WorkSourceWA: Modernizing State-Level Employment Infrastructure

• Week 1–2: Discovery & Research
  
• Week 3–4: Information Architecture Exploration
  
• Week 5–6: Content & IA Design
  
• Week 7–10: Testing & Iteration
  

Week 1–2: Discovery & Research

• Deliverables:
  • Content Strategy Report – audited existing content, identified redundancies, tone inconsistencies, and accessibility issues.
  • Competitive Analysis – benchmarked digital platforms offering employment services to uncover UX and content opportunities.
    
    
• Leadership Highlight:
  Led research, strategy creation, and collaborated with content owners to align on goals
  
  

  ---

  
  Content Strategy Report
  What is the process of enhancing Content Strategy? 
  
  

  ---

  
  
  1. Define objectives - Driving content strategy enhancements that support and align with the Six Strategic Goals of WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act).
  
  
  
  
  2. Audience Analysis - To align the team around user needs, I consolidated input from 3 key user groups—jobseekers, employers, and staff—into five actionable personas that informed both content strategy and UX design.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  3. Key Themes and Topics - To build a successful content strategy for WorkSourceWA job seekers must balance addressing urgent needs—like resume help and job listings—with long-term support around career growth, training, and stability.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  4. Tone and Voice Guidelines - I developed a tone of voice for WorkSourceWA that is friendly, clear, and professional—designed to better connect with both jobseekers and employers. The language is conversational and supportive, helping users feel guided, motivated, and confident at every step of their journey.

Tone of Voice for Each Audience

User Group	Tone Attributes	Example
Job Seekers with Immediate Needs (e.g., Maria’s Persona)	Empathetic, Supportive, Action-Oriented	“We know you’re juggling a lot right now. Let’s help you find the support you need, from job opportunities to financial assistance.”
Recent Graduates and Career Changers (e.g., Ethan’s Persona)	Encouraging, Motivational, Forward-Looking	“Starting your career journey or taking it in a new direction? We’re here to guide you through every step.”
Groups with Barriers to Employment	Empowering, Inclusive, Reassuring	“Whatever challenges you’re facing, we believe in your potential. Let us help you overcome those barriers and achieve your career goals.”
Employers	Professional, Solution-Oriented, Collaborative	“Finding the right talent is critical for your business. Let us help you streamline the process with our personalized employer services.”

5. Content Creation Plan - I developed a streamlined content creation workflow for WorkSourceWA to ensure consistency, quality, and alignment with strategic goals. This internal process guides content from ideation to publishing and performance analysis—making it easier for teams to create user-focused content for jobseekers, employers, and other key audiences.


6. Distribution Strategy - I developed a multi-channel content distribution strategy for WorkSourceWA to effectively reach both job seekers and employers.

The website serves as the main content hub, supported by email newsletters, social media, video platforms, and virtual events.

Promotional tactics include targeted social campaigns, SEM, email outreach, community partnerships, and referral programs. For employers, I focused on industry-specific content, webinars, local collaborations, and success stories. I also suggest  SEO best practices to increase visibility and ensure content is discoverable by users actively seeking resources.

7. Measurement and KPIs - 

How we measure content strategy is successful?

To measure the success of our content strategy, I defined clear metrics across audience segments. Core indicators include website traffic, user engagement, lead generation, and SEO performance. For employers, success is measured by the number of job postings viewed and overall satisfaction.

For job seekers, we track job applications, content engagement, and satisfaction with the resources provided. These metrics ensure that content not only reaches the right audience but also drives meaningful action. Regular analysis helps refine the strategy, improve relevance, and demonstrate impact across both user groups

Competitive Analysis

How might we identify opportunities from competitors to strengthen WorkSourceWA’s position through competitive analysis?

As Lead UX Researcher, I conducted a comprehensive competitive analysis of workforce development platforms to identify strategic opportunities for WorkSourceWA.

The goal was to evaluate competitor services, user experiences, and engagement strategies to uncover strengths, weaknesses, and market gaps. This research revealed clear opportunities for differentiation—such as improving usability, delivering personalized content, and enhancing support for both job seekers and employers.

These insights directly informed service improvements, content strategy, and outreach initiatives, helping WorkSourceWA better meet user needs and strengthen its market position across Washington State.

Define Goal: 

The workforce website market in Washington is robust and multifaceted, focusing on bridging the gap between job seekers and employers while fostering economic development through targeted training and support services.

Feature comparsion: 

Direct and Indirect competitors: 

Overview:

Conclusion - How WorkSourceWA differentiate from competitors?

