PROJECT SUMMARY
Mentor connection was an exercise to refresh and extend my UX/UI knowledge. The goal was to address mentors who were busy committed to meetings or had no time to connect with people who sought advice. In addition, design a seamless experience where prospective mentors and mentees can align based on similar interests, location, and availability.
Core Responsibilities
UX Research, Competitive Analysis, User Interview, Info Architecture, and UI Design.
Timeline
Start to finish: 2 to 3 weeks to build a concept.
Additional Context
This project happened in my free time after hours when I was employed full-time at cPanel.
Targeted Audience
Expert who would like to give back and community who wish to learn and grow.
PROCESS
The methods below were the process of gathering how and when a mentor and mentee’s goals were aligned. Matching the right mentor to the right mentee was a crucial step relying on their commitment and dedication to making this a successful symbiotic. The phases from research and ideation to design open all the questions, identify the underlying problem, construct viable solutions, and test theories for effectiveness.
Research Phase
Mentoring is a relationship between two people with the goal of professional and personal development.
Mind Tools
Mentorship Type
Reading various sources of articles, I've identified characteristics of mentorships into two buckets -professional and personal. The research and discovery process on mentorships helped uncover common traits when connecting one another from a holistic point of view.
Market Research
Learning mentorship businesses from the Mentor website was another data point I gathered. Understanding frictions such as negative, unwanted, or painful experiences were the area I paid close attention to when making the connection. The underlying behaviors between mentor and mentee's benefits and challenges allowed me to explore viable solutions that address the needs, desires, and overall experiences.
Mentor Benefits
- Personal growth
- Empowerment
- Embrace cultural differences and appreciate diversity
- Giving back to the community
- Relationship Builder
Mentor Challenges
- Lack of common interest
- Personal differences
- Behavior approach/acceptance
- Lack of mentorship training
- Time commitment
Mentor Benefits
- Recruit Talent
- Developing Talent
- Support Diversity Initiatives
- Succession Planning Initiatives
Mentor Challenges
Values
- Giving Back
- Build an Ally in the Organization
- Self-Discovery
- Mentee's Feedback
Motivations
- Time
- Interval Meeting
- Communication Methods
User Interview
User interview was another approach where I get much more meaningful insights into understanding the mentorship. I conversed with a mentee, Trey, as he discussed his experiences and how he met his mentor. They worked together in different businesses, and his mentor organically guided him in his business endeavors and provided specific knowledge that propelled his newly founded company. Trey and his mentor both prospered not only in relationships but also in business opportunities. The fact that both benefited from helping, advising, and seeing the results come to fruition was the driving motivation for a successful relationship in the mentorship program.
Persona
Trey Baumann
Occupation:
Co-founder & Business Owner
Business Type
Water Damage Restoration
Business Established
June 2015
Question asked:
Have you ever been mentored?
Trey's answer:
Yes
I was employed with another company and built a good working relationship with the operational owner. He asked if I would consider running my own business. He offered to help set up the business and guided me through operation planning.
Conversation Insight:
Mentor's Motivation
When the mentor advised, Trey created new business opportunities. When Trey's business did well, their working relationship and business opportunities grew.
Mentee's Motivation
Trey's motivation was to make money, build a network, acquire advice, and create business opportunities.
Ideation Phase
The following strategy was to define user journey and behavior scenarios when making the connection. These diagrams depict how users navigate from a holistic viewpoint when onboarding and bridging the gaps between mentor and mentee.
Interaction Design Phase
The last step was to develop a high-fidelity design to describe the pathways to connection in various entry points. In addition, maximize opportunities when forming relationships and motivating users to stay engaged.
CONCLUSION
This project was to validate the process and hone my skill set as a UX/UI designer. The research and discovery phases were the fundamental tools to gain insights into the underlying principles, the behaviors between a mentor and mentee, and how each benefits from the other. What resulted helped solve problems and create identifying preferences and motivation by configuring the schedule, aligning methods of communication, and specifying common locations and shared interests.
The only thing left was to perform user testing to confirm theories and hypotheses to see if this addressed the commitment in meetings and present multiple opportunities to connect with people who seek advice.