TECH START

UX/UI + Branding

2022-2023

UX/UI, Branding, Design.

In 2022 I won a scholarship to participate at Techstart. A program fundend by code.berlin to help people with migration background to land a job in tech/IT.

Initial research

Techstart is a free 1-year program, focused on people with migration backgrounds to find a job in Tech. You can choose a career path either in Software Engineering or Design. Even though it’s free, not many people know about this program! Visibility and reach are hindrances both for future prospects and investors.

If we offer more opportunities for migrants to take part in such programs, they’ll become active members in society and integrate properly in Berlin’s booming tech industry.

Initial research

Some of our interesting findings: 50% drop out before the end of the course. Even though conditions may vary, this is astonishingly high.

Why? It seems that in the data gathered through our interviews, students get confused because they’re being offered too many classes to choose from and not a specific path. This issue was addressed in the 2023-24 program, where the completion rate went up to 70%.

For that year, there were only two programs offered: Software Engineering and Interaction Design. They had clear schedules and fixed subjects. That way, the attendees had to commit to a minimum of classes as well as sharing the space together, which created a deeper feeling of belonging.

Personas & User Journeys

I took into consideration 3 different personas: (1) The investor, (2) Forced migrant (3) Highly qualified but unemployed.

The Investor wants to see that this program is profitable and that the students are really getting the skills they need to land a job in tech within a year. They’re motivated by results.

The forced migrant and highly qualified people have a similar dilemma. Either with or without studies, they cannot join the tech industry’s workforce because of a lack of qualifications. What they need, is to get the appropriate skill sets as fast as possible so they can gather experience and start working.