A design and validation journey to turn a Post-it idea into a real life project.
“What if we could create a tool allowing small business owners to access the Adecco candidate databases by their own means and on demand?”
An Adecco executive came up with this “Post-it idea” during an internal seminar, and for a long time, the note remained both on the whiteboard and stuck in the minds of two Adecco France directors, , Sophie Ak Gazeau et Jerick Develle.
During our initial meeting, they shared their intuition that the idea had potential, but that they hadn’t made any progress on this front for several months. They also asked us how to get it to “take off”.
The missing pieces of the puzzlewere the transition from idea to realization, and above all, concrete evidence that would convince general management to invest in this project.
Souffl then set up a design and validation process to be carried out over 4 months, hand in hand with 5 of the group’s managers.
Meetings with clients not only confirmed that the idea had potential, but also reinforced the concept and our assumptions.
The tool had to feel dependable, with a user-friendly interface and features streamlining the recruitment process.
Through a methodical phase of testing and experimentation, the team finalized the concept and confirmed that this innovation could meet the brief and become a viable business asset.
Checking your intuition and building up your assumptions.
Confronting the idea and reality.
A digital recruitment platform dedicated to small businesses can seem attractive on paper, but also requires a significant investment.
To launch the project with complete confidence, it was necessary to go beyond mere intuition, to bring clear proof of potential, and to become convinced of its viability.
We confronted the idea with reality by going out in the field and meeting with a large number of small business owners.
We interviewed retailers, building contractors and restaurant owners to understand their practices, identify their constraints and gage their need for recruitment tools.
Having learned so much, we returned to the project more convinced than ever.
Exploration.
Souffl had a fresh outlook on the situation, challenged us by opening up broader avenues and pushing us out of our Adecco comfort zone. This allowed us to step back and ask ourselves the right questions.
Inventing a new recruitment experience.
Starting from the customer to develop a strong concept.
Spending time with small business owners allowed us to create a unique and insightful perspective on the platform’s user experience.
It was unique in that we saw the need to turn the standard recruitment concept inside out, and take it from an advertisement model to a matchmaking model.
The solution had to offer a simple search feature, relevant criteria and the guarantee that the user would obtain a shortlist of suitable candidates and the means to contact them easily. It was insightful in that we were able to identify the core values carried by the visual identity, editorial tone and the promise made to the client.
Validating the solution.
Prototype(s).
One of the key concepts was that the recruitment process had to be user-friendly and clear throughout.
To confirm the solution’s potential, it was necessary not only to present the service’s value proposition, but also to simulate the platform interface before it was even developed.
We had to make sure the customers could imagine themselves using the tool, and to create a high-quality prototype.
At the same time, we had to gage the interest for this offering and determine adequate price ranges.
We therefore decided to build 3 prototypes into 1.
To confirm the solution’s potential, we realized it was necessary to simulate the service interface before it was developed. We had to make sure that customers could imagine themselves using the tool, and to make a high-quality prototype.
Souffl created and developed a “high-definition” prototype using an interactive mock-up integrating a fine-tuned design, polished animations and all the key stages of the recruitment process.
Without this level of finish, it would not have been possible to reliably capture the customers’ impressions. It was essential to make them fully understand the simplicity of the experience and the ergonomics of the service.
Mobile Mock-up.
Testing this mock-up allowed us to confirm the interest of small business owners for the service, to identify the features that were most important and useful to them, and to obtain precise information on offering and pricing. This prototype was also instrumental in having the whole Adecco team on board and putting the project on the right track.