Assignment 4 Prototype and test

Huacho wants to get a job

Francisco G. Barroso TanoiraAugust 2013

Let´s review the problem…

Huacho needs an available, reliable, friendly and inexpensive source for finding employee opportunities, with enough information for choosing the best option because the existing sources are not updated, with incomplete information and there´s no way to know about a vacancy in the moment it is generated.

The 3 selected ideas and why

1) Having a software app warning possible candidates, when they walk or pass in front of the firm, that there are job opportunities in that firm.

This will allow firms reach valuable candidates for them at low cost, and will help people when they are near or in front of the firm building or business unit, to know if there is an opportunity there, the requirements and the working conditions in real time.

It would be also great to have the possibility to leave a message or send information to the firm to be contacted when there´s a vacant job.

The 3 selected ideas and why

2) Forming a Facebook job community to advertise about opportunities, salaries and conditions in general.

As everyday there are more people in social groups in the Web, that´s a natural and inexpensive way for creating a space for searching for new job opportunities anywhere in the world. Besides, preliminary interviews could be arranged through this option.

The 3 selected ideas and why

3) Forming a university net for sharing information about job opportunities in their areas.

Universities are reliable forms for getting information, and why not to benefit from that delivering and sharing information, which could be free for students and general public, but charging a reasonable fee for enterprises, being able to receive sponsorships or grants to make this work. This university employee net could be connected to local government or business job databases. The most important is to have available, updated and reliable information for those wanting a job.

Prototype 1 (coming from idea 1)Job opportunity finder

• Having a software app warning possible candidates, when they walk or pass in front of the firm, that there are job opportunities in that firm.

The firm sends

job vacancy message The firm gets feedback and better candidates

The phone gets the People see the message

Message and warns

Prototype 1Job opportunity finder: prototyping

App in the phone

1) The person will walk down the street. 2) When there´s a job opportunity, there will be a

warning if the app is activated.3) When touching the icon, the vacancy information

will be displayed on the phone (job description, requirements, estimated income)

4) If the person has his rèsumè and information available on the phone, he/she will be able to send an application in that moment.

5) All job application will be stored in the app, so information could be organized from best to worst.

6) Information could be shared with other friends with the same app

7) Information could be shared to iPads or laptops.8) Firms will have a reliable source of candidates to

contact, arranged from the best to the better.

App icon

Prototype 1Job opportunity finder: testing

• The test was carried out with six persons, doing the following with each of the three in a meeting. The person interviewed at the beginning of the project was also present.

1) I asked them to draw how the app icon must be.

2) Roleplaying , this is, walking near a building and pretending there was a message (with a simulated alarm for the app warning).

3) Reflection on the process and the information searched using post it stickers.

Prototype 1Job opportunity finder: testing and feedback

(I´m the one with glasses)

Prototype 2 (coming from idea 3)Forming a university net for sharing information

about job opportunities in their areas

Prototype 2 (coming from idea 3)Forming a university net for sharing information

about job opportunities in their areas

• From the numbers in the arrows in the previous slide:1) The University includes in its intranet the job opportunities from

existing employers in the region or outside. 2) The students and professors get the information. Professors solve

doubts and give advise to interested students.3) The University strengthens or signs agreements with firms and the

Government for having access to new job opportunities for students.

4) Information is displayed in the University page and shared to the students’ mobile phones, iPads and laptops.

5) Students send information to the system if they are interested in the jobs. That info will go directly to potential employers.

6) Students who know about new opportunities can post their information in the same net.

7) Opportunities for students will be ranked from best to better according to the search criteria they use.

Prototype 2 (coming from idea 3)Forming a university net for sharing information

about job opportunities in their areas: prototyping

• I prepared a simulated web page, similar to the one the University has, with the link to the app, able to display information about jobs, description, salaries,working conditions and contact.

Prototype 2 (coming from idea 3)Forming a university net for sharing information

about job opportunities in their areas: testing(I´m the one with glasses and an orange t-shirt)

• The information was tested with two students (one of them was interviewed in the empathize and define stage of this course) and had a roleplaying session in a simulation for such app.

• They pretended they were looking for a job and the system gave them information according to the search criteria used.

• They expressed their comments as feedback.

What I learned by testing my prototypes

I learned that more important than preparing a perfect solution at the first time, although It could be desired, it is to have cyclic approaches to have better solutions to the problem to solve, according to the users and not to me. Finally, it´s what they think what really matters. So, I will only be a vehicle, a bridge or a path between the problem and the solution.

Solving problems is a continuous learning process in which nothing is perfect, but able to be improved all the time. There are no definitive solutions because time change and people expectations too, especially if they have different academic background, gender, ethnicity or other differences. But there´s one thing they have in common: they´re humans and needs are the same…what change is the desires, which are different forms for solving needs.

What I learned by testing my prototypes

Something else I learned is that we must be humble, this is, able to listen and admit our mistakes. We are not alone and need others to survive, grow and develop. This is important because it is more common to think we are right and that our word is a rule.

The best prepared we are, be better we must be for serving others. If we help others to grow, we also grow. It is like the sea tide…when it raises, all ships are raised too.

What would I do next if I was to continue working on the project

I would do the following:

1) Testing the projects with more people

2) Design indicators for impact (economic, social, environmental)

3) Use those indicators to follow up the solution results

4) Include prototype 1 in prototype 2. I think both could be linked in one.

5) Prepare a version to be commercialized.

6) Prepare a world job database and give special attention to those people who can not pay for the app, but need a job.

7) Include the learning acquired in this course, in my classes with my students.

The most important is the learning process. Thegood results will be a consequence of the goodjob done.

We must have a culture of trying and gettingfeedback before a big jump. Although failure isalways a risk, the important is to learn fromexperience and share this learning with others.

Failure is good if we learn from it. But we mustnot confuse failure with defeat, because to bedefeated means to give up, wasting our talentand opportunities.

Enjoy the process and have good results!!!