Reinventing the job search experience
What frustrates (or delights) you about the job search experience? That is the question that students in GBDA 103 – User Experience Design are asking as they work to reinvent the job search and recruiting experience for their generation.
Working with industry partner SEARS Canada, the goal of the project is to identify problems rather than simply designing solutions. Students are working in teams to conduct user interviews, collect data, identify challenges, and ideate potential solutions. They will also pass their ideas by industry experts at the Stratford Accelerator Centre – a potentially intimidating, but invaluable experience.
For instructor Karin Schmidlin, the approach presents an opportunity to connect to real-life problems to the classroom. "An industry project provides real-world learning for my students, and allows them to build their personal network" she explains.
"It also keeps me on my toes as it provides a reality check to see if the content I'm teaching is useful and relevant in the real world."
The class also serves as a launching pad for how students approach challenges throughout the Global Business and Digital Arts (GBDA) program – taking a human-centred, team-based approach to solving problems. It is what sets GBDA students apart, and has clients and employers excited to work with them.
