designed high-fidelity mockups. Choosing a pricing model was crucial. I recommended a freemium plan with limited free uses to encourage continued engagement. This fit better than a free trial, which risked users completing everything for free and leaving. This approach aimed to:
- Showcase Platform Value: By giving users a taste of the platform’s capabilities, they could recognize its potential benefits.
- Incentivize Upgrades: The limited access would encourage users to upgrade to a premium plan for the full feature set.
MONETIZE THROUGH A PREMIUM PLAN
The premium plan offers the customer a larger variety of assessment types and unlimited sessions.
A MORE INTUITIVE REPORT
The employees also have the opportunity to brag about their discovered skills on LinkedIn, further driving engagement for the product
4. ITERATIVE TESTING, ANALYSIS, AND FEEDBACK
DESIGN LEADERSHIP
To improve our UX maturity and foster design consistency, I wrote the company’s design manual in collaboration with the other senior designer, documenting a step-by-step approach to conducting usability testing, user interviews, ux audit, etc.
USABILITY TESTING
Using the Usability Testing manual I wrote for the team, we tested the platform with 4 participants to ensure usability. 1 critical issue was identified and prioritized for fixing
CRITICAL INSIGHT
Providing clear instructions and benefits of these credits upon registration is essential for better UX. Hence, we decided to add a popup as they land on the platform after sign up/login
EVALUATING SUCCESS
Leveraging Zoho Analytics, I collaborated with the analytics team to identify key data points. Analyzing these insights provided crucial information for optimizing both user experience (UX) and business metrics.
After 90 days, we achieved the following results:
400%
Increase in signups
1400+
Assessments completed
3000%
Social Media engagement
LEARNING POINTS
ETHICAL AND CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
The design of Upskillable for the Saudi Arabian market was an interesting experience. In my design, I had consider the culture, language, and legal compliance. Despite not speaking Arabic, I collaborated with fluent colleagues to ensure culturally appropriate design choices. While the case study uses English visuals, the final product functioned in both English and Arabic, with a right-to-left layout for Arabic readers.
NEXT STEPS
The next steps involve continuing the redesign process while refining the user experience based on ongoing feedback from users. Additionally, collaborating with the Industrial-Organizational Psychologists to create and integrate the Individual Development Plan (IDP) seamlessly into the app.