Sidekick
Designing a 1-1 Coaching Platform to Connect Alumni and Students
Role
Lead Product Designer
Timeframe
Sep 2023 - Mar 2024
background
Sidekick is a mobile app designed to connect users with industry experts across various fields via 1-1 video coaching. It faces "cold start problem" - a challenge requires attracting both knowledgeable experts and active users.
As the lead product designer, I spearheaded the project's strategic direction and reimagined Sidekick into a targeted coaching platform, strategically connecting Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) alumni with current students, thereby invigorating the ecosystem with a dynamic and engaged community. My contribution extended to designing and implementing the app's key features.
Colleges have expressed interest in collaboration
6/7
CSAT
200
Alumni and students participated
Initially, Sidekick's "anyone can be a mentor" strategy faced significant challenges in user engagement and credibility.
My team conducted a detailed market research over three months at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) pinpointed a more effective approach: the potential in career coaching specifically tailored for SCAD's community.
Our design team sought a challenge:
How might we leverage our existing network of SCAD's alumni to facilitate meaningful connections and deliver high-quality coaching sessions to current students ?
Defining 3 Levels of KPI
The design process
Research → Ideation →Refinement
The initial survey revealed a pronounced preference for career-specific guidance over general coaching. Leveraging resources such as alumni, students, and the SCAD Career Center, our team strategically chose to focus on the SCAD community. This pivot was presented to and received approval from the CEO.
To deepen our understanding of alumni and students, four personas were developed:
Delving into User Journey
We use the personas we created to as the perspective of the journey to summarize the user journey and pain points when experiencing consulting service. We found that in the exit stage, the major pain point is lack of meeting quality insurance. Also finding someone who can provide the right guidance is important.
Root Cause Analysis
Given all the data from the research, we conducted a root cause analysis to understnad challenges students faced and what are the solutions.
At the end of research…
We developed opportunities from research; Sidekick would collaborate with the college, and the school would provide it for alumni and current students.
Research → Ideation →Refinement
Rapid Co-Creation Workshops
Through usability testing, the team assessed the chatbot's performance in real-world scenarios, focusing on user interaction and the accuracy of responses. This step was vital in identifying and rectifying any navigational or comprehension issues.
Ideation Session with SCAD Students
Using the Prioritization Matrix we generated in the previous workshops, we invited students to participate in developing ideas.
At the end of ideation…
We decided to leverage existing technology (API), enhance alumni profiles, create session reviews and feedback function, and enhance authentication.
Research → Ideation → Refinement
Testing User Flow through Conversational Prototyping
We start to test user flows through conversational prototyping, it is divided into three stages:
1) validate service concept through conversation between service provider and user, 2) iterated conversation, and 3) designing multi-touchpoint interactions.
Refined User Flow: Students
Refined User Flow: Alumni
Refined IA
Polishing our design, asking why things were implemented, and gaining valuable feedback from users. We started the user test using mid-fidelity prototype:
Value proposition
For College
Enhanced Tool for Career Development:
Sidekick complements existing services, adding value to CMC's offerings.
Increased Engagement:
Drives higher engagement rates among students and alumni, fostering a stronger college community.
Data and Insights:
Provides valuable data on student interests and alumni engagement for future planning.
For Alumni
Structured Giving Back:
Meaningful contributions beyond financial donations.
Networking Opportunities:
Professional networking and staying updated with industry trends.
Personal Fulfillment:
Satisfaction from shaping the careers of future professionals.
For Studnets
Direct Access to Mentors:
Relevant and practical advice from alumni.
Career Development:
Support for career exploration and real-world experiences.
Flexibility and Convenience:
Easy scheduling and mentorship without geographical constraints.
Onboarding - Acess through SCAD's Official App
Integrated into the SCAD official mobile app, enhancing trust and accessibility, while alumni enjoy the ease of Single Sign-On (SSO) for streamlined downloads and secure usage.
Matchmaking - Selecting the Alumni that can be most Helpful
Allows students to select mentors through detailed profiles showcasing educational background, work experience, session metrics, and reviews. Operating on a B2B2C model, the service is purchased by schools and offered to students at no additional cost.
Sidekick Chatbot - A Comprehensive Helper
Students can select the mentor manually, or use Sidekick bot to match make with a alumni.
Students can select the mentor manually, or use Sidekick bot to match make with a alumni.
Sidekick bot provides session report and suggestions on communicating. For users who do not feel comfortable with AI access meeting content, the bot will have no such function.
impact
Business Impact
Targeting the niche market of the SCAD community has effectively addressed Sidekick's "cold start" problem. Under my team's direction, Sidekick secured professional support from the college, enhancing credibility and providing a stable foundation. By connecting alumni with current students for career coaching, Sidekick rapidly built a dedicated user base, enhancing engagement and retention.
Future Impact
The Sidekick CEO is actively pitching the app to colleges across the U.S., aiming to expand its reach beyond SCAD. The anticipated outcome of these efforts is promising. Once launched on a broader scale, the impact of Sidekick is expected to be substantial. Ultimately, Sidekick will enrich the academic community by strengthening career pathways and fostering a vibrant network of professional support.
CEO's Feedback
REFLECTION
Currently, the scope of Sidekick is limited to the SCAD community due to constraints in resources, information, and funding. My efforts have primarily focused on developing the app for iOS, catering to SCAD alumni and students. Moving forward, I plan to extend the reach of our project to encompass other colleges, thereby enhancing the platform’s value across various academic environments.
Due to time constraints, we initially developed only the student user flow for the iOS version of the app. Additionally, there were compatibility issues between the SCAD app's interface and Sidekick. Resource limitations prevented us from making necessary adjustments to SCAD’s app to achieve seamless integration.
Looking ahead, I aim to expand our development to include an Android version of the app, broadening accessibility and user engagement.