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Re-imagining the traditional contractor employment experience
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Talent International approached us with plans for a new management system to give contractors full control over all aspects of their employment. With a basic existing system and functional wireframes, they asked us to help them design a mobile-responsive web system with additional features and updated branding.
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To start the project I designed and executed a usability review of the existing wireframes; evaluating key user flows and highlighting improvement areas within the system. Recommended changes were then implemented and a style guide supplied by the client.
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The second phase included the creation of a design system, hosted in Zeplin, used to bring the basic wireframes to life and create high fidelity screens for both mobile and web - ready for development.=
Getting started
The Client
Talent International are a global technology and digital recruitment specialist; connecting excellent people with top organisations in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US. With a profound desire to break from the pack and redefine recruitment, they are committed to creating the most rewarding experiences for their customers, clients, colleagues and communities.
The Focus
Talent required a responsive web application to establish a technical infrastructure that ensures a seamless experience for all users across all Talent offices - redefining the traditional contractor experience. The focus was allowing users to manage all aspects of their employment contracts from one centralised system, from signing their initial contract through to exploring new opportunities when it finishes.
The Brief
The client had an existing system, and a set of functional wireframes for a new system with technical requirements identified, but needed us to carry out a usability review to evaluate them and ensure user flows were clear, intuitive and easy to follow. Following our recommendations we would then be required to develop existing branding and apply it to the wireframes - rebuilding the existing front end system that was in place and making further adaptions for mobile responsiveness.
The Process
Usability Review
​Before the usability review the client identified five key user journeys that, when tested, would give us the best coverage and insight into the usability of the systems primary features - before writing a specific task to be completed for each one. These tasks were then completed using the wireframes with three sets of data recorded:
The combination of two gave us a clear indication of where the system could be improved; the raw objective data showing where performance was impaired, and the subjective satisfaction ratings giving context into why this might have occurred. Aside from a number of subtle changes to layout and structure, three key improvements were identified:
Visual Design
Having been supplied with a style guide I then applied this to the existing wireframe designs that had been refined through the usability review, with additional assets and brand elements to be created where necessary - these individual components were then developed into a clear and easy to use design system to aid any future iterations of the platform.
This stage of the process was structured using agile methodology - organising the workload into weekly design sprints that were reviewed and refined individually as the project progressed.
A key part of this process was designing the system to be mobile responsive, presenting a number of challenges in terms of displaying a lot of information in limited space; particularly on the timesheets section. For each section a mobile view was created, ensuring consistency throughout the system both on the desktop and mobile platforms.
The Result
Talent Engage
The Talent Engage platform re-imagines the traditional contractor experience to provide users with full control over their employment, both while on an active contract and in between them. With features ranging from timesheet management to additional training and benefits, it covers the full spectrum of contractors needs and allows them to navigate current and future roles with ease.
How it Works
The contractor receives an email link to access the system when they first receive their job offer, and after signing up and confirming their details they complete their contract checklist and pick a start date.
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As they continue through their contract they are able to manage it from their dashboard; entering weekly timesheets to track their hours either in weekly or daily periods. The system also includes a number of other features that allows them to manage their current and future employment, learn new skills, view job specific articles or get rewards from their association with Talent International.
Key Features
Personal Contract Management
After being offered a contract the user can view it in their contracts section, before completing their contract checklist; confirming their contractor status, reviewing the contract itself and signing it and completing the relevant work health and safety forms. Once this is complete, they can view all of their contracts and access timesheets and other information for each one from the contracts section in their dashboard.
Looking for New Opportunities
​In addition to managing active contracts, users are able to update and maintain a professional profile. Acting as a CV it provides potential employers with all the information they will need about the contractor, from a summary of their current role and availability through to their job preferences, qualifications, skillset and previous work experience - allowing users to pursue new opportunities ready for when their contract ends, and employers to identify suitable people for available roles.
Timesheet Submission & Approval
While working on an active contract users are able to track the time they've worked, toggling on active days and entering their time either in total hours or by start/end time depending on which country they're working in. Within this they are also able to register any expenses they incurred and upload attachments for proof. The system ensures they don't work more hours than their contract allows with targeted warnings and alerts, and also allows their manager to review their submitted timesheets and approve or reject them accordingly.
Payment Management
Within their user setting, along with personal details, membership details and emergency contract information, contractors are able to add their payment information; allowing for automatic payment when their timesheets have been approved at the end of each month. This feature also allows them to update tax information as well as splitting payments between different accounts; giving a good level of flexibility and simplifying a process they would otherwise have to do externally.
Rewards & Redemptions
Through using the Talent Engage system users are able to earn Talent Coins for completing a number of different tasks. These coins can be spent to redeem a variety of benefits and offers, from cinema tickets and gym memberships to special offers from Talent partners. Users are able to track their redemption and spending using the activity statement - providing an overview of all coins earned and redeemed, and the source of each.
