? Introduction
UX Tree Mentorship Programme is a free initiative focused on mentorship and career development. This program pairs junior UX designers with experienced professionals in the UX industry. UX Tree mentors are senior, lead UX designers and UX managers from leading global tech companies.
The program runs twice a year for four months. During this period, mentees work on the assignment and the case study while receiving ongoing design feedback from assigned mentors. Once everything is done, mentors and mentees get a completion certificate issued from UX Tree.
? Defining the problem
Back in winter 2020, I was offered a UX mentor position. I was thrilled knowing I could help someone with less experience, so I accepted it. However, I realised that this mentorship program had no plan or structure when it started. My mentee and I were left on our own. We met weekly, and our one-hour sessions were filled with questions and answers. It has been highly challenging to keep track of everything we’ve covered, mainly because we didn’t even know – when does it end?
Being a UX designer, I immediately noticed this as something I could improve. Shortly after that, I decided to create a different mentorship program with a start and finish. A program with goals and tick boxes. A program after which mentees will be more confident and job-ready because they will communicate and be mentored by experts in the field. A program that will make networking for juniors so easy, and finally, a program that will open the door to junior UX designers to their first jobs.
?? My role
I led the design of the website between March 2021 and July 2021 and was in charge for research, prototyping, content strategy, information architecture and usability testing. The site launched globally on July 2nd, 2021.
I was also in charge for:
• Managing the overall program
• Developing consistent procedures for recruiting and referring juniors interested in improving their UX skills, and seniors looking to mentor
• Cultivating and maintaining all necessary external contacts and relationships for implementing and maintaining the mentorship program
• Recruiting, screening, training and supervising mentors
• Checking in regularly with mentors and offering ongoing support
• Developing a plan to evaluate the program, including soliciting participant feedback
? Tools and methods I used
I used Figma for almost everything I’ve done in this project. In initial stage I used it to organise the data I gathered from the research, while in later stages for creating artefacts such as personas and empathy maps. Normally, I used it as a design tool for prototyping and testing, but also for creating slides and other graphic elements required on the website.
I used variety of Google tools too:
- Google Forms for mentee and mentor applications
- Google Sheets for organising the data gathered with forms
- Google Docs for creating the Project Proposal for mentees and Mentor instructions for mentors
- Google Calendar for organising meetings and interviews.
And finally, I utilised Zoom for all meetings and presentations later recorded and saved for all members.
My process
I used the Design Thinking framework, a non-linear, iterative process used to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test.
? Empathise
To get insights into the experiences and expectations for the mentorship program in general, I relied on user interviews conducted with 18 people in the first stage. This allowed me to gain a deeper understanding by combining qualitative and quantitative information.
I was surprised by the issues I found. The participants thought an actual step was missing between the college degree and the first job. To cite one of the participants:
”From the experience in my current position, I realise that there is a big difference between college and the real world. While college is great for building the foundations and learning new skills, it is quite sheltered, and I believe the mentorship programme would help prepare for the transition from my studies into a career in UX.”
? User Interview Findings
These are some of the main findings:
- 88% participants stated they struggled or still struggle with getting their first job in UX
- 83% participants stated they would expect an additional step between getting the diploma/degree in UX and getting a job
- 100% participants stated they don’t know of the mentorship program focused on career development of the junior UX designer
- 100% participants stated they don’t know of the mentorship program with a primary focus on getting the first job for the junior UX designer
- 100% participants stated they don’t know of the mentorship program where mentees would get the certificate for the completed work
⚔️ Competitive Analysis
After going through what’s there on the market, I fund out there’s only few mentorship programs in Ireland to-the-date:
- UX Institute is one of them, however mentoring is not their primary service. They are more oriented to UX courses;
- Ladies that UX Dublin who haven’t published anything about mentoring since 2020;
- National Mentoring Programme with a focus on mentoring writers only;
? Getting into users’ shoes
Before jumping into designing, it was essential to define the actual user and empathise with them. By understanding the expectations, concerns, and motivations of target users, it’s possible to design a product that will satisfy users’ needs and therefore be successful.
