How did I started my project?

Inspired by my experience as a freelancer designer, (ask me when the time I was underestimating myself as a freelancer due to an incorrect rating system), I was pleased to work on the project that was given from a graduate-level class I took during the Fall 2020 semester.

Project context

With the growth of “gig” work in the industry, freelancers have been a growing group of individuals that are using platforms such as Fiverr, UpWork, and 99designs. Based on primary and secondary research, we picked UpWork for our problem space.
UpWork is one of the most representative freelancer platforms provides the wrong criteria to present designers to buyers, which hinders their ability to grow, as well as block the new freelancers to engage in the platform.

My Role in the team was
I was a part of a team of 3 UX Design graduate students and lead the visual and interaction parts of the project. I also conducted the final design, usability testing, and several interviews.

Filters on UpWork sorting out designers with incorrect criteria: overall rating, job success, money earned.

Core problem we found

The core problems we defined during the user interviews and researches are:

1. Clients believe in the incorrect criteria provided to them on the platforms. The criteria provided focuses on earnings, which benefits UpWork the most.

2. Platforms create features that summarize the freelancer’s successes (e.g. overall rating, job success, money earned, automatic view on high-earning freelancers.) which provide wrong perception of ‘successes’ in freelancer community.

3. Unfortunately, these features also give new freelancers a disadvantage because these features are the focal point of the freelancer, features that new freelancers are not able to receive yet.  

Incorrect criteria on the UpWork hinder the involvement of new freelancers to the platform, as well as inhibits designers’ ability to grow.

How might we go to allow freelancers to be evaluated with correct criteria, which helps their personal growth, as well as provides the opportunity for the new freelancers?

How might we help clients to be more aware of their own criteria to find a designer is more important than following criteria given and make their decision independently?

The goals of redesigned platform are

1. Focus on skills, availability, recent login, and portfolio works in the profile, instead of overall success and money earned, to provide fairly evaluated information to buyers. This will change the wrong perception of success UpWork previously provided.

2. Apply new filter system to combine all freelancers and not just high-earning to provide equal opportunity. (Focus on their portfolio and skills)

3. Change review system that follows a 3-tier system (exceed expectations, meet expectations, needs improvement).

4. Provide resources for freelancers to learn what skills they need to improve on/maintain via profile.

Mid fidelity design solution (short video)

Link to final design

Deep dive into user research

From the research, we discovered that there is no defined guideline for 5-star reviews and how the rating system is popular everywhere. Another finding is that a consumer’s motivation to review is low because it costs their time and effort. Lastly, new UpWork freelancers wanting to develop their profile have a hard time due to these simplified filter systems on the current system (e.g. overall rating, automatic view on high-earners, display the total amount earned)

The questions we had after the research were:

1. How do we make the review system quick and easy?

2. How do we effectively use a textual rating system, instead of the 5-star rating system, to encourage the growth of freelancers?

What is the belief of current UpWork Clients and what causes it?

Clients believe in the incorrect criteria of the current freelancer evaluation system and assume it covers the whole picture.

The current system contains features that simplify the freelancer’s work ethic (e.g. overall rating, overall earnings, star review system under profiles) and create an easy path for clients to choose “top tier” workers. This provides an automatic view on high-earners, but no way to find new freelancers through the filter system.

This feeds the current platform rather than benefiting freelancers to build a better freelancing environment and work culture.

What kind of experience do we desire to create?

We are wanting clients to create a set of criteria rather than the platform doing it for them. We want to shift the responsibility of evaluation from the platform to the user and remove simplified indicators to evaluate freelancers.

(two different target users: clients, freelancers; Freelancer’s perspective will be added here)

Drawing our experience on the sketchbook

We started several sketching sessions through Zoom. I created a semi-final mid-fidelity design based on the idea we generated together.

Usability testing and refinement

We interviewed 12 individuals who have used freelancing platform both as as a client or freelancer. We found what to improve on our prototype during our interviews. The interviewees’ concerns and thoughts regarding the each steps of interaction were stated in the red post-it. 

The method helped us to deepen our thought in designing the platform that focuses on the growth of users and reminded us the importance of the role of the platform.

Final Design

Link to final design

Based on the feedback, we refined our final design. I am currently working on making high fidelity mockup. Link to the video

Next Step

If time allowed us, we would have expanded more on our solutions and implemented a client-side review system similar to what we proposed. Additionally, we wanted to include the job success aspect to our review system but didn’t have enough time. One idea from one of our interviewees proposed collaboration with other freelancers, allowing top-rated freelancers to collaborate with new ones.

Usability testing on the current final design is on process, and I was able to find answer for important questions, such as “Is our skill display able to be understood better?” “Was removing project flexibility the best course of action?”

Reflection

Overall, this project has been a great learning experience for all of us and an opportunity to learn about the different types of users in one platform; clients and freelancer. I am fortunate work with my team members, hoping that I can work with them again in the future!