Flockbuddy Mobile Application Networking and Job Searching made Easy.

My Role: UX / UI Designer

Team: Individual

Project Duration: 7 months

Programs Used: Adobe XD, Sketch, InVision

Problem 
Most industry professionals live a busy lifestyle that makes it difficult to meet new people outside of work. Whether they’re looking to network with other professionals or build solid friendships, it is a challenge to meet the right people – let alone locally. Finding a job in today's market is challenging as well. Most companies require a long application to be filled out to even be considered for a position. Also, during the application process there is no direct contact between the employer and the job candidate. Overall the job searching process is impersonal and frustrating.

Solution
A casual networking application for industry professionals called Flockbuddy. People can create new connections inside — or outside of their industry with local professionals. This application also allows users to search for jobs and have direct contact with employers.

Research & Development Process

Competitive Analysis
I compared 3 different networking and job searching applications – Linkedin, Meetup and Sharpr. The purpose was to identify features they have in common and what features could be unique to Flockbuddy.

Interview Process

I conducted interviews with 5 people to validate if there was a need in the market for a Networking and Job searching application that is less professional and more user friendly. The interviews validated that people were not satisfied with the applications that exist on the market and wanted something new. Below are some of the comments that my interviewees made. 

Personas

Below are the 3 different types of people that would use Flockbuddy.  

User Flow

After conducting interviews and developing personas I created a user flow of the main feature within the application – searching for industry professionals. The flow starts from the log in process and ends with searching for an industry friend.

Sketches

Once I had an understanding of who the potential users were in this application and I created a user flow of the main feature I begin to develop sketches. Below are some of the early renderings of my sketches.

Wireframes

Using my sketches I created low fidelity wireframes of what the application could look like. 

Site Map

I tested my wireframes and learned that users did not want their location disclosed on the application. These results prompted me to re-design part of the application. I began the process by creating a site map to determine the new navigation of the application without the geo-location feature.

High Fidelity Screens

These are the final high fidelity screens that I designed. Throughout the design process, I made sure that the screens felt cohesive, visually appealing, and clear to understand.

Conclusion

I am happy with the way this mobile application turned out. It solves the problem of making networking much more casual and easier for people. One thing that I would add is additional user testing to validate the user experience of the application.

Final Prototype Video Walkthrough