Beyond
Bridging career gaps with empathy
A holistic career and education app for underrepresented individuals. Won the honorable mention out of 87 participants at Boston University's Catalyst designathon.
Team
3x UX Designers
Background
Catalyst is a 2-day digital designathon hosted by Boston University.
Timeline
The Prompt from catalyst
"Through digital tools, how can we aim to make experiences and services more accessible to others?"
"Accessibility can take many shapes and forms: at its core, it's the practice of making information, activities, and/or environments more meaningful and usable for as many people as possible. As the world continues to expand in digital innovations that make experiences more accessible for wider audiences, we should consider how we can use digital tools to share experiences with those around us."
The Problem
How might we create a user-friendly platform that helps underrepresented individuals easily access tailored career and educational opportunities?
Many underrepresented individuals struggle to access user-friendly tools that connect them to valuable career and educational opportunities. With an overwhelming amount of information available online, they often face difficulties finding resources tailored to their needs. Without guidance or a centralized platform, they may feel lost and unable to unlock their full potential in pursuing long-term success.
The Solution
Beyond is an inclusive social platform that connects users based on interests and skills, offering tailored resources, events, and certifications. Welcoming individuals of all ages and backgrounds, it provides a supportive environment to help users discover their purpose and achieve their goals.
Video demo
The Process
Brainstorming
We brainstormed ideas for the three different prompts we were provided. After reflecting on our own tumultuous journeys to find a career path that was right for us, we decided on an education/career app geared towards people still finding their way.
Survey
To learn more about our users' specific needs, we sent out a survey with 7 demographic questions, 9 multiple-choice questions, and 1 free response. We gathered 128 responses from students.
71.1% faced challenges in accessing career opportunities or higher education
A significant portion of our target audience is seeking direction and clarity. Our app should prioritize tools that help users explore interests, set goals, and develop actionable pathways to achieve them.
34.4% didn't feel like they had clear academic/career goals in life
Barriers such as lack of resources, guidance, or access are a dominant pain point. We need to provide accessible resources, mentorship opportunities, and clear pathways to overcome these challenges.
Pain Points
I used affinity mapping to sort 107 free-responses surrounding purpose to identify key user pain points that prevented them from reaching their true potential.
Lack of Exposure to Career Options and Opportunities
Many individuals struggle to find their purpose due to insufficient exposure to various career paths and hands-on experiences.
"I don't know what I don't know; one advantage of uni is being able to give you a syllabus to follow to explore an interest and its related fields."
"Taking courses to guide my perspectives on what I am interested in. I was missing a lot of exposure in terms of how a field of study could be applied in many ways."
"I think opportunities to explore individual career paths before entering college would definitely help, although it would be hard to organize for a bunch of high schoolers."
Lack of Guidance and Support from Family, Friends, or Mentors
The absence of emotional, financial, or informational support makes it challenging for individuals to explore and commit to their passions.
"My life circumstances made it extremely challenging for me to find my purpose. My family did not support my decision to go to college in any way early on."
"A guiding figure to help me realize my potential, showing me my strengths and interests, would have helped a lot."
"I long for not just acknowledgment, but a deeper concern for me and the unfolding of my life. This absence is palpable."
Pressure and Constraints from Social Expectations
Tools should facilitate exploration, provide structured pathways, and offer emotional support to empower users in overcoming barriers and finding clarity in their pursuit of purpose.
"There is a huge pressure to be successful (especially in the Bay Area), which really limits your career choices and goals."
"In my culture, many people don’t get to go to school, but I always see Indians and Asians driving nice cars and Hispanics servicing them. I realized it’s because they take education seriously compared to Hispanics."
"Hard to choose something to do for your whole life when you've only lived through the short beginning."
User Personas
After looking at the survey demographics and insights, we decided to cater the app towards 4 main groups of users.
Market Research
How would this app be different than the many competitors out there? We reviewed eleven apps in similar spaces. We wanted to build an app combining the best parts of career, education, community, and event apps.
Career Apps
Education Apps
Community/Event Apps
While these apps excel in their niches, there's a gap in providing a unified platform that offers personalized, holistic support for underrepresented individuals by combining networking, learning, and event discovery tailored to their unique backgrounds and needs.
User Flow
We determined key features and screens, informed by our user and market research.
Final Frames
