UX|UI DESIGN
U-Path
A future-oriented learning platform that helps you
to build your career path to match the changes
in the job market of your profession.
ROLE
CLIENT
User research
Product Design
Telephonica
DURATION
8 Weeks (2018)
OVERVIEW
Telefonica's aim is to improve people's lives and making them be happier and healthier. To do so, we need to consider upcoming problems. And as a part of problems, unstable work affects people's lives. Automation and artificial intelligence have changed our capacity to meaningfully contribute to society. The way that people were previously useful is no longer as valuable. Also, It’s unclear how people can make themselves useful. Deciding how to invest in yourself so that you can find work and practically contribute to society could be a process filled with ambiguous decisions and failure. By considering, how we can adapt, learn and find meaning in work with the rise of automation and rapid replacement of jobs we can ease people's anxiety and support a happy and healthy life.
To do so, the project goals are
1. Increasing awareness of the need for education
2. Providing curated class courses by considering skills that people already have and interests
3. Providing a baby-step learning system that people can easily follow
4. Providing equal education to workers
BACKGROUND
The possibility of losing a job
Need to learn and adapt to new technology
Around 40% of jobs are estimated to become replaced.
Over 50% of the population will have to learn how to work together with technology and AI.
From a bigger perspective, this skills gap will cause the UK economy to lose more than £140 billion of the GDP growth in the next ten years.
If this is not addressed, the UK will face big challenges and costs to entirely reskill or employ workers, that have fallen behind the development.
Technology and professions
are developing faster than
individual skills.
Skill Dev.
Tech Dev.
Up-to-date skills
NOW: Jobs at risk
Time
How might we help and support the current working population to start doing constant up-skilling in order to stay relevant in their careers?
Skill Dev.
Tech Dev.
Up-to-date skills
FUTURE: Stable jobs
Time
PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS
Less awareness
of the change
Promoting awareness
It tells people about
the possibility of change
and the need for education
Few opportunities
of learning
Support for education
Policy to provide funds and
create opportunities to all to
study during work hours
Barriers to learning
Easy approach
Creating motivation by
baby steps & self interest
Unequal learning opportunity
among companies
Equal opportunity
Helping SMEs have
educational opportunities
as a big corporate
KEY INSIGHT ON ADULT LEARNING
In order for adults to succeed to gain a new capability, first, it is important to create interest in the subject. Awareness and info of options and the ability to choose can help to build new interests. Interest then creates motivation which is crucial. Support is needed, and what we found out is, that understanding clearly about the goals you can achieve help to reach them. But creating motivation is hard, so it needs an easy service with small challenges - a system of baby steps.
Interest
Awareness
Freedom of choice
Self-growth
Motivation
Succeding
Support
Clear goals
Easy steps
PERSONA
Elize is an accountant who has worked in the same corporation for the last
10 years. As an accountant, she needs to prepare asset and capital account
entries by compiling and analyzing account information. She knows only
basic software for her everyday work. She is comfortable with her job
because the company provides a stable income and good benefit policies.
I should develop some skills in order to remain competitive in my job.
However, it is hard for me to initiate self-learning because I am not
sure what I should learn. Moreover, I do not have time after work
because I have to spend time with my family.
PERSONALITY
Introvert, reliable, perfectionist
MOTIVATIONS
Self-fulfillment
Ensure a good future for children
GOALS
Get promoted to a higher position
in the company
FEARS
Being replaced by younger employees
Losing the source of income
FUTURE CAPABLITIES
We divided the capabilities needed to change into 3 categories. People need to know new technology skills such as Steam. Also, their special skills can be human capabilities since these work only can be dealt with by a human. In the future, the need for skills like team working, problem-solving and design thinking, are needed when employees are released from repetitive analytical work. In addition, they have to study about their skills related to their job as profession-specific.
Technology
& Knowledge
Steam
SMAC
Human
capabilities
Soft skills
Profession
specific
i. e. Accountancy
SERVICE INTERFACE
Helping to find a career
development path
The company set its goals &
Workers put skill set they have
Before starting the learning service, a company's head put subjects they want to provide. Also, the user needs to complete a questionnaire about her current skills and interests to find suitable learning courses for them.
Offered paths which can
lead advanced jobs
U-path suggests 3 suitable career paths. There are introductions about the future scenario and how they match with the user’s current skills and interests.
Helping to plan
the learning path
Suggested skills to take a new path
U-path suggests the skills necessary to take a new path.
And this shows the link between current skills, interest, and new skills.
Offered lectures to achieve new skills
U-Path then suggests top courses from the best learning providers.
Users can see progress and estimated time to finish the course.
Helping to plan
the learning path
Clear and gradual progress
U-path suggests the skills necessary to take a new path. And this shows the link between current skills, interest, and new skills.
Help for solving problems
U-path suggests the skills necessary to take a new path. And this shows the link between current skills, interest, and new skills.
1. U-Chat
2. Finding helpers within company
Clear and gradual progress
U-path suggests the skills necessary to take a new path. And this shows the link between current skills, interest, and new skills.
BUSINESS MODEL AND GOV. POLICY MAP
We want to work with the government to create the opportunity for every employee.
The UK government’s current apprenticeship levy is not working as planned and they have a need for a better policy. To make U-Path viable suggest we replacing that with a skill levy that works like this:
A skills levy allows the government to tax only big companies. With that money, it provides education funds for all companies that can be used just for training.
The funds could be used only in certified learning platforms, like U-Path. As a government's service U-Path is funded to do research and support services to help companies as a neutral platform in the competitive course market.
STAKEHOLDER MAP
Organizing suitable learning courses
through existing lectures
When the company starts using their funds in
U-Path, the employer and every employee are offered awareness and help to plan goals.
The employer agrees with their employees to spend a weekly amount of hours to learn and plan their individual learning paths within U-Path.
Future and user data is used to connect them to the learning providers with their specific needs to which U-Path then pays the funds to.
DATA FLOW
By working with the government we get access to their and OECD's research data, that can be used to create content and information to create awareness.
Learning providers provide data on their courses for U-Path to generate matches.
U-Path works also together with profession-specific experts too, like ICEAW to develop accountancy as a profession.
In return, UK gov. gets data for the working populations' development and current situation.
ELIZE IN 2025
AGE: 40 YEARS OLD
JOB: SYSTEM ACCOUNTANT
MANAGER
FOR ELIZE
FOR HER COMPANY
A stable career
Efficiency + happiness
Less risk of getting be replaced
Ability to grow within her company
and have control over her path
Even though the employer spends a few hours of working time when they study, it has resulted in the employees to be more efficient, happy and motivated.
Motivation
Using internal skills + Saving costs
Awareness and interest towards
the subjects she is learning
The teams are formed easier because of knowledge of hidden talents.
SOCIAL IMPACT SCACLING
Need for public-funded total reskilling reduces
When the majority of companies are using U-Path the bigger scale impact is huge.
The costs for adult education and total reskilling decrease by millions.
UK’s skills gap decreases 20% increase to labor productivity
The amount of unemployed is replaced with happy employees which increases the population able to pay tax.
Unemployment rates decrease
The whole economy of the UK increases. The upskilling of staff is estimated to add 20 percent to labor productivity.