User Experience Research Report- LinkedIn vs Indeed

USER EXPERIENCE RESEARCH

VS

How job seekers find their next role on LinkedIn Jobs or Indeed

by Judith Martin for UCLA Extention UX Research

EXCECUTIVE SUMMARY

Project Description:

Conducting an in-depth and comprehensive analysis and comparison of job seekers' experiences on two prominent job search platforms: Indeed.com and LinkedIn.com.

Study Goals:

The primary goal is to identify pain points, unmet needs, potential gains, and user experience improvement opportunities on Indeed.com and Linkedin.com. By doing so, there is a potential created to enhance the job-seeking process for users, leading to a more efficient and satisfying job search journey as well as increased user engagement.

Key Insights:

1)

Increase user control and freedom. The busier the design of the platform, the more frustration participants experienced because they go distracted from their job search.

Recommendations: Enhance job search function design and clarity by conducting a design sprint.

Potential Impact to KPIs: User needs to spend less time on finding suitable functions for job searches and can spend more time and energy to read through job postings and applying for jobs.

3)

Improve user journey by offering an improved way for the job seeker to keep records and schedule actions.

2) Improve Filter System

Sophistication. For some participants who were active job seekers the search function results were irrelevant job recommendations because of the system not understanding the job seeker’s distinct needs in a specific field.

Recommendations: Keeping track of scheduled actions and future plans could be an opportunity to explore and introduce applicable and refined tools.

Potential Impact to KPIs: Allowing users to schedule and track their movement within the site could potentially lead to increased user engagement and session duration, positively impacting key performance indicators such as user retention and overall site usage metrics.

Recommendations: Develop a wider range of taxonomy of job roles and titles. Include evolving industries and emerging opportunities and consider cross-functional skill sets.

Potential Impact to KPIs: This improvement has the potential to boost user engagement, satisfaction, and conversion rates.

REASONS FOR STUDY:

About the Product:

Indeed.com is an online job search platform for job listings, helping job seekers find employment opportunities based on their preferences and qualifications. LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that connects individuals and businesses, allowing users to create profiles, connect with others in their industry, and seek job opportunities.

Study Goals Expanded:

Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, I will investigate user behavior, preferences, pain points, goals, and overall satisfaction during their job search. The insights gained will inform improvement possibilities which could be used in a UX sprint, and possible maximizing the effectiveness of these platforms for job seekers.

Key Performance Indicators:

Task Success Rate: Asses the usability and effectiveness of the platforms from the perspective of job seekers by calculating the percentage of participants who successfully complete specific tasks related to job searching on Indeed and LinkedIn.

Task Completion Time vs. Experience Level: Identify whether the platforms cater well to both beginners and advanced users, ensuring a broad user base by comparing the task completion times for different users.

User Satisfaction: Measure user satisfaction by asking participants to rate their experience with the platforms. A higher satisfaction indicates that users are more likely to recommend the platform to others.

Problem Statement:

With numerous job opportunities to explore on LinkedIn and Indeed, a significant problem for job seekers is the overwhelming amount of information, the challenge to track and/or schedule movements. A lack of transparency of the process is receiving little or no feedback from submitted resumes. How can these two platforms increase user functionalities satisfaction.

As a job seeker I need to submit resume’s, keep track of my actions, schedule my plans, and connect to peers and industry leaders to be able to find and land the best possible next job opportunity.

METHODS & RESOURCES:

Participant Screening Criteria:

Active and casual job seekers who are or may be open to new opportunities. All genders and age groups.

Methods & Procedures Used:

• Heuristic Evaluation:

Reason: Review design of both platforms against a set of established usability principles or heuristics. This can help identify usability issues and design strengths and weaknesses.

• Competitive Analysis:

Reason: Provides valuable insights by comparing both platforms, identifying advantages and disadvantages, and uncovering opportunities for improvement.

• System Usability Scale:

Reason: Provides a standardized way to assess the usability and user-friendliness of platforms.

• User Interviews:

Reason: Gather valuable qualitative insights into user needs, behaviors, and preferences, helping inform a deeper understanding of user perspectives. Understand what users think about the service, and what their comfort level is using the platform services.

•Think-aloud testing:

Reason: Participants verbalize their thoughts as they complete tasks and reveal preferences, pain points and behaviors.

• Affinity Map:

Reason: Synthesize user interview data, in order to identify patterns and prioritize insights.

• Empathy Map:

Reason: Gain a deeper empathetic understanding of the users' thoughts, feelings, and motivations.

• Persona Based Customer Journey:

Reason: With the goal of finding opportunities to enhance customer satisfaction and engagement, this journey shows the emotional experience as well as the awareness, consideration, and retention.

• Persona Based User Journey:

Reason: Create end-to-end user journey, highlighting user steps, pain points and opportunities for improvement.

• How Might We’s:

Reasons: Translate research findings into actionable insights.

ANALYSIS & INSIGHTS: 1

Here are three top takeaways from the research conducted, summarizing the events, outlining hypotheses, revealing insights, and offering actionable recommendations.

