Career Up: Empowering First-Gen Students in Job Hunting
Career Up: Empowering First-Gen Students in Job Hunting
A gamified web platform that guides and motivates first-generation university students through the job search journey with clarity, confidence, and community support.
A gamified web platform that guides and motivates first-generation university students through the job search journey with clarity, confidence, and community support.
My Role
My Role
Product Designer | UXUI Designer
Led UX research (interviews, journey mapping, affinity diagramming)
Designed wireframes, UI components
Created high-fidelity prototype and interaction animations
Led UX research (interviews, journey mapping, affinity diagramming)
Designed wireframes, UI components
Created high-fidelity prototype and interaction animations
TOOLS
TOOLS
TOOLS
Figma
Figma
Figma
Miro
Miro
Miro
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams
Adobe Premiere
Adobe Premiere
Adobe Premiere
Adobe Premiere
SKILLS
SKILLS
SKILLS
Management
Management
Management
T-shaped Design Skills
T-shaped Design Skills
T-shaped Design Skills
Bridge Builder
Bridge Builder
Bridge Builder
✏️ Brief
✏️ Brief
✏️ Brief
Client: SPARCK - A digital innovation consultancy.
Client: SPARCK - A digital innovation consultancy.
Client: SPARCK
CareerUp is a career guidance app designed to help students align their education and career goals using AI-powered recommendations, real-world simulations, and personalized feedback.
Students often struggle to connect academic choices with personal goals. Existing career guidance is generic, overlooking individual passions.
This industry project was created in collaboration with SPARCK, a digital innovation consultancy, as part of an experience design challenge to develop a human-centred solution that supports career decision-making.
Students often struggle to connect academic choices with personal goals. Existing career guidance is generic, overlooking individual passions.
🎯 Design Goal
🎯 Design Goal
Empower students to explore and map career paths aligned with their values and education
Boost engagement through gamified tasks and feedback loops
Bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world job expectations
Simplify access to career guidance in a way that feels personal, achievable, and motivatin
Deliver personalized career paths.
Boost student engagement.
Align career advice with market.
Simplify career guidance.
📊 Impact & Insights
📊 Impact & Insights
Client Feedback
Client Feedback
The concept was well-received by SPARCK for its practical alignment with student needs
Empowers students with a personalized roadmap to career success
Increases motivation and clarity through interactive guidance
Bridges the gap between academic support and job market expectations
“It doesn’t feel like another job site—it’s actually encouraging.” – User Tester
“I finally feel like I know where to start.” – Tester
“I finally feel like I know where to start.” – Tester
🔁 Design Process
🔁 Design Process
Step 1: Discovery & Research
Conducted stakeholder interviews and user research
Built personas (e.g., Jenny, a final-year student with career anxiety)
Conducted interviews
Mapped emotional journeys
Defined key challenges
Step 2: Ideation & Concept Development
Mapped out feature ideas such as career path visualization, real-time feedback, and job match updates
Prioritized core features based on feasibility and user value
“How Might We…” prompts
Sketched low-fidelity wireframes
Step 3: Prototyping & Testing
Created low-fidelity wireframes and tested with students
Iterated based on usability and emotional engagement feedback
Conducted usability testing & iterated on layout and tone
Step4: High-Fidelity Design & Business Considerations
Developed high-fi prototypes with Figma
Considered service scalability, ecosystem alignment, and long-term value
Conducted usability testing & iterated on layout and tone
🎠 Background
🎠 Background
Students—especially those with less professional guidance—often feel overwhelmed when navigating job platforms like LinkedIn or university career portals. Despite access to resources, many struggle to make decisions that reflect their personal goals and real-world trends.
Students—especially those with less professional guidance—often feel overwhelmed when navigating job platforms like LinkedIn or university career portals. Despite access to resources, many struggle to make decisions that reflect their personal goals and real-world trends.
Students struggle to align education with personal goals. Existing career centers lack personalised guidance.
CareerUp seeks to close the gap between student uncertainty and industry clarity by offering an intuitive platform tailored to students’ goals, preferences, and mental well-being.
CareerUp seeks to close the gap between student uncertainty and industry clarity by offering an intuitive platform tailored to students’ goals, preferences, and mental well-being.
CareerUp seeks to close the gap between student uncertainty and industry clarity by offering an intuitive platform tailored to students’ goals, preferences, and mental well-being.
🧠 Research Highlights
🧠 Research Highlights
User Interviews & Stakeholder Input
Students want clear role expectations and realistic guidance
University career services are often underused due to lack of personalisation
Pain Points:
“I don’t know where to start.”
“I feel overwhelmed by job sites.”
“I wish someone could explain each step.”
Key Needs:
Role clarity and required skill breakdowns
Alignment with personal values like growth and work-life balance
Insights into real-world internships and job application processes
Career Team Feedback:
Communication gaps between employers and students cause missed opportunities
Existing platforms struggle to engage students meaningfully
Users: final-year students who are uncertain about their career paths
Students struggle to align education with personal goals. Existing career centers lack personalised guidance.
