GrowLance simplifies the complexities of career mapping through a user-first design that makes internal mobility and role clarity more accessible and engaging
UX Design
Design System
UI Design
Empowering Career Growth Within Modern Organizations
GrowLance is a career progression platform designed to help employees visualize their internal mobility, align with evolving company structures, and stay engaged with long-term growth. As the product designer, I was responsible for defining the end-to-end experience—from research and IA to interaction design and design systems.
| Role: Product Designer
| Timeline: 6 months
| Platform: Web (Admin + Employee)
| Tools: Figma, FigJam, Lottie Files, ClickUp
| Team: 1 PM, 3 Developers, 2 QA, 1 Designer (Me)
Design Goals & Challenges
The primary goal was to transform static, unclear career frameworks into an empowering, interactive growth experience. The design aimed to help employees visualize their future paths, align their personal aspirations with organizational needs, and feel motivated to take actionable next steps.
By simplifying complex hierarchies and weaving in transparent milestones, the product shifted from traditional HR-driven documentation to an inspiring self-guided journey — bridging gaps between employees and leadership in a meaningful, scalable way.
Problems Identified
Fragmented Growth Paths. Poor Visibility. Low Internal Retention.
Through discovery workshops and stakeholder interviews, we identified 3 core challenges across large teams:
Employees lacked clarity on how to move forward within the company
Managers had no structured way to map growth trajectories or align role expectations
The existing tools were either too HR-heavy or outdated, leading to poor adoption
"
We have career levels, but they live in PDFs
no one reads.
— Hiring Manager, Stakeholder Interview
Research & Insights
A) Competitor's Study
Key Findings
Identified clear market gaps where GrowLance could stand out with a narrative-led, transparent progression approach
Evaluated which feature sets most strongly influenced key activation moments and long-term engagement metrics
Recognized UX best practices that could be adapted to boost satisfaction and adoption, emphasizing clarity and motivational guidance
B) User Interviews
With a clear view of the market landscape, the next step was to deeply understand the people who would shape and live this experience daily. I conducted a series of user interviews with employees, team leads, and HR managers to uncover motivations, pain points, and opportunities hidden beneath formal structures.
Focus Areas Includes:
Daily roles and growth expectations - How users perceive advancement in their day-to-day work
Barriers to internal mobility - Emotional and operational hurdles hindering progression
Clarity gaps in current processes - Where users lose confidence or feel disengaged
Potential for guided, narrative-led journeys - How a more transparent, motivating tool could empower action
C) Persona Mapping
In total, 12 user interviews were conducted across these persona groups. These conversations were instrumental in validating our initial persona hypotheses and refining them further. From there, a detailed user journey for each persona was mapped, ensuring alignment with the overarching objective of the career progression module.
D) User Journey Mapping
To capture the full emotional and functional arc of an employee’s progression, I developed detailed journey maps that traced each stage — from initial role exploration to advancement milestones.
This process illuminated critical friction points where employees felt lost or unsupported, as well as moments of motivation that could be amplified. By aligning these insights with business goals, the mapping shaped strategic opportunities to guide users with more clarity, reduce attrition, and nurture long-term engagement.
E) Feature Set Prioritisation
I defined a clear impact–effort matrix to distill features that delivered the highest value with minimal friction. This approach aligned user needs with business goals, shaping a focused, high-impact roadmap that maximized clarity and engagement.
Translating Insights to Interfaces
A) Userflow
I crafted a focused userflow for the Explore Careers module to address clarity gaps and empower exploration. Users can now navigate roles, access personalized growth paths, and confidently plan their next steps — transforming vague trajectories into clear, actionable journeys.
B) Ideations & Concepts
I began with quick sketches and low-fidelity wireframes, translating research insights into foundational structures. Through focused iterations, these wireframes evolved into clear, user-aligned concepts — setting a solid base for high-fidelity design and refined interactions.
Final Designs
GrowLance embodies growth and clarity through a lively palette of greens and blues, signaling progress and optimism. The modern use of Jakarta Sans ensures visual consistency and a fresh, approachable feel across all screens.
Dual-tone icons and subtle mini illustrations enrich the interface, reinforcing accessibility and trust. Every design choice was crafted to guide employees confidently along their growth paths while strengthening brand recognition.
1/13 - Pathfinder for Career Advancement (V1)
Tailored to offer clear direction, the initial screen prioritises immediate next roles based on compatibility, skill, and experience, guiding users through an intuitive selection process without overwhelming them with too much details or options.
2/13 - Pathfinder for Career Advancement (V2)
Concept 2 narrows down the options to 3-5 immediate roles based on compatibility, enabling users to make an informed choice without the clutter of too many alternatives.
3/13 - Personalised Role Suggestions
This interactive screen engages users in a personalized questionnaire, capturing preferences in activities, working and leadership styles, and skills, leading to custom role recommendations.
4/13 - Departmental Preferences
Users specify their preferred departments, enabling the system to refine role suggestions further, ensuring alignment with individual career aspirations and departmental interests.
5/13 - Career Path Exploration Options
Post-questionnaire, this screen showcases potential roles and career paths, categorized by departments, with functionality for sorting, filtering, and comparing various roles.
6/13 - Comparative Career Path Analysis
This analytical tool presents a skills vs. experience graph, aiding users in assessing roles based on growth potential, skill requirements, and experiential pathways.
7/13 - Detailed Role Insights
Diving deeper, users explore top role aspects – skills, experience, credentials – alongside a custom growth plan adjustable to their time commitments, plus employee success stories for motivation.
8/13 - Skill & Experience Breakdown
Focusing on individual development areas, this screen details skill levels, experience gaps, and credential requirements, offering a clear picture of what's needed for role advancement.
9/13 - Employee Journey Showcase
Highlighting paths of current role occupants, it shares their growth statistics, achievements, and testimonials, alongside a career compatibility match with the user for informed decision-making.
10/13 - Direct Networking Opportunity
Facilitating direct interactions, this function allows users to set up one-on-one meetings with role occupants, complete with agenda setting and scheduling based on mutual availability.
11/13 - Employee Shadowing Scheduler
Users can schedule a shadowing session with an employee, providing insights into daily role responsibilities, by defining goals, dates, and times based on the employee’s availability.
12/13 - Aspirational Role Progress
Once a role is added to the user’s aspirations, this screen tracks progress in the growth plan, motivation factors, and a comparative rank amongst peers pursuing similar goals.
13/13 - Role Achievement Gateway
Completing the growth journey, this final screen presents the full role details, application procedures, and additional suggestions to improve the user’s ranking for role eligibility.
Impacts & Takeaways
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