1. Design opportunities can increase user control and freedom. Some participants had difficulties navigating through a busy design where there were many options to get distracted in their process to search for jobs. This caused user frustration and early drop off from task at hand.

Key observation take aways: More participants had a shorter attention span and only few participants showed patience without getting stressed. All participants expressed stress as a key pain point. Decreasing stress for a job seeker using these platforms not only improves mental well-being but also enhances the ability to make confident, informed decisions, increasing chances of securing a fulfilling position.

“Too many options one page feels like a clunky design, and I get distracted.” – Participant K3

Hypothesis:

Prioritizes user agency and freedom through enhanced customization will result in a higher likelihood of satisfaction, fostering platform loyalty and growth.

How Might We’s:

• Reduce stress in the job seeking process

• Introduce benchmarks

• Enhance user satisfaction by assisting focus on job search and decreasing distraction

• Keep user’s attention by decluttering design.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Reduce stress for user by reducing distraction

Design opportunities can increase user control and freedom. Enhance job search function design and clarity by conducting a design sprint. Find new modalities to introduce positive mental health approaches for job seekers. Define tools to help job posters with enhanced and positive leadership skills.

Potential Impact to KPIs: User needs to spend less time on finding suitable functions for job searches and can spend more time and energy to read through job postings and applying for jobs.

.

ANALYSIS & INSIGHTS: 2

2. User Journey Opportunities

Participants actively looking for jobs are struggling with keeping records of their job searches. Relevant job opportunity search results could filter better to the participant’s needs. Keeping track of scheduled actions taken including various responses or non-responses could be an opportunity to explore and introduce applicable and refined tools.

Key observation take aways: Most users had methods to keep track of their submissions outside of the platform. Some users voiced interest in hearing more feedback from submissions.

“The online job search process is cold and impersonal. I would wel come help with tracking and scheduling my searches and results.”

– Participant C4

“When job suggestions aren’t meeting what I’m looking for I feel like a fool ‘cause the platform isn’t taken users’ need seriously.”

– Participant J1

Hypothesis:

Implementing user friendly digital solutions to help job seekers organize and maintain records of their efforts will not only reduce stress but also improve efficiency and increase user engagement.

How Might We’s:

• Schedule job search action plans

• Make job search more personal

• Help user stay on track with their needs

RECOMMENDATIONS: Reduce user struggle of keeping records

Develop methods for user to keep track of actions taken, scheduled actions and plans could be an opportunity to explore and introduce applicable and refined tools. Explore scheduling, reminder, and response opportunities.

Potential Impact to KPIs: Allowing users to schedule and track their movement within the site could potentially lead to increased user engagement and session duration, positively impacting key performance indicators such as user retention and overall site usage metrics.

ANALYSIS & INSIGHTS: 3

3. Filter System Upgrade Opportunities

Participants experienced filter system frustrations resulting in mindless scrolling and a loss of trust in the platform. For some participants who were active job seekers the search function results were irrelevant job recommendations because of the system not understanding the job seeker’s distinct needs in a specific field.

Key observation take aways: Job seekers with special titles, roles and qualifications had a hard time finding satisfying opportunities. A few job seekers looking within the realm of more common qualifications seem to find the results disappointing and unexciting, therefore decreasing engagement with platform.

“The job recommendations were not exciting to me at all.” –Participant I3 “The search results I was given were often irrelevant job recommendations. Frustrating.” Participant – J2

Hypothesis:

Enhancing the filter system's usability and effectiveness in response to participant frustrations will lead to a reduction in mindless scrolling, increased trust in the platform, and improve user satisfaction and retention.

How Might We’s:

• Motivate user to continue their search

• Enhance filter system to include and represent less common roles and capabilities.

• Learn about what search results excites the user

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Develop a wider range of taxonomy of job roles and titles. Include evolving industries and emerging opportunities and consider cross-functional skill sets. In addition, find new ways for the user to express what their needs are and what excites them.

Potential Impact to KPIs: This improvement has the potential to boost user engagement, satisfaction, and conversion rates.

DELIVERABLES:

Heuristic Evaluation:

DELIVERABLES:

Competitor Analysis:

SUS:

DELIVERABLES:

Affinity & Empathy Map:

DELIVERABLES:

User Journey & Customer Journey:

How Might We’s:

APPENDICES:

RESEARCH PLAN:

- Clarification Interview with Stakeholder

- Framework

▪ Project Description & Goal

▪ Objective - Methodologies

- Target Audience

- Planning & Preparation

▪ Interview Protocol

- Equipment needed

- Solution

TEST PLAN:

- Project Description

- Methods

- Screener Questions

- Interview Protocol

▪ Project Description

▪ Problem Statement

▪ Information about the topics to investigate

▪ Relative importance of topic

▪ Notes for the interview moderator

▪ Introduction to the research study to relay to the participant

▪ Information to gain informed consent

▪ Instructions to give to participants

▪ Background questions about the participant / small talk

- Main questions and/or tasks for the study

▪ User Interview Questions

▪ Projected duration for responses, based on your pilot study

- Concluding statements

Thank you for taking the time to review the user research report!

I appreciate your interest and hope you have a wonderful day!