After interviewing 18 junior UX designers, I was able to understand their goals and main pain points. I came up with the user persona outlining the primary goals and frustrations they’re facing. The goals are:
- Prepare the portfolio for entering in the UX industry
- Work with an established professional
- Learn how to best market themselves for junior designer jobs
When not achieved, these goals are followed up with frustrations:
- Angry because it’s difficult to get feedback and advice from the expert in the field
- Feeling lost as networking and getting the interview is very challenging
? Ideate
What came from the initial research is that users want:
- a meeting point where mentees will get mentors (and vice versa)
- see examples of case studies made by other junior UX designers
- know more about getting the portfolio ready
- learn more about how to prepare for the job interview
I created a site map for the website that should address all major pain points with those things in mind. My final version of the product was the website with the sections for the following:
- Mentorship program (finding and becoming a mentor)
- Blog posts (about UX and finding a job in the field)
- Case studies (only the best ones, from mentees that have gone through the programme)
- About
- Faq’s
? Prototyping
I moved on to prototyping, as I figured that would be the best way to test my assumptions and improve my ideas. I started with low fidelity because I wanted to focus on the flow and architecture before moving to more visual and detailed aspects.
I used a grid system of 12 equal-width columns to flexibly over a layout because number 12 is the most easily divisible among reasonably small numbers (it’s possible to have 12, 6, 4, 3, 2 or 1 evenly spaced columns).
? Test – Refining the product
After testing the initial prototype with 4 participants, I got some useful feedback. This gave me a clear focus and a clear direction on where to move on with my designs further on.
Some of the feedback included:
- “In the FAQs, it might be a good idea to include some information on how many hours per week/month would be expected/needed when working on the assignment. A rough idea would be fine, potential mentees would be looking for this information as they have other commitments. Including an FAQ link in the footer would be helpful too, for quick access.”
- “Some information about the assignment/case study could be included. Is it always the same assignment for everyone? Or do mentees speak with their mentor and discuss and decide on an assignment to best suit their interests and skill set?”
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“Overall the site is very friendly and it’s relaxing to use it. I like the branding it elicits positive feelings. The quote section on the homepage doesn’t have a heading something like “What People are Saying” could work well here. Adding a mentee testimonial section would be helpful too when that’s possible to do so.”
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“A dedicated mentor section could be a good idea moving forward when you get more mentors on board. Potential mentees would be very interested in seeing and reading about the UX professionals involved in the program. You could have a lot of fun here too. Besides their credentials, It could include some information about what the mentor loves about UX or something that annoys them. It would show their personality and would be memorable regards potential new mentees, building trust in the brand.”
? Ongoing improvements
All feedback received from the first session of the usability testing made complete sense, so I carried on with improving the site and adding following:
- More info about the time commitment for mentor and mentee, but also more details about the assignment in the FAQ section
- Mentee testimonial on the Home page
- Mentor section with some information about each member and what are they passionate about.
⚖️ Final survey
However, I didn’t stop there.
I’ve improved the site constantly, especially after finishing up with the first round in December. I’ve sent out two different surveys to mentors and mentees. After getting back the results, I decided to:
- Add the summary of achievements
- Update the feedback and testimonials for mentees and mentors
- Added the best written case studies from mentees in the first round
⚖️ Final survey
However, I didn’t stop there.
I’ve improved the site constantly, especially after finishing up with the first round in December. I’ve sent out two different surveys to mentors and mentees. After getting back the results, I decided to:
- Add the summary of achievements
- Update the feedback and testimonials for mentees and mentors
- Added the best written case studies from mentees in the first round
? Final product
So call it “Final stage” of the product was reached in January 2022. However, it’ll never be final as I’ll constantly look to improve it and add new features and information relevant to each round of the Programme.