Read Time: 1 min

Spring 2024

B2C

Boosting developers’ confidence by 70% to overcome imposter syndrome by surfacing their transferable skills

Context

EmpowerMe started as a small volunteer project with a big ambition; to help early-career developers move past self-doubt and actually feel ready to apply for jobs. Most tools focus on hard skills; we wanted to focus on belief.

I led the product design from the ground up and connected cross functional teams, shaping a simple flow that helped users surface their transferable skills. We built fast, tested with real users, and the results were encouraging; not just in metrics, but in the way people responded.

It was scrappy, messy, and deeply meaningful. And it