The goal of this semester-long project was to identify a problem or topic we wanted to investigate further regarding the transition from “class to career” for User Experience students at Arizona State University. Alongside Maica Avila, Katelyn Dang, Poorva Ketkar, Erin Mishark, and Atharva Nikam, we decided to narrow in on the job application process, in hope of identifying key problems in the experience that we can improve in the later half of the semester. After the research is completed as a team, we break apart to create individual solutions for the problems we identified in our two research methodologies.

Despite only one section being completed in full as a team with five other classmates, the entirety of this class was a collaborative effort. A significant percentage of this class—and, adjacently, this project—was spent working on my individually completed tasks alongside my classmates: seeing their process, letting them see my process, and bouncing ideas off one another constantly. I worked with some incredibly talented students during this project, and—with how widespread our assignments were, moving from one section to the next—one major skill I learned was identifying strengths of each classmate.

The research phase included 5 teammates from the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts: Maica Avila, Katelyn Dang, Poorva Ketkar, Erin Mishark, and Atharva Nikam.

The Initial Research phase was the only section completed entirely as a group, involving a competitive analysis, a research plan, and two research methodologies: user interviews and think-aloud inquiries. In the Research Findings phase, we collaborated on a comprehensive report, while individual deliverables—such as the proto-persona and user stories—were completed independently. The Ideation phase included an in-class workshop and scenario sketches based on key insights, leading into the Design phase, where these ideas were developed into a cohesive high-fidelity prototype in Figma.

Our team conducted a qualitative study using user interviews and think-aloud inquiries to understand the experiences of ASU students and recent graduates navigating the job search process. By observing participants interact with job platforms and describe their decision-making in real time, we uncovered key challenges in content creation (writing cover letters and tailoring resumes), portfolio development, and job filtering (finding opportunities that align with skills, goals, and sponsorship needs). Participants also emphasized the importance of company culture, mentorship, and accessible guidance throughout their search. These findings revealed a gap in how students manage and reflect on their job applications, inspiring our next phase of ideation to focus on solutions that simplify tracking, enhance confidence, and better connect students with relevant opportunities and support.

From Eleanor’s needs and motivations, I developed a series of user stories to guide the design direction and ensure each feature supported user goals. These stories captured specific tasks and desired outcomes, such as: “As a student, I want to easily organize and reuse application materials so I can save time when applying for multiple roles,” and “As a job seeker, I want to track my application history so I can reflect on my progress and identify areas for improvement.” The user stories played a key role in shaping the direction of my ideation process by clarifying what users like Eleanor truly needed from a solution. Each story highlighted recurring themes of organization, visibility, and control—users wanted a way to manage their application materials and track their progress in one unified place. These insights guided me toward the concept of a digital dashboard designed to help users keep track of their job applications alongside the content they create for them, such as resumes, cover letters, and project experience. The goal was to give users the tools necessary to organize and adapt their materials for different roles or fields, reducing the cognitive load and confusion often tied to juggling multiple versions of application documents. This focus became the foundation for the next phase of design, where the structure and functionality of the dashboard began to take form.

Building on the direction established through my user stories and ideation exercises, I began the design process by sketching initial wireframes on paper to visualize the core layout and functionality of the platform. These early sketches outlined a job application tracking dashboard centered around organization and clarity. The concept focused on allowing users to upload the content they use for applications—such as resumes, cover letters, and project examples—while keeping notes on where each piece had been used. I also incorporated a system of labels and tags to help users categorize their materials by relevance to specific positions, fields, or skill sets. This paper stage helped me quickly explore different structures and interactions, establishing a foundation for how users would manage and navigate their application materials within a single cohesive dashboard.

In the final stage of the project, I translated my paper concepts into high-fidelity prototypes for my product, which I named Pancake—a reference to the “stack” of content users build throughout their job application journey. The name reflects the layered, iterative nature of the process, where each resume, cover letter, and project contributes to a growing foundation of professional experience. The final prototype brought together all previous insights, emphasizing organization, clarity, and ease of use in managing application materials. I concluded the project by presenting my findings and design outcomes alongside my teammates, Maica and Katelyn, demonstrating how our collective research and individual design directions addressed the challenges uncovered during our user studies. Together, our work showcased a comprehensive approach to understanding and improving the student-to-career transition through thoughtful, user-centered design.

The significance of this project stands true most in my growth as a collaborative worker, listener, and leader, but also through the sheer scale of Classes to Careers. Looking back on the semester as a whole, the project had integration of the UX design process, analysis and reporting on user research (including supporting documents based on data), initial sketches, and final high-fidelity interfaces. This project provided insight on every stage of the design cycle, and allowed us as students to better understand the needs of this cycle as a whole.

Throughout this project, I played a key role in writing, content organization, and ideation, particularly during the collaborative stages focused on the research plan and findings report. Much of my team involvement centered on strategic planning and coordination, ensuring clear task ownership and realistic timelines. As the project transitioned into individual work, I naturally took on both mentorship and collaboration roles—offering feedback and design suggestions to peers while also seeking their input to refine my own ideas. This ongoing exchange of insights strengthened not only the final outcomes but also my ability to communicate effectively, provide constructive critique, and adapt within a multidisciplinary team environment. Working alongside such talented peers was an invaluable experience that deepened my collaborative and leadership skills.