Introduction
Challenge: Military spouses face significant career challenges due to frequent relocations disrupting career continuity.
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Limited Employment Opportunities
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Balancing Family and Career
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Lack of Flexibility
These disruptions often lead to career stagnation and a loss of professional identity, making it difficult for them to maintain stable, fulfilling careers.
The project focuses on empowering military spouses by addressing their unique challenges. This initiative introduces flexible work solutions, and personalized support, to help them overcome these barriers, enabling them to pursue meaningful careers while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Anecdote By Rashmi (married for 20yrs)
"Initially I tried continuing my cooperate job but with constant shifting, I took up teaching to at least continue a career and keep myself busy."
The heart of the project
Anecdote By Sneha (married for 25yrs)
"I was a state lecturer before marriage and had to shelf other opportunities due to the demands of my spouse's profession. Sitting idle was not an option so I continued to teach in schools"
My Impact
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Comprehensive Support System: Established a robust platform for military spouses with access to flexible project-based opportunities.
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Empowerment: Enabled spouses to pursue meaningful careers while managing family responsibilities.
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Enhanced Professional Growth: Improved job satisfaction and career advancement opportunities for participants.
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Restored Identity: Helped military spouses regain their sense of purpose and professional identity.
Problem Analysis
Previously, military spouses were more willing to give up their careers, but today there's an increasing need for stability. Now they face challenges in balancing strong career aspirations with job stability, leading to higher divorce rates and career stagnation
An Interactive survey was conducted with college students to understand their beliefs and set standards about career and marriage. And to what extent they plan to compromise.
Context
Many tie their identity to work, making compromise difficult, except for the nation due to a strong sense of belonging. People still value independence and individuality, even when their partner serves in the forces.
Primary Research 1
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Interviewing military spouses. Many opted for welfare activities or pursued a B.Ed to continue working. However, letting go of career opportunities for duty often leads to psychological conflict.
Primary Research 2
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Understanding the User
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Balancing Career & Family: Both women face the challenge of managing demanding careers while being present for family and adapting to relocations.
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Career Aspirations: Both have strong career ambitions but are concerned about the impact of relocation and the need for flexibility in their professional journeys.
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Desire for Independence: While they value family, they strive for professional independence and personal fulfillment, including engaging in creative or welfare activities.
Promoting self-employment and local businesses through small-scale projects like art, craft, and forming a community brand.
Empowering Local Initiatives
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Practical steps for implementing and delivering services or products directly to the community.
On-Ground Execution & Delivery
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We are utilizing community resources to support self-employed individuals, fostering sustainable growth within the local ecosystem.
Resource Sharing
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Proposed Solution
Define Phase Insights
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Connecting job seekers with opportunities, especially in tier 3 and 4 cities
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Building databases of vacancies, resumes, and portfolios
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Offering upskilling courses and career guidance
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Providing a structured user flow from resume upload to interview scheduling
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Collaborating with partners for data on tier 1 and 2 city opportunities
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Offering a holistic approach to job searching and career development
Service Design
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Horizontal and vertical scaling cover system capacity expansion.
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Service Blueprint: Maps customer, front-end, and back-end actions in job vacancy services, supported by maintenance and legal help.
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Ecosystem: Focuses on employment for military wives, collaboration with employers, service providers, and community engagement.
Navigation flow and Information architechture
Initial UI & why it didn't work
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Analogous color schemes make it harder for information to stand out.
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Too many boxes clutter the layout; a minimal approach with less content is better.
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Modern typography will enhance the design and improve visual hierarchy.
User Interface
Key Takeaways
Color scheme: The design uses a soft color palette, primarily featuring shades of green, beige/off-white. This creates a calming and professional aesthetic.
Visual hierarchy: Important elements like headings and call-to-action buttons are given visual prominence through size, color, or positioning.
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Emphasis on content: The design prioritizes content presentation, with clear sections for different types of information or features
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Iconography and illustrations: Simple line drawings and icons are used to illustrate concepts and add visual interest without overwhelming the design.
Learnings
Importance of Flexibility: Flexible work arrangements are crucial for accommodating the unique challenges faced by military spouses, allowing them to pursue careers without sacrificing family responsibilities.
User-Centered Design: Involving users in the design process ensures that the platform effectively meets their needs and addresses their specific challenges.
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Focus on Identity: Recognizing the importance of professional identity helps in developing programs that empower military spouses and restore their sense of purpose.
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Long-Term Engagement: Sustained involvement and follow-up with participants are essential to measure impact and make necessary improvements to the program.