Moms At Work Website

Overview

Mothers are amazing! Without a doubt, they carry out the most important job in the world – raising the next generation. While there are many who are perfectly content with maintaining their position as the household CEO, a growing number of women aspire to pursue a career outside the home when their children are off to school. That said, a long gap on the resume can make it a true challenge for moms to return to work, especially if they lack a good support system and the resources necessary to make the transition smoother.

This research was focused on 9 moms who wish to dust off their information technology and management degrees and face their lack of (on-the-job) experience head-on in order to find meaningful work. I wanted to understand what motivates these moms to take on the challenge, find appropriate networking opportunities, and get the necessary support and training to make it possible for them to pursue their career post-motherhood.

The results of my research as well as possible solutions were all to be committed in simple language to an easy to navigate website. The concept behind the website was to educate moms on the practical steps needed to be taken so they could put their careers back on track after a long gap.

HMW

How might we help mothers return to work?

Objective

Identify solutions to help mothers overcome barriers to returning to work when they lack experience.

Research Questions

1. What motivates mothers to pursue a career?
2. What sort of support do they need to be successful in their new career?
3. Why sort of skills do they need to develop?
4. How do mothers network and find mentors?
5. What was life like for mothers before they decided to pursue their new career?

Methodologies

• User surveys to assess demographics.
• User interviews to understand pain points.
• User interviews to understand behavior while making transition.
• Usability testing with low and high-fidelity prototypes.

Participants

• Users who have been out of work for the last five years or more.
• Users looking to return to work.

Recruiting Methods

1. Screener Survey: Ask if participants are interested in an interview.
2. Survey Delivery: Social media channels (Facebook and LinkedIn), WhatsApp messaging service, text messaging, and e-mail.

Survey Findings

• 71% of users were homemakers for the last five years.
• 21% of users were homemakers for over five years.
• 82% of users had at least an undergraduate degree.
• 55% of users came from an information technology background and 45% had a degree in management.
• 100% of users felt unfulfilled in their role as mothers, alone, and wanted to find fulfillment in working outside the home.
• 93% of users were interested in learning relevant skills in order to return to work.
• 45% of users cited concerns for budgeting for certifications.
• 41% of users took an online course to develop skills.
• 21% of users completed a bootcamp so they could stay accountable.
• 100% of users believed that they would benefit from having a mentor.
• 59% of users did not know where to look for mentors.
• 100% of users felt networking would lead to referrals and, ultimately, their dream job.
• 100% of users agreed that lack of experience was their biggest pain obstacle in pursuing a career.

Artifacts

Empathy maps, surveys, personas, competitive analysis, wireframes, and mockups.

My Role

UX Designer and Researcher.

My Challenges

Getting up-to-speed on user experience core concepts and applying research methodologies step by step in order to find viable solutions. This was the first hurdle to clear. Once the groundwork was done and I had a game-plan, I needed to recruit users for the survey. It took about two weeks to find 9 mothers who were willing to participate. It took another ten days for the responses to roll in. But I knew I needed to be thorough because this wasn’t about me. Rather, my goals was to help these women return to work and the only way I could do my job well was to set aside my biases and prevent myself from jumping to conclusions.

Process

I dedicated an entire week to evaluating the survey results and developing personas. The personas allowed me to gain a fair perspective on who these women were, what they had in common, and what was their desired goal. I was able to develop empathy this way. I was also able to group the individuals into categories such as information technology and management.

Next, I scanned LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter to see what sort of jobs were out there for women who would be considered entry-level employees. I checked out what sort of skills were needed to succeed in these jobs. I particularly zeroed in on certifications that could allow the moms to get a leg-up over their competition, i.e. seasoned workers who had years of experience under their belts.

Once I tackled that, I carried out a detailed analysis of courses and certifications available online and at community colleges where mothers could brush up their skills based on their educational background. To reiterate, the certifications would apply to moms eyeing a future in information technology and management.

 

 

The design thinking process was not linear, but that is not surprising. Problem definition is the first step and to do that we have to conduct adequate research. Beyond that point, it is normal to revisit the problem definition stage several times throughout the process of creating a solution.

 

In progress…