Week 3–4: Information Architecture Exploration

• Deliverables:
  • Card Sorting Data Analysis – synthesized open and closed card sort results to identify mental models of users.
  • Tree Test Analysis – validated user navigation expectations and identified areas of confusion.
• Leadership Highlight: Led the analysis of card sort and tree test data, extracting key user insights that informed IA decisions and aligned navigation structure with user expectations, accessibility standards, and state policy requirements.

Card Sorting Analysis

The goal of this research was to understand how users naturally group and categorize content on the WorkSourceWA platform. Specifically, the study aimed to explore:

• Whether users differentiate between authenticated (logged-in) and unauthenticated (public) content.
• How Spanish-speaking users organize and interpret WorkSourceWA content.
• How job seekers and employers sort shared or overlapping information relevant to both audiences.

Outcome:
The insights gained supported the ideation of meaningful category names and content groupings. This work directly contributed to enhancing site navigation, improving overall usability, and informing a more intuitive information architecture.

---

User Task:
Organize named items into categories that make sense to you and name each category.

Key Findings: 

Methodology:

1. Conducted Open Card 

Facilitated open card sorting sessions to explore how users naturally group and label content.

2. Data Analysis:

Exploratory & Statistical Exploratory Analysis:
Identified patterns, themes, and user mental models based on qualitative input.

Statistical Analysis:

Applied quantitative methods to validate trends and measure consistency across participants.

3. Draft IA vs. User Findings Comparison (150 records)
Evaluated alignment

Challenge: 
Low participation rate
from Jobseekers SPA-13, employer EN -13, Employer SPA-0

4. Proposed Revised Information Architecture
Developed a refined IA structure based on user insights, with improved categorization and navigation logic.

Tree Testing Analysis

The goal of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the revised Information Architecture (IA) in helping users easily navigate and find key content:

• IA Intuitiveness: Can users locate essential sections with ease?
• Content Findability: Are job listings, events, training resources, and office locators easy to find?
• Label Clarity & Engagement: Are labels clear and descriptive enough to support sign-ups and engagement?

Outcome:
Unmoderated tree testing evaluated the draft WorkSourceWA IA, aiming to improve content findability and support account sign-ups, aligning with goals to enhance user experience and engagement.

Key Findings:

Methodology:

• Tested draft IA based on preliminary card sort results for English speaking job seekers and employers, using Optimal Workshop, an unmoderated online tree testing tool
  
  
• Participants were asked to complete 10 of 16 randomized tasks using a simplified, text-only version of the site’s navigation (without design elements like menus or buttons).
• Participants had the option to provide comments about each task.
• Pre- and post-study questions were asked.
  
  
• Both English and Spanish versions of the test were launched on Sep 27, 2024 and closed Oct 5, 2024 (about 1 week)

User Task:
Complete the assigned goals by following the IA. 

Findings & Analysis: (Total 16 taks)

Overview:

1. Participants

2. Pre-study questions

3. Key metrics

Week 5–6: Content & IA Design

• Deliverables:
  • Information Architecture & Taxonomy – reorganized content for clearer pathways and relevance.
  • Content Governance Plan – established scalable workflows, content roles, and editorial standards.
• Leadership Highlight: Defined tagging and labeling systems to support future sitemap, CMS integration and search optimization. 

1. By Topic – Organizing content by topics such as job searching, employer resources, training programs, and career advice helps users easily navigate and find information based on their specific interests or needs.
   
2. By Role – Classifying content based on user roles—jobseekers, employers, and administrators—ensures that each audience group receives tailored content aligned with their goals and context.
   

Support Cross-Linking with Tags or Metadata

Sitemap example

Week 7–10: Testing & Iteration

• Deliverables:
  • Usability Testing Report – conducted moderated tests on prototypes to validate IA and content clarity.
• Leadership Highlight: Aligned findings with policy and technical constraints.
  
  

Methodology:

• Tested draft revised layout for job seekers & employers (English & Spanish) , using Figma prototype, and a heatmap to assist the user interview. 

User Task:

• Complete the assigned tasks, evaluate their level of difficulty, and share insights about your experience — including opinions, challenges, and any points of frustration.
  

Overview:

Heatmap - Findings & Analysis:

Recommendations:

Conclusion:

Inspirational quote from our WorkSource customer:

“I went to work Source recently because I wanted something simple that was not going to manipulate me. I know that every job, I hope this is true, I hope every job in Washington state is posted on this website and I hope that the jobs are real. And I know they're just a time- stamped ads, but I know that a real company posted it three weeks ago. So I can go to the company website and they're not trying to get me to click here and there to sort of manipulate their own numbers, but actually, these are good people here providing me genuine value. So yeah, I think you're on the right track and I think you've got a good thing going.” - EngJ2