Ourability Connect Dashboard 职业社交平台 by Zilin Zhou

Ourability Connect Dashboard 职业社交平台 by Zilin Zhou is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award 铜奖 in 界面、交互与用户体验设计 Competition Category.

铜界面· 2024

Ourability Connect Dashboard 职业社交平台

by Zilin Zhou

Client: OurAbility Inc

A' Design Award 铜奖 Winner in 界面 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #151726

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Ourability Connect Dashboard 职业社交平台

求职变得前所未有地困难，尤其对于残障人士而言。招聘信息往往缺乏无障碍性，使他们更难发现就业机会。Ability Connect Dashboard 通过人工智能驱动的求职与连接平台，为残障求职者和雇主赋能。该平台提供先进的无障碍功能，连接求职者与潜在雇主，帮助雇主发现独特人才。其设计聚焦于包容性与无障碍体验，运用人工智能技术促进机会平等。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 铜奖

Ourability Connect Dashboard 职业社交平台是 A' Design Award 铜奖得主，这是授予以创造力、独创性和敏锐见长的杰出设计的极具声望的认可。铜奖得主是技艺娴熟、创意惊人的作品，印证了其设计师丰富的经验、想象力与机智。预计Ourability Connect Dashboard 职业社交平台将成为一件备受推崇、令人钦佩且被珍爱的物品，兼具显著的专业性与创新性。这件赢得 A' Design Award 铜奖的设计融入艺术、科学、设计和技术领域的最佳实践，并因注重细节而出类拔萃。Ourability Connect Dashboard 职业社交平台出色地满足需求，触动渴望，迷住情感，并吸引好奇心。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: In this project, Zilin designed the Our Ability Connect dashboard system, including the dashboard interface, new user flows, content strategy, etc. He spent time doing research and understanding the overall user experience. His goal for this project was to rethink the user’s need and to redesign the overall user experience to help Our Ability users to create the most functional and accessible dashboard system to empower their employees.
Dimensions & Packaging: This product is a web application
Tags: Dashboard, Accessible Technology, Job Dashboard, Accessibility, Inclusive Design,
Production Technology: This project was approached in three stages to create a dashboard system that meets the needs of users with disabilities. The first stage involved researching and understanding accessibility design using various user research methodologies, such as card sorting, user interviews, and competitive analysis. These methodologies provided valuable insights and a clear direction for product strategies and design.

In the second stage, the research findings were compiled and translated into design ideas using tools such as affinity diagrams and mind maps. This stage allowed for the creation of a more cohesive and effective dashboard design.

Finally, the third stage involved delivering a user-friendly and intuitive dashboard that went through an iterative research and development process. Adobe Xd was used for designing and prototyping, and the engineering team coded the final product through React Js. Overall, this approach ensured that accessibility was prioritized at every stage of the design process, resulting in a dashboard system that meets the needs of all users.
Design Challenge: During this project, I encountered three primary challenges:

Prioritizing Accessibility in Design: The main goal was to ensure accessibility in every aspect of the dashboard design, which can be challenging but essential for empowering every user. As a designer, I believe in contributing to creating more accessible design solutions.

Rethinking User Experience: After a thorough analysis of the current Our Ability Connect dashboard system, it was clear that the system lacked consistency and utility. I redesigned the entire system to ensure a more coherent user experience, creating a new web architecture and visual language that prioritized the most crucial features.

Limited Time and Resources: Originally intended as a team project, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our work. Despite limited resources and a short timeline, I took on the responsibility of delivering the final product on time, working additional hours each week to ensure its success.
Research: This research investigated usability problems faced by OurAbility dashboard users with disabilities. User research methods, including interviews, card sorting, and competitive analysis, were used to analyze the current system and identify good and bad experiences. Additional insight was gained through a cognitive walkthrough and interviews with users, highlighting the importance of accessibility features. Based on the findings, designer was advised to follow accessibility guidelines and obtain more input from disability users. The research also focused on designing accessible features, such as color, using a color review tool. The dashboard color had significant problems, with a low contrast ratio and poor text accessibility. To resolve this issue, a primary color that met accessibility standards and fit the modern system design was found. An Affinity diagram and mind map were created to deliver a user-friendly dashboard validated through iterative research and development. This research contributes to the development of accessible digital systems.
Inspiration: Nowadays, approximately one-fifth of the global population experiences difficulties in accessing the same services and products as people without disabilities. With the goal of designing an accessible and inclusive product that empowers users with disabilities in their employment, I embarked on this project with a simple belief. My research delves into studying different types of accessibility design, understanding current usability issues within existing systems, and redesign
Project Duration: The project started in November 2020 in Syracuse NY and finished in August 2020 in Syracuse NY. The Phase 1 development work started Sep 2020, final MVP product launched in 2022
Operation Flow: OurAbility Dashboard is a professionally designed web application that enables individuals with disabilities to establish essential career connections. Moreover, this system empowers employers to connect with potential employees with disabilities by searching, connecting directly with them within the platform, and posting job opportunities to attract top candidates for their open positions.
Image Credits: Image #1: Designer Zilin Zhou, OurAbility Connect Dashboard, 2023. Image #2: Designer Zilin Zhou, OurAbility Connect Dashboard, 2023. Image #3: Designer Zilin Zhou, OurAbility Connect Dashboard, 2023. Image #4: Designer Zilin Zhou, OurAbility Connect Dashboard, 2023. Image #5: Designer Zilin Zhou, OurAbility Connect Dashboard, 2023.