{
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    "title" : "CareerOneStop’s Newest Online Resources: Targeted to User Needs |Digital.gov",
    "description": "CareerOneStop’s Newest Online Resources: Targeted to User Needs",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/02/careeronestops-newest-online-resources-targeted-to-user-needs/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"CareerOneStop’s Newest Online Resources: Targeted to User Needs","summary" : "When the Employment and Training Administration’s CareerOneStop team embarked on a redesign of the site’s online career, training, and job resources, they didn’t dive right into the technical work. Instead, they embraced a user-centered approach that focused on the user experience (UX). Focusing on UX means taking a step back","date" : "2015-04-02T10:17:09-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"kim-vitelli" : "Kim Vitelli","michael-harding" : "Michael Harding"},"topics" : {
        
            "mobile" : "Mobile",
            "research" : "Research",
            "usability" : "Usability",
            "user-experience" : "User experience"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2015-04-02-careeronestops-newest-online-resources-targeted-to-user-needs.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2015/04/2015-04-02-careeronestops-newest-online-resources-targeted-to-user-needs.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/04/2015-04-02-careeronestops-newest-online-resources-targeted-to-user-needs.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/04/2015-04-02-careeronestops-newest-online-resources-targeted-to-user-needs.md","slug" : "careeronestops-newest-online-resources-targeted-to-user-needs","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/02/careeronestops-newest-online-resources-targeted-to-user-needs/","content" :"\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/03/600-x-436-cos-CareerOneStop.jpg\"\n    alt=\"CareerOneStop homepage\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the \u003ca href=\"http://www.doleta.gov/\"\u003eEmployment and Training Administration\u003c/a\u003e’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.careeronestop.org/\"\u003eCareerOneStop\u003c/a\u003e team embarked on a redesign of the site’s online career, training, and job resources, they didn’t dive right into the technical work. Instead, they embraced a user-centered approach that focused on the \u003ca href=\"http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-experience.html\"\u003euser experience\u003c/a\u003e (UX). Focusing on UX means taking a step back to learn about users’ core needs and preferences. The team asked real users several questions about the site.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"whos-using-careeronestop-resources\"\u003e“Who’s using CareerOneStop resources?”\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis was the first question the team asked. The answer? Just about everybody. CareerOneStop users include job seekers, businesses, students, current workers, laid-off workers, veterans, workers with disabilities, workers with criminal records, career counselors and other workforce professionals, and just about every other member of the public. The development team talked to a wide a variety of users to answer the next questions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"can-users-find-what-they-need\"\u003e“Can users find what they need?”\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCareerOneStop offers so much information and so many options that it can be hard for users to locate the best resources for their unique needs. The team talked to users and watched them use the system to find out what they need, where they expect to find it, and what language is most meaningful to them. The goal was to identify the clearest labels and organization of information and resources to \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/06/top-task-usability-design-for-your-users/\"\u003ehelp users connect with the information they need\u003c/a\u003e. CareerOneStop now offers streamlined access to targeted resources for each audience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"are-careeronestops-websites-and-tools-easy-to-use\"\u003e“Are CareerOneStop’s websites and tools easy to use?”\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndividuals must be able to do more than simply find the resources they need—they also need those resources to be easy-to-use and effective at helping them meet their career, training, and employment goals. The CareerOneStop team conducted \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/digitalgov-user-experience-resources/digitalgov-user-experience-program-usability-starter-kit/\"\u003eusability testing\u003c/a\u003e on key tools and websites, during which they watched users interact with the site and learned how to improve functionality, organization, and language in order to better meet users’ needs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"how-are-users-accessing-careeronestop-resources\"\u003e“How are users accessing CareerOneStop resources?”\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile some people are smartphone-wired 24/7 (one \u003ca href=\"http://about.beyond.com/infographics/Multi-Screen-Job-Search\"\u003erecent survey\u003c/a\u003e found that 83 percent of people use smartphones or tablets to job search), others may lack dependable Internet service on a daily basis. CareerOneStop’s goal is to make its resources valuable for all users. That’s why both the redesigned \u003ca href=\"http://www.careeronestop.org/\"\u003eCareerOneStop.org\u003c/a\u003e site and the newly launched \u003ca href=\"http://www.careeronestop.org/credentials/index.aspx\"\u003eCredentials Center\u003c/a\u003e are mobile-friendly—that is, they automatically adjust to a user’s smartphone, tablet, or desktop screen, providing on-the-go employment, training, and job search help. Six key CareerOneStop tools—including \u003ca href=\"http://m.careeronestop.org/JobSearch/\"\u003eJob Search\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http://m.careeronestop.org/TrainingFinder/\"\u003eTraining Finder\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"http://m.careeronestop.org/SalaryFinder/\"\u003eSalary Finder\u003c/a\u003e—are also available as mobile Web apps.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile making its resources accessible to mobile-equipped users, CareerOneStop didn’t want to leave behind those with limited Internet access or low computer literacy skills. For those who may access the Web at a public library or American Job Center, CareerOneStop provides printable guides and easy downloading and printing of key information and tool results. And for those who are less comfortable with technology, printed and video help materials provide step-by-step guidance through many tools.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"whats-next-for-careeronestop\"\u003eWhat’s next for CareerOneStop?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe recently redesigned CareerOneStop and the new Credentials Center offer a wealth of assistance to anyone with career, training, or employment needs. But user-centered development doesn’t end with the launch of new products. The CareerOneStop team will continue collecting and learning form user feedback to continually improve its resources. \u003ca href=\"mailto:info@CareerOneStop.org\"\u003eSend the team your feedback\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eKim Vitelli is the division chief for National Programs, Tools and Technical Assistance for the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA). Michael Harding is the CareerOneStop project manager in ETA.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}