🧑🏼🎓 Persona
🧑🏼🎓 Persona
Jenny is a 22 year old final-year undergraduate, and she is reaching breaking point because she wants a great career plan, but she feel overwhelmed by LinkedIn, TotalJobs and university careers information.
Jenny is a 22 year old final-year undergraduate, and she is reaching breaking point because she wants a great career plan, but she feel overwhelmed by LinkedIn, TotalJobs and university careers information.
Jenny (22): Overwhelmed by job platforms, needs clearer career information.
"I need clearer information about the expectations of roles."
"I need clearer information about the expectations of roles."
"I need clearer information about the expectations of roles."
💡 Solutions
💡 Solutions
Create a platform that uses AI to align students’ education and career goals, providing tailored job recommendations, career mapping tools, and real-world simulations (Mini Jobs).
Create a platform that uses AI to align students’ education and career goals, providing tailored job recommendations, career mapping tools, and real-world simulations (Mini Jobs).
CareerUp is a career guidance app that helps students align their education with real-world career paths, providing tailored advice and success stories for informed decision-making.
👾 Features
✅ AI-Powered Career Mapping
Smart suggestions for career paths based on students’ preferences, skills, and education—helping them navigate their future with confidence.
✅ Real-Time Feedback
Instant, constructive feedback during CV building and interview simulations to help users improve and grow with each step.
✅ Daily Job Match Feed
Personalized job and internship recommendations delivered daily, keeping students motivated and reducing search fatigue.
✅ Peer Tips & Success Stories
First-hand advice and encouragement from relatable students and alumni who’ve walked the same path.
✅ Daily Mood Check-In & Encouragement
Simple emotional wellness check-ins and motivational quotes to support mental health and build resilience during the job search.
👾 Features
✅ AI-Powered Career Mapping
✅ Real-Time Feedback
✅ Daily Job Match Feed
✅ Peer Tips & Success Stories
✅ Daily Mood Check-In & Encouragement
Low-fi & High-fi
Low-fi & High-fi
Low-fi & High-fi
CareerUp Showcase
CareerUp Showcase
💡 WATCH OUR SHOWCASE VIDEO ABOVE 📍
💡 WATCH OUR SHOWCASE VIDEO ABOVE 📍
Result Highlights
Result Highlights
👤 User Value
👤 User Value
Personalized Career Guidance: CareerUp provided students with tailored career paths aligned with their individual preferences, skills, and educational backgrounds.
Personalized career recommendations.
Interactive Learning: The inclusion of "Mini Jobs" offered real-world simulations, enabling students to gain practical insights into various professions.
"Mini Jobs" simulations preview real-world scenarios.
Enhanced Confidence: By offering clear job role expectations and required skills, students felt more confident in making informed career decisions.
Clear pathways, boosting confidence.
🏢 Business Value
🏢 Business Value
Positive Client Reception: The innovative approach to personalized career guidance was well-received by SPARCK, showcasing the potential for real-world application.
Positive client feedback from SPARCK.
Market Alignment: The solution bridged the gap between academic programs and job market demands, positioning CareerUp as a valuable tool for educational institutions and employers.
Increased market relevance by bridging education and industry gaps.
Functional Prototype: Delivered a ready-to-develop prototype, laying the groundwork for future enhancements and scalability.
🌱 Personal Value
🌱 Personal Value
Leadership Development: Leading a diverse team honed my leadership skills, teaching me patience and adaptability in dynamic project environments.
Led a multidisciplinary team.
Enhanced Communication: Navigating complex design phases improved my ability to align diverse perspectives and enhance strategic communication.
Strengthened communication and agile project management skills.
Agile Methodology Experience: The project's short timeline sharpened my time management skills and deepened my understanding of agile workflows.
Reflection & Takeaways
Reflection & Takeaways
Reflection & Takeaways
This project helped me grow as a UX designer by combining user psychology, visual storytelling, and inclusive design. It reaffirmed my belief in creating experiences that are not only functional, but also emotionally supportive and empowering—especially for underrepresented groups.
Communication Skills: Navigating complex design phases taught me to effectively align diverse perspectives and enhance my strategic communication.
Leadership and Initiative: Leading a varied team helped me develop patience and adaptability, crucial for managing dynamic interactions and project demands.
Agile and Time Management: This short, intense project sharpened my management skills, teaching me to efficiently deliver comprehensive solutions and embrace agile methodologies.
Communication: Learned to align diverse views and strengthen strategic communication.
Leadership: Developed patience and adaptability by leading a multidisciplinary team.
Agile and Time Management: Enhanced time management and agile delivery in a fast-paced project.
Built in Framer
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Created by Wei Hsin 2024
Built in Framer
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Created by Wei Hsin 2024
Built in Framer
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Created by Wei Hsin 2024