- Mobile UX · EdTech
- Appt.work
- 2022
Case study · Mobile app · 2022
Appt.work
An upskilling app that trains young job-seekers and unlocks real jobs once they finish the training.
- Role
- Solo designer: research, UX and UI
- Team
- Me and 4 developers
- Timeline
- 6 months, design to Play Store
- Tools
- Figma, Google Analytics, Excel
Designed for MEELEE Technologies Pvt. Ltd. All rights to the product belong to them.
- 1designer, end to end
- 6months to launch
- 200+screens designed
- 6languages at sign-up
01 — The problem
Training in one place, jobs in another, and nothing to connect them
Appt.work started from one idea: a platform where young people can upskill, kickstart their career and grow in the industry they choose.
Research pointed to students, job-seekers and educators in Bangalore. They found upskilling platforms complex and hard to navigate, and very few platforms connected training to actual jobs. Many of them also didn't speak or read English.
My job was to design a single product that closes that gap: learn a job's skills, prove them, and apply for that job, all in one app.
02 — Research
Going to where the learners were
I combined secondary research on the upskilling space with primary research in the field. What I heard shaped three personas, each standing for one part of the user pool.
Secondary
Desk research
Primary
Field study
Primary
One-on-one interviews
Primary
Focus groups
Jane
18 · School student · Bangalore
- Goal
- Streamline all her training needs and commitments, faster.
- Frustration
- Very few platforms offer complete upskilling and jobs together.
- Influences
- News and social media. Uses productivity apps.
Needs a friendly, complete platform for her upskilling.
“Time is the most valuable thing in the fast-paced competitive world.”
John
22 · Unemployed, eager learner · Bangalore
- Goal
- Enrol, get certified and keep track of all his progress easily.
- Frustration
- Upskilling platforms are often complex and hard to navigate.
- Influences
- Opinions of others. Confident, independent, a risk-taker.
Needs a one-stop shop where he can manage trainings and interviews.
“Staying on top of all my peers is essential for me.”
Janet
38 · Teacher · Bangalore
- Goal
- Organise teaching and learning material for her students.
- Frustration
- Online platforms lack complete tools for managing learners.
- Influences
- Facts only. Helpful, independent, resourceful.
Needs a place that gives her insight into how her students are doing.
“I want to make upskilling accessible for my students.”
The personas use fictional names. Each one represents the average of a group in the user pool.
03 — From research to design
What I heard, and what I designed in response
Heard
Few platforms offer upskilling and jobs together.
Designed
Jobs that unlock through training
Every job lists the trainings it needs. The Apply button stays locked until they are done, so learning always leads somewhere.
Jobs flow, below
Heard
Many learners don't speak or read English well.
Designed
Six languages from the first screen
English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi, chosen before anything else, so people who don't speak or read English can still enrol and upskill.
Onboarding flow
Heard
Text-heavy tests shut out people with limited reading skills.
Designed
Questions you can see, hear and speak
Image, audio, video and voice questions sit alongside text. They make the test accessible, and they turn it into an audio-visual experience that is part of the gamification.
Screening test
Heard
Upskilling apps are complex and hard to navigate.
Designed
One clear path, one step per screen
Courses break into modules, units and lessons, each with a single next action. The structure is mapped out so users can always find what they need.
Information architecture
Heard
“Staying on top of all my peers is essential for me.”
Designed
Progress you can see and compare
Points for every lesson, stars across levels, a rating per module and progress bars everywhere.
Learning flow
04 — Information architecture
Two tabs, one journey from training to interview
I mapped every screen before designing any of them. Home holds the journey. More holds what you have earned. The training path and the job path meet at enrolment, and both end at the interview.
05 — Style sheet
A small system for 200+ screens
I kept the visual language tight so four developers could build quickly and the app stayed consistent as screens were added. The style sheet set the colours, type, buttons, input fields and tab bar for every screen.
The app’s palette, not this site’s
Colour
#674EA7Primary
#3F3166Secondary
#FFFFFFPrimary
#EFEFF6Secondary
#000000Primary
#888888Secondary
Type and components
Gilroy in Medium, Semibold and Bold, used across the whole app.
06 — The product
From sign-up to interview
Five flows, in the order a learner meets them. Tap any screen to see it larger.
1 · Onboarding and profile
Sign-up is a short sequence of single questions with big tap targets. It ends with the profile card that employers will see.
Sign inPhone number, Google or Truecaller VerifyA 4-digit code by SMS LanguageSix languages, chosen first Personal detailsPIN code checks itself AreaPick your area from a list EducationQualification as big tap targets ExperienceYears and area of expertise Profile cardHow employers will see you
2 · Home and choosing a training
Home puts your trainings in progress first, then trainings to explore, then success stories from people placed through the app.
HomeTrainings in progress come first All trainingsJob-specific courses and life skills Course contentWhat you will learn, in four levels Before the testTimer, camera and manual checks, explained up front
3 · The screening test
Each course starts with a timed test. Eight question formats let people show what they know without depending on reading.
Name what you see
Select the correct product from a photo. Pinch the image to zoom.
Accessibility
4 · Learning, as a game
Levels, stars and points make progress visible at every step. Each unit ends with an evaluation that unlocks the next one.
PassedYour score, then straight into training Level mapStars for every lesson in a level Video lesson+10 points for each lesson Picture lessonReal workplaces, not just text Lesson doneSlides, points and test score Unit evaluationPass to unlock the next unit End of moduleRating and module performance My TrainingsProgress and rating per module
5 · Jobs unlocked by training
This is where the research pays off. A job shows exactly which trainings it needs, and the Apply button unlocks when they are complete.
Finish the trainings to apply
The job lists three required trainings. Only one is complete, so the button is grey and says what to do next.
Before this point, the job profile screen explains the role with a short video, so learners know what they are training for.
07 — Outcome
Shipped to the Play Store in month six
Launched
The app went live on the Google Play Store at the end of the six-month project, built by a team of four developers from my designs.
200+ screens
Designed and handed off by one designer, covering onboarding, testing, learning, jobs and profiles.
What happened next
The company closed about two years after launch. The product thinking and the patterns in it are what I carry forward.
Reflection
What this project taught me
Accessibility can be the fun part. The audio and visual questions made the test usable without strong reading skills, and they made it more engaging for everyone.
Language is part of the interface. Supporting six languages from the first screen opened the product to people that an English-only app would have lost at sign-up.
A small system goes far. One tight style sheet let a solo designer and four developers ship 200+ screens in six months without the app drifting.
Thanks for reading.
Appt.work was designed for MEELEE Technologies Pvt. Ltd., who own all rights to the product. Personas use fictional names.