Upwork Freelancer Network & Teams
My Role: Lead UX designer | UX research | Project management
Problem
As opportunities for remote work grew, internal data showed clients were hiring multiple freelancers for one project and a large portion of those projects was being performed off the platform. To unlock this new opportunity we needed to understand how might we enable clients and freelancers to work together on a single project.
Goal
The goal for this project was to understand client and freelancer needs, gain an understanding of what working together looked like and create a zero to one MVP that introduced this new way to work in the product.
Starting at Zero
As a zero-to-one project, we spent extensive time identifying the problems that needed to be solved along with the value propositions that were critical to maximizing engagement for both the client and freelancer.
Leading with User Research
This was one of the most extensive research projects I have been a part of. The problem and needs were complex and required a deep level of research to identify logistical and psychological barriers, work patterns, and what working together looked like for a complex set of user journeys. Research included diary studies, surveys, moderated interviews, data analysis and competitive analysis.
Identifying User Segments and Journeys
Concept Testing
We moved to test seven key opportunities identified during research. Through community panels and moderated interviews, we tested each concept with clients and freelancers. After the tests were complete, we mapped each concept with the user segment that identified it as highly desirable. This mapping exercise displayed the complex nature of the problem and how logistical and psychological barriers influenced desrability. It also enabled us to identify key metrics to track with specific user allocations. The final step of this stage was to work with product and engineering to evaluate each concept on a scale of viability, feasibility and desirability.
Flowcharts & Wireflows
Ready to make our concept a reality, we started mapping the end-to-end journey to identify each part of the product the new flow would need to integrate into and the teams we would need to partner with to build the new workflow.
Low Fidelity
MVP Solution
PART 1: YOUR NETWORK. The solution became a two-feature workflow. To enable freelancers to connect and work together as a team, it was imperative to create a feature that established that connection. The “Your Network” feature was launched pre-MVP to lay the groundwork for freelancers to create teams, as well as start building relationships with other freelancer on Upwork.
Freelancer Network
Team Proposals – Freelancer Workflow
Working with the engineering team, we were able to identify an optimal point of integration. We created a flexible team module that seamlessly integrated into the existing job proposal workstream that enabled freelancers to invite teammates from their network to collaborate on a team proposal.
Team Proposals – Client Workflow
Similar to the freelancer workflow, it was imperative to integrate into the existing hiring workstream that included reviewing proposals, sending offers, hiring and paying the team.
