Gig job matching platform - Moovup

Gigging for Freedom: How Gen Z Workers Seek Autonomy in Their Jobs

When it comes to job searching, we often assume that everyone approaches it similarly. However, as we delve into the world of Gen Z gigworkers, we realize that their experiences are vastly different from those of traditional office workers or even other types of freelancers. This is especially true for frontline workers who require hands-on experience and don't just rely on resumes.

Role.
UX/UI Lead

Team.
Moovup development Team
1x Branding/UI designer (Korea)
1x UIUX designer
2x Junior UIUX designer

Scope.
UX Research - User interview | Research analysis | Data analytics
UX design - Usability test | Prototyping
UI design - screen flow | interaction

Overview.

As Moovup's UX/UI lead, I was tasked with driving growth by increasing traffic, improving job matching efficiency, and enhancing the overall user experience. To achieve this, I worked closely with key stakeholders across multiple teams:

  • Product Vision: Collaborated with the CTO/Product Manager to ensure that any changes benefited users, were backed up by data and testing, and aligned with a shared understanding of our product's vision.

  • Technical Feasibility: Partnered with Engineers to minimize disruptions to existing infrastructure and ensure seamless implementation of new features.

  • Marketing Strategy: Worked with the Marketing Team to identify target audiences, develop effective campaign ideas, and optimize promotional efforts.

To gain a deeper understanding of Moovup's growth opportunities, I employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods:

  1. Heuristic Evaluation: Conducting expert reviews to identify areas for improvement in our UI/UX.

  2. Data Analysis: Exploring Data Studio to uncover patterns and trends that inform our decision-making.

  3. User Insights: Gathering firsthand knowledge through interviews with platform users.

Key Objectives

By incorporating valuable tips and statistics into the profile section, we aimed to enhance job matching efficiency and improve user engagement. Additionally, we sought to develop a more nuanced understanding of different segments of our existing users and target marketing efforts towards specific segments, ultimately driving increased traffic and click rates on promoted ads.

Background.

Moovup is a leading job platform focused on frontline positions in Hong Kong. Since its launch in 2017, the platform has attracted over 1 million job seekers and boasts an impressive average monthly active user base of 200,000+. This demonstrates Moovup's strong presence and relevance in the local job market.

Revenue Model: Moovup operates a unique revenue model that benefits both employers and job seekers. By providing free posting services to employers, we create a competitive environment where businesses can bid for highlighted ad slots within specific categories. Employers only pay for their ads when users click on them and visit the job details page, ensuring a cost-effective and targeted approach to recruitment.

Challenges.

As I delved deeper into the research, several challenges arose that threatened to hinder our progress:

  • Misaligned Priorities: The CEO and CTO had different visions for the platform, with the CEO wanting to expand Moovup's services as a gig working service provider and the CTO prioritizing the existing platform target Gen Z users. This created tension and made it difficult to focus resources on a single goal.

  • Resource Constraints: With two competing directions, our limited resources were spread thin, making it challenging to allocate time and effort towards a singular objective.

  • Resistance to Change: As with any successful startup, the CEO and CTO had strong opinions about their creation. This led to a reluctance to adopt new ideas or approaches, making it harder to implement changes that could benefit the platform.

Furthermore, we faced an internal dilemma: how to balance our revenue streams between part-time/temp job ads and full-time job ads. The former generates less traffic but provides more clicks, while the latter attracts fewer clicks but contributes significantly to our revenue. This tension made it difficult to prioritize our marketing efforts and optimize our UI/UX for maximum impact.

While the original design is simple, it can come across as cold or unemotional. The use of red as an accent color adds a pop of vibrancy, but we should consider ways to balance this with a warmer, more welcoming tone.

Research.

To gain a deeper understanding of Moovup's users and their needs, we employed a mixed-methods approach combining both qualitative and quantitative research techniques.

User Interviews

We conducted a series of interviews with existing users to gather insights into their experiences on the platform. These interviews were designed to be engaging and informative for all team members, ensuring everyone had a shared understanding of our users' perspectives.

  • Part-time/Temp Job Seekers: We conducted:

    • 7 structured interviews with 7 users (selected from a pool of 50 potential participants after initial screening)

    • 1 guerrilla interview with an additional user to gather more spontaneous and informal feedback

  • Full-time Job Seekers: We conducted:

    • 3 guerrilla interviews with full-time job seekers to gain insight into their experiences on the platform

Data Analysis

To supplement our qualitative findings, we analyzed existing data in Data Studio. This involved:

  1. Exploring User Behavior: Examining user interactions and behavior patterns within the platform

  2. Analyzing Full-time Applying Records: Reviewing 8,346 full-time job applications submitted between February 25th and March 3rd to identify trends and insights

By combining these research methods, we aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of our users' needs, preferences, and pain points on Moovup.

Leveraging with MOOVUP job platform, it’s easy to recruit existing platform users to participate in user interview and usability test.

A centralized repository of comprehensive data on the Moovup platform, empowering quantitative researchers with actionable insights to inform product development and user experience enhancements.

Research insight.

Our research uncovered several important insights into the behavior and preferences of Moovup users, shedding light on their job seeking habits and pain points.

  1. Perceived Platform Purpose: Users see Moovup primarily as a platform for part-time and temp jobs, rather than a tool for long-term career development. This perception is influenced by our marketing efforts and the types of job posts we feature.

  2. Job Seeking Patterns: Gen Z users tend to apply for jobs late at night after indulging in entertainment activities, feeling guilty about procrastinating on their job search. And this generate the mismatch for employer as they work in office hour.

  3. Doubts about Job Offers: Despite using Moovup, users still have reservations about the legitimacy of job offers and companies, often conducting additional research before committing to an application.

