Overview
Spotwork is a gig-work job search app based in Toronto, Canada, starting in 2019. They provided flexible gig jobs with instant payment for workers in Canada only, but recently started offering a 1W-2/1099 job service in some cities in the US.
The Problem
Spotwork is expanding its service in the US and now plans to add W-2 jobs to attract more job seekers across the US. They want to understand more about the US tax systems and their competitors' W-2/1099 onboarding process. They aim to incorporate the W-2/1099 onboarding into their app, which requires job seekers to fill out documents and undergo background check forms.
Hypothesis
Creating clear guidance that is easy to follow for the W-2/1099 onboarding process and providing education can increase users' engagement in completing their information forms to move on next steps to search and apply for jobs.
Client
Spotwork
Role
UX Researcher/Designer
Team
Me, 3 designers, 2 supervisors
Duration
4 weeks
Research
Learn from Competitors
We'd like to learn understand how other apps handle the W-2 tax and personal information through mobile apps. We downloaded the most popular apps in the gig work market and observed their app flows and features.
Instawork
Wonolo
Adia
Swipejobs
All of them provided 1099 and W-2 gig jobs, where workers had to first verify their identity and fill out the tax forms before they can start searching for jobs. The common problem with these apps was that they were not easy to use due to their long and complicated forms and background checks, and users didn't know if any suitable jobs were available until after they provided a lot of personal information.
Problems with gig-apps' W-2 onboarding discouraged users due to
Time-consuming
Unclear & confusing
-
Hard to use the app due to a lack of guidance on how to use it
-
It takes too long to complete the W-2 onboarding and is complicated.
-
User cannot see jobs before completing the onboarding, and the app requires too much personal information
-
No feedback on how the apps assess users' document verification including background check, personality test, questionnaire, and references
-
Poor customer service with slow or no response
"How might we provide an easy-to-follow app to help workers to sign up and complete the W-2/1099 onboarding process?"
How users complete the W-2/1099 onboarding to search for and apply to jobs
We created a possible US W-2 onboarding end-to-end flow and then added it to the existing app flow. It allowed us to structure each step. We narrowed our design scope for the minimum viable products (MVP) design, focusing on the following:
1099/W-2 Education 'Learn' page
Before searching for jobs, users should get through the 1099 or W-2 onboarding process. Understanding the understanding the difference between them is a critical step for users to choose the job type. The learning page provides the information to educate the users at the beginning of the process.
W-2 Onboarding
The W-2 onboarding process is more complicated than the 1099. Providing clear guidance through the process can encourage users to complete it.
Apply/Search for jobs in the 'Search' page
After finishing the W-2 onboarding process, users can access more jobs and apply for jobs quickly.
Managing jobs in 'My Jobs' page
The 'My Jobs' page lists users' job histories, and they can manage their jobs on one page easily.
Guide for Clear W-2/1099 Onboarding for Job Applications
The design aimed at creating a seamless US W-2 onboarding end-to-end flow. This process was integrated into the existing app flow, focusing on:
W-2 Education
Prior to job searching, users must finish the 1099 or W-2 onboarding. Knowing their differences is crucial for job type selection. This learning page provides early guidance.
Simplifying the W-2/1099 Onboarding Steps
The W-2 onboarding is more complex than the 1099. Clear guidance can motivate users to finish it.
Accessibility to 'Job Search' and 'Application'
After finishing the W-2 onboarding, users access a broader job selection and apply quickly.
Efficient Job Management in 'My Jobs'
The 'My Jobs' page showcases users' job histories, allowing easy management of all their jobs in one place.
Customer Support
5- Day Design Sprint
We researched for three weeks as requested, but at the end of the week, our team decided to go to a little further. We did a 5-day Design Sprint during the last week when we finished usability testing and redesigned it.
Day 1 + 2: Ideate and sketch solutions
Based on the W-2 onboarding user flow we created, we started to sketch our ideas that showed each MVP flow.
Education
-
Inform how to use the app and explain the differences between 1099 and W-2 differences
Job Search
-
Search for 1099 and W-2 jobs
My Job & Messages
-
Check job histories, status and messages
My Jobs & Messages
-
Categorized FAQs can answer what users want to know, or they can send a message or start to chat
We developed the rough sketch ideas and built the low-fidelity prototype within a day on a shared Figma workspace, where we discussed and designed together. That helped us keep the design consistent and increased the work speed.
