SMART MAKERS DELFT
SkillSwipe a hub platform facilitating connections and collaboration in the technology sector. It enables easy interaction, resource sharing, and opportunities for growth and innovation
ROLES
User Research
UI Designer
Prototyping
DURATION
Four months
2023
TOOLS
Scrum
Figma
Miro
OVERVIEW
Collaboration in Delft becomes difficult due to the absence of a centralized tech platform
To position Delft as a tech hub, all parties involved in the technology chain—from companies and professionals to educational institutions—need a single platform for collaboration. The absence of such a platform hinders effective knowledge exchange and collaboration, slowing down the city's innovation goals.
DESIGN CHALLENGE
Establish a central space for Smart Makers in Delft to connect, share ideas, and acquire new skills, bridging the gap between physical and digital platforms
The challenge lies in developing a digital and physical ecosystem, such as Smart Makers Delft, that fosters seamless interaction, skill development, and resource sharing among all members of the technology community in Delft.
SOLUTION
An extensive platform that includes networking events, mentorship programs, and knowledge-sharing forums through the exclusive "Smart Makers" community
A swiping feature that allows users to interact with offers in order to achieve the best possible match. This will allow users to scroll through different options easily
Create a highly interactive dashboard within the Smart Makers community platform, designed to promote the app and enhance participant engagement
Encourage individuals to enhance their skills, build meaningful connections, and foster collaborations within the technology community
DESIGN APPROACH
In the project, we incorporated Scrum method to go trough all steps in design thinking process. It helped us tackle problems from different angles and come up with creative solutions. With Scrum guiding us, we went through all the stages of design thinking, like empathizing users' needs, brainstorming ideas, and testing prototypes. This combination gave us the ability to implement design thinking tasks during our sprints, taking advantage of Scrum's flexibility and structure to iteratively improve our product in response to user input and observations.
The challenging situation involved collaborating within a team comprising seven other designers to develop a product from scratch that aligned with the client's requirements. Our project timeline spanned four months, encompassing Sprint 0 as the discovery phase and three subsequent working sprints. The objective was to formulate a fully developed concept and prototype by the conclusion of the final sprint, presenting the outcome to the client. We decided to dedicate all of our attention to creating a mobile version of our platform that is suitable for both companies and learners after conducting multiple interviews with stakeholders and students.
TARGET GROUP
From the observation and interviews we narrow down our focus to a educational institutes and companies
During a field trip to Delft, we explored the Kickstart Lab initiative, which connects education and entrepreneurship, and Makerspace Delft, emphasizing the maker movement's role in innovation. Through observations and interviews, we gained insights into the Smart Makers ecosystem, inspiring us to narrow our focus. This experience guided our design direction. Based on that we created user personas to understand our target group in depth.
''We work here with people from different backgrounds but not a lot of people know about us in Delft among students''
New Future Lab
''I wish gaining experience in the field could be easier for us without work experience''
THUAS Student
''People come here with the intention of learning or creating, they can simply book this space''
Makerspace Delft
User Persona: Student looking for project to gain more experience
User Persona: Young professional want to expand her network connections
User Persona: Start-up manager provides space for the workshops
COMPETETIVE ANALYSIS
Existing platforms fail to fully serve Delft's tech hub's unique ecosystem needs
The next step was to analyse the market and find different platforms for the same needs and make competitive analysis. The SWOT analysis reveals limitations in platforms like LinkedIn, Meetup, and Xing for Delft's tech hub. LinkedIn lacks niche community focus, Meetup misses digital engagement, and Xing's regional strength limits global collaboration. This underscores the need for a more tailored platform to meet Delft's specific needs.
IDEATION
We brainstormed the idea of a Tinder version for searching short-term projects
From creating a vision board, we transitioned to an idea session for our future concept. We underwent an extensive process using various techniques such as brainwriting, mind mapping, and brainstorming. Narrowing down to a design direction proved to be a significant challenge with a large team
KEY IDEAS FROM IDEATION:
1. Explore job opportunities and test them out for a day to see if they fit
2. Swipe and match with the perfect company to kickstart your project
3. Swipe, match, and gain hands-on experience in your field while building valuable connections
Physical dashboard for testimonials, live job previews, event updates, and interactive experiences to foster connections and collaboration
KEY IDEAS FROM IDEATION:
1. Live Data Visualization
2. QR Code Stations
3. Touchscreen Displays
4. Testimonials and Quotes
SPRINTS
After developing Lo-Fi, we made the decision to enhance user flow. To guarantee seamless usability, we finished the site map and the user journey
Site Map 'Learner side'
Site Map 'Company side'
Design, Test, Iterate
We implemented several improvements after receiving feedback from our product owner and learnings from usability testing sessions with 3 business owners and 6 students. Our goal was to make the user journey more efficient and the interface more intuitive. These changes were essential for maximizing the user experience and guaranteeing smooth interaction and navigation throughout our platform. Bellow are a few changes we made
ONBOARDING PROCESS
''Set up profile takes too much time''
THUAS Student
We simplified the onboarding process by modifying our initial account setup process to only require 60% of the questions to be answered after receiving iterative feedback. Users will be prompted to finish setting up their profiles as they interact with the app, guaranteeing a harmonious combination of user profile depth and ease of use.
EVENTS AND EXPLORE PAGE
EVENTS AND EXPLORE PAGE
''Why I can't find events on explore page?''
Young professional
We combined multiple pages to improve accessibility and optimize the user experience, turning the Explore page into the main hub for all offers and events. This clever integration makes navigation easier and makes it possible for users to quickly access a thorough overview of opportunities in one solid area.
SOLUTION
Centralized collaboration hub
SkillSwipe is a central hub that connects Delft's tech community, which includes companies, professionals, and educational institutions, to enable seamless digital and physical collaborations. With its innovative swiping feature for opportunities discovery, an interesting dashboard, and networking events, SkillSwipe hopes to turn Delft into an international tech hub by encouraging creativity and connections
Problems solved
- • Seamlessly integrates networking, skill acquisition, and collaboration
- • Fosters a community of professionals passionate about skill development and collaboration
- • Offers tailored opportunities for each user, ensuring personalized matches
- • Enhances physical spaces with interactive dashboards, fostering engagement and collaboration in Smart Makers hubs
Feedback from participants at the final demo
''...such a nice product idea; I think it would have come in handy especially now when we are looking for graduation projects...''
Participant 1
''...I believe I can use it in my agency, as we often have small design projects that could benefit from extra help...''
Participant 2
''The nab bar is easy to navigate, flow is going good, offers and events page is easy to use. And the buttons are clear for me...''
Participant 3
FUTURE OF THE PROJECT
• Develop a desktop version for both sides of the platform
• Establish connectivity with social media through API integration
• Explore monetization strategies for the platform, focusing on generating revenue from assets
• Enhance the interactivity of the platform by incorporating a dashboard to track the number of offers taken by learners and published by companies
Let's connect