  4. Mobile App Adoption: Gen Z users are more likely to find Moovup through generic app store searches rather than browsing our website directly. They prioritize convenience over privacy, installing new apps and registering for profiles to access jobs quickly.

  5. Job Description Preferences: Users often don't read job descriptions thoroughly, preferring to discuss the details with employers during conversations. This indicates a need for more transparent and concise job postings that cater to part-time job seekers.

  6. Incomplete Profiles and Cover Letters: Gen Z users frequently apply for jobs without completing their profiles or tailoring their cover letters, especially those without work experience. This behavior can lead to missed interview opportunities.

  7. High-Volume Applications: Some Gen Z users apply for 30+ part-time temp jobs in a row, waiting for responses without considering the feasibility of taking on multiple roles. This behavior contributes to ghosting issues and wasted time for both parties.

User Segmentation

Our research suggests that Moovup's user base can be categorized into five distinct groups:

  1. Side Hustlers: Part-time temp job seekers looking to supplement their income or explore new opportunities.

  2. Slashers: Users who divide their time between multiple part-time jobs and often struggle with scheduling conflicts.

  3. In-Between Jobs: Individuals transitioning between full-time and part-time employment, seeking temporary solutions until they secure a permanent position.

  4. Carefree: Full-time job seekers who feel comfortable in their current roles but may be open to exploring new opportunities or supplementing their income through part-time work.

  5. The Stuck: Users who are struggling to find full-time employment and see Moovup as a means to bridge the gap until they secure a permanent position.

These user segments highlight areas where Moovup can improve its services, marketing efforts, and job postings to better cater to the diverse needs of its users.

Through comprehensive user experience maps, our team has gained a deeper understanding of our users' needs, behaviors, and pain points, enabling informed discussions, strategic decision-making, and aligned product development.

Proposed solutions.

Create Tips and guides info box For Job seekers To Complete more profile information And improve the chance of interviewing opportunities

Create edutainment content on moovup social platform For Job seeker To Understand more what employers want And improve the chance of interviewing opportunities

Create marketing strategy For marketing team To Target the right market following company priority And improve the traffic and the revenue of the platform

Elevating Job Seeker Quality and Employer Satisfaction

To improve the overall quality of job seekers on Moovup, while also increasing the number of employers willing to pay for boosted ads, we need to focus on several key areas.

  1. Education and Upskilling: Providing resources and education that bridge the gap between employer expectations and job seeker capabilities.

  2. Enhanced Job Seeker Profiles:

    • Encouraging more completed profiles

    • Fostering the creation of customized cover letters tailored to individual job requirements

    • Improving overall quality, making it easier for employers to find suitable candidates

  3. Edutainment and Social Media Engagement: Leveraging social media to educate and entertain job seekers, helping them understand employer preferences and expectations.

  4. Behavioral Norms and Etiquette:

    • Encouraging responsible behavior, such as not over-applying jobs or ghosting employers

    • Teaching best practices for WhatsApp interviews

By focusing on these areas, we can increase the chances of successful matches between job seekers and employers, leading to a more trusted and reliable platform.

Targeted Marketing Strategies

To optimize marketing efforts and drive revenue growth, it's essential to focus on the right audience. Our priorities should be:

  1. Traffic Generation: If we need to attract more traffic to burn promoted ads, our marketing campaigns should target temp and short-term job users.

  2. Revenue Growth: To increase revenue, we should focus on targeting full-time job seekers, as they are more likely to engage with paid advertising.

By tailoring our marketing efforts to the specific needs of our audience, we can drive growth, improve user quality, and increase employer satisfaction on Moovup.

Design.

Designing an Engaging and Informative User Experience

To improve the overall quality and usability of our platform, we should focus on several key design elements.

CV Enhancement

Our goal is to make it easy for job seekers to create high-quality CVs that effectively showcase their skills and experience. To achieve this, we should:

  1. Streamline CV Completion: Improve the completeness and quality of CVs by guiding users through a self-introduction process and encouraging them to update their job experience.

  2. Clear Messaging: Inform users that updating their CV won't affect previous applications, reducing anxiety and increasing user confidence.

Instructional Text UX

When designing instructional text, it's essential to consider how users interact with numbers and statistics. We should use:

  1. Numerical Cues: Utilize numbers to convey facts, stats, sizes, and distances, as these are more likely to be remembered by users.

  2. Action- Oriented Language: Use action-oriented language to motivate users to take action, such as "Complete your profile" or "Update your CV".

  3. Recommended Placement: Place instructional text in a way that doesn't disrupt the flow of user interactions, avoiding placement on top of action objects (menus, buttons, text fields).

Emojis and Visual Hierarchy

To create an engaging and playful experience, we should use emojis strategically:

  1. Placing Emojis Before Text: Use emojis before relevant text to make it more attention-grabbing and increase user engagement.

  2. Direct Relation: Ensure that the emoji is directly related to the text, as this will enhance its effectiveness.

Progress Trackers

To motivate users to complete their profiles or CVs, we should use progress trackers:

  1. Bigger Goal: Make the goal of completing a profile or CV more appealing by emphasizing its benefits.

  2. Tracking Progress: Use visual indicators (e.g., LinkedIn's profile completion tracker) to show users how much they've progressed towards their goal.

Impact / Learnings.

Profile Completion Rate: Boosted from 40% to 80%, demonstrating a significant improvement in user engagement.

Marketing Success: Effective marketing edutainment strategies have reduced complaints from employer-side users, enhancing overall satisfaction.

Insights and Takeaways

  • Deeper User Understanding: Research and experience mapping enabled us to grasp job searching behaviors across different user segments.

  • Data-Driven Decisions: With a comprehensive understanding of user experiences, we can now:

    • Launch targeted ads at optimal times

    • Focus on the most effective media channels

    • Make strategic decisions with confidence