Day 3: Low-Fidelity Prototype
-
Learn page is the first page you see on the app
-
Want to optimize this space for education
-
Opportunity to learn about the app
-
Can learn about 1099 or W-2 jobs and onboard
'Education' Flow
Education
1. The 'Learn' page: App Introduction
Providing essential introductory info
2. Optimization for Education Purposes
Ensuring a seamless learning experience for users
3. User Engagement and Exploration
User have the opportunity to discover more about the app
4. Exploring Job Information
They can explore information regarding 1099 or W-2 jobs and start the onboarding process based on their
preference
-
Competitor analysis user pain point: Users would onboard with their personal information (SSN, ID#, etc.) and find out that there are no jobs in their area
-
Solution: offer to see jobs in a user’s area before onboarding
-
Embedded in this flow is the opportunity to learn and start onboarding for W-2 and 1099
'Job Search' flow for first-time users
'My Jobs' & 'Messages'
1. Segregating W-2 and 1099 Positions
Implemented a system to separate and categorize W-2 and 1099 job positions for clearer distinction and easier navigation
2. Increased Reminders for Application
Enhanced the frequency of reminders encouraging users to apply for both 1099 and W-2 positions,
ensuring users are informed and prompted to take action
1. Introduction to Onboarding Process
Briefly outline the steps involved in the W-2 onboarding process
2. List of Required Documentation
Highlight the essential documents needed for the onboarding process
3. E-sign Agreement
Explain the necessity of an e-signature for documents that required an alternative hand-signed option
4. 'Get Started' Page
Empathize the importance of this page in informing users about the option to pause the process if needed
5. Inbox of Forms
Describe the functionalities of the inbox, such as displaying pending tasks, identifying complexities,
offering a pause function, and showcasing completion progress through a percentage indicator
6. Tax form Segmentation
Highlight how tax forms are segmented for easy filling, divided into sections with relevant fields
(text fields, drop-downs, date pickers0 for user convenience
7. Complete Forms
Empathize the accessibility of completed forms as PDFs of official tax forms. filled with uer-entered data, and their delivery via email upon application completion
'W-2 Onboarding' Flow
'Job Search' Flow for First-time Users
1. Identified Pain Point from Competitor Analysis
During competitor analysis, a significant issue was identified: Users completed onboarding by providing
personal information (SSN, ID#, etc.) only to find no available jobs in their area
2. Proposed Solution
To address this concern, the proposed solution is to enable users to preview available jobs in their area
before starting the onboarding process. This pre-onboarding feature aims to prevent unnecessary
information submission
3. Integration with Onboarding for W-2 and 1099
This solution seamlessly integrates into the flow, offering users the chance to explore available positions
and initiate onboarding for both W-2 and 1099 options more efficiently
'My Jobs' & 'Messages'
-
Splitting W-2 and 1099 jobs
-
More reminders to apply to 1099 or W-2
-
Brief intro of steps for W-2 onboarding
-
List of necessary documentations
-
E-sign Agreement: needed or docs would have to be hand-signed
-
Get started page: informs users they can take a pause if needed
-
Inbox of forms: show what is left to do, shows what is complicated, pause button brings user back to this inbox page and progress circle shows percent complete
-
Tax forms are broken down into sections to fill out: text fields include drop-downs, date pickers, etc as needed
-
Completed forms: viewable as PDF of the official tax form, populated with data entered but eh user and emailed to user after application is complete
'W-2 Onboarding' flow
'1099 Onboarding' flow
-
Agreemnet
-
Fill out the form
'Support' flow
-
Categorized FAQ
-
Leave message
-
Chatbot
Day 4: Test
After finishing the low-fidelity prototype, we conducted in-person moderated usability testing with four US citizens who are over 18 years old and have experience finding and applying for jobs. During each session, we asked them to use all clickable icons, buttons, and navigations to go through all the screens. We also asked them follow-up questions to discover where they encountered troubles and what their confusions were while using the app.
Their overall feedback was positive that the app was easy to use.
After gathering all the user feedback, we identified several issues and prioritized them from critical to minor.
Major Changes
We found three major issues: confusing support buttons, low contrast of indicator tabs, and an unclear tax process explanation. Additionally, we identified one major issue with the 1099 form, and four minors related to message and inbox notifications, the ‘How to use' section order, and ‘Chat’ buttons on all the screens.
We came up with solutions for each issue and then redesigned the app acordingly.
Learn
-
'How to use' section was moved to top of the page
-
Increase the button contrast to improve readability
Support
-
Email and chatbot features were added
-
'Help' and 'Chat' buttons were redundant, so they were combined into the 'Help' page
-
The 'Chat' button was removed from all screens, instead, users can access it through the 'Inbox' and 'Contact Us' pages
Message
-
Thin selection bar was replace with white button
-
The 'Help' button was removed
Form 1099-MISC
-
Half of the bottom form is for employers not for workers so that part was eliminated.
-
'Help' button was added on the right top corner.
Day 5: Design Iterations
Before
After
Before
After
Conclusion
What did I learn?
Teamwork: Im glad that all the collaboration was smooth and we achieved our goal within a limited time. Working with others could be creative because we come up with a variety of different ideas.
Understanding Industry: My previous projects were more focused on the users, but this project required me to gain deeper understanding of the industry and products. Gig work is a rising but relatively new field, so knowing about the industry was the first step to improving the user experience.
What's next?
Filling in the complicated text of tax and background check forms through phone apps is hard. If I were given more time, I would like to design a workflow where complicated documents are divided into sections with a progress indicator icon on each page, making it is easier to fill out on a small phone screen.
Try Prototype!
