GoalPost: from purpose to potential
Millennials & Gen Z seek a sense of purpose but face social, cultural, and organizational barriers in their career journeys. GoalPost empowers users to take charge of their own narrative by grounding them in their core priorities and reinforcing growth through a values-based community.
MY ROLE
Researcher
Strategist
Facilitator
Analyst
Storyteller
METHODS
User Research
Journey Mapping
Concept co-creation
Ideation & Brainstorming Workshops
Prototyping & Testing
Service Design
PROJECT GUIDE
Prof. Jerome Goh
This independent capstone project was developed over my final year of master’s at Parsons School of Design, NY. The process began with exploratory design research and concept development, followed by prototyping, testing, and evolution of the initial concept into a viable business solution.
PROBLEM FRAMEWORK
Exploring the question of our times: the relationship between purpose and work
I started out by questioning why so many millennials are struggling with ‘purpose’ in their work and lives. What emerged was that the choice between financial stability and following your passion/purpose is a false dichotomy. It’s about living in sync with your values. This is where there is a misalignment between the dominant work culture and the values of today’s purpose-driven workforce.
So how might we align organizational values and workplace culture with the contemporary social values of a purpose-driven workforce?
A qualitative survey, in-depth interviews, and ethnography gave insight into the typical career journey paths of users.
BUILDING USER EMPATHY
The ever-changing definition of purpose and the many meanings it embodies
Four personas emerged based on users’ driving motivations at work. This is a spectrum of if and how much of a sense of purpose these users found at work.
On the left of the spectrum are Disengaged Pragmatists who find no sense of purpose at work
Domain Achievers have found a field that excites them and want to keep growing in that space
Relationship Builders find meaning through their community and shared problem-solving
At the other extreme are Mission Driven for whom work and purpose completely overlap
At each stage of our career journey, the definition and relationship with a sense of ‘purpose’ molds and adapts. In the initial work years, users face a lot of confusion until they begin to discover themselves, slowly they formulate a self-concept that will keep undergoing evolution.
Two foundational insights helped narrow down the opportunities for intervention:
With this sharper understanding of the problem, I reframed my problem statement:
How might we build a culture that gives primacy to purpose so that the current workforce can thrive?
OPPORTUNITY AREAS
To identify points of intervention, I examined the high and low points in the typical career journey paths.
The strategic intent was to focus on the phase where we can have the most impact: the initial 10-years where users have not yet accumulated enough career capital, leading to a feeling of powerlessness.
After an initial brainstorm, a workshop with stakeholders helped unlock new avenues for intervention. With a strategy founded in early empowerment and a focus on potential and growth, 4 overarching concepts were generated. These ideas were then analyzed using an Opportunity Matrix to finalize solution concepts for designing and testing.
PROTOTYPING & TESTING JOURNEY
Gauging desirability and shaping an effective service.
Three rounds of testing were conducted, starting with concept testing, idea sketches, and finally, facilitated activities and peer-to-peer workshops.
The service design adapted and evolved with feedback as critical user challenges surfaced.
In the space of discovering one’s purpose and self-development, users struggle with:
self-evaluation and an objective assessment of their skills and interests
breaking down larger life goals into digestible actionable tasks,
making new connections when the norm feels transactional
A key learning grounded the design
We need support from our social circle and communities to propel us towards personal growth and success.
These are large, intimidating questions and we need trusted advisors to guide us through this process.
THE SOLUTION: GOALPOST
A service ecosystem addressing both internal and external challenges in designing a meaningful life path
GoalPost was designed to provide both self-supported tools and a community of like-minded peers who work towards mutual growth.
The strategic intent behind GoalPost is to be a long-term partner for users through different phases of their lives by generating a virtuous cycle.
The value proposition and features built into the offering were thus designed to foster this cycle.
From this outline, a detailed plan of the features to be offered was created. The Functionalities chart also notes where the outputs from one module can feed into others, making user understanding and thereby, the output, more robust.
These are the key moments in the user’s journey with GoalPost, with the transformational moments highlighted in blue:
An initial prototype of the app was created on Figma, focusing on the crucial Goals Discovery section and the Planning & Tracking features. The colors and tonality of the app were designed to be vibrant and fun so that planning and goal-setting activities don’t feel like a chore.
As a brand, GoalPost is a friendly, relatable peer, not pedantic or preachy.
MEASURING SUCCESS
The success of the service will come from the success of its users.
Are they feeling confident in their choices, and are they feeling supported by the community? These parameters will be captured through feedback loops built into the service.
From the interviews and workshops where peers underwent our coaching process to guide each other, users expressed extremely satisfying experiences and an eagerness to sign up for the service.
POSITIONING & DIFFERENTIATION
The key to GoalPost’s success
As a new idea being introduced to the world, it was important to place it in the market context and understand why it was needed. Various elements of the Business Model Canvas were thought out and adapted as the service was being developed.
The chart below plots the various options available to users to access any component of the services we offer:
Popular offerings solve for only one component of the whole problem - they either focus on internal growth or on making external connections. Whereas we learned that both aspects need to work in tandem for the user to succeed.
Strategic opportunity gaps in the current landscape:
Key players are task-focused not purpose focused
Using multiple apps for interconnected jobs-to-be-done is not only inconvenient but also scatters valuable user data across these platforms
Our closest and largest competitor, LinkedIn, is still rooted in online connections. This was valuable when it started out but today we have unlimited opportunities for professional online connections
The success of this service lies not only in its market success. In the long term, intentional user choices can shift mindsets and give shape to a new idea of success in society. The true impact of GoalPost will be to act as a catalyst in this shift.
A detailed story of this project can be viewed here:
Resource Credits:
Illustrations - Freepik Storyset at storyset.com
Icons - freepik.com, nounproject.com