Learn and earn your way to a career in big tech—without needing a traditional 4-year tech degree.
SMASH
Overview 🌟
Smash is an early-stage Seattle-based startup with the mission of helping underrepresented learners with nontraditional educational backgrounds acquire in-demand tech skills, thereby bridging the diversity gap in tech.
My role
Lead UX/UI Designer
Front-end Developer
Duration
December 2022 – January 2024
Jump to: My Process ⏳ || Solution 💭 || Problem Framing 🧩 || User Research 📄 || Design Goal 🎯 || Concept Ideation ✨ || User Personas & User Journey 🗺 || Low-Fidelity📱|| Takeaways ☑️ ||
My Process⏳
I operated 2-week agile sprints. As the UX/UI team lead, I facilitated communication among developers, founders, and team members to meet our MVP deadline in September 2023. My primary responsibility as lead UX designer was to create the learner journey, from sign-up to project registration. Additionally, I developed the design system to ensure consistent and cohesive design across the website.
How might motivate learners with primarily non-traditional educational backgrounds to achieve in-demand technology skills and industry-level experience so that they can find career opportunities and earn professional wages upon program completion?
The solution
Breaking into tech is as easy as 1-2-3!
Understand the problem
Problem Framing 🤔
While tech is a sought-after career path, most major tech companies require applicants to hold a four-year degree in a relevant discipline to be considered competitive. However, barriers such as high tuition costs and career changes make it challenging for many to break into the tech industry.
Understand users’ needed
User Research 🧐
I conducted literature reviews, user surveys, and user interviews to gain a well-rounded understanding of my user’s needs, goals, and pain points. The research helped me create user stories and possible solutions.
-
20+
literature review
-
50+
Survey responses
-
10+
Initial interviews
“It’s hard to find a job at a major company if you’re not from a tech background.”
“I think the video tutorials are very helpful for me to learn.”
“I would consider myself a self-learner but I do well with structure and consistency.”
~82% of people who have used online learning find it beneficial
Interview Insights
Finding the passion for an area in tech through hands-on experience is a strong motivator
Online learning sites give you good foundational knowledge and specific skills
It’s hard to find the time and energy to practice new skills necessary to be good enough to change careers.
School/Classes don't prepare students enough as they lack the emphasis in the transition from academics to industries
Transitioning into tech is hard! Networking is hard and people without tech backgrounds are less desirable.
Surveys Insights
~54% of people are preparing themselves for career goals by self-learning or online learning
~55% believe that projects are the most effective way to learn
Takeaways
About half of recent college grads didn't apply for a job because they felt unqualified
About 1/5 of recent college grads feel college did not provide them with the skills for their first job
Learning paths and metrics help with skill development
Showing learning process is a good way to help students be on track
Understand stakeholders
Understanding the key learners’ funnel
To comprehend and define the direction of the Smash website, I engaged with stakeholders in discussions aimed at understanding the three user flows, with a specific emphasis on the learner journey.
Takeaways
Learners are expected to complete their Smash journey and be ready to apply their skills for employment after a 12-month timeline.
Static pages must be simple and have engaging content (e.g., testimonials, dynamic content) to get learners to register.
To maximize retention, learners should be able to take engaging actions immediately after logging in.
Companies enter the funnel by inputting their email and getting in touch with Smash.
Design Goal
My goal is to increase active users by exceeding 10k+ users and establish over 30+ partnerships, creating a vibrant talent pipeline for both learners and companies.
Smash’s vision
Information Architecture
User Persona Scenarios 🎲
High School Grad
Maya just graduated as a salutatorian in her high school. She enjoys digital drawing and creating animated shorts for her freelance work and in her spare time. She comes from a low-income household, so she is currently searching for a full-time design job in tech. She hopes that working in tech will allow her to support her family.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
❇️ Be aware of scope creep when working with an early-stage startup
❇️ Establish clear what-can-do tasks early on
❇️ It's okay to push back
❇️ Ethical considerations are important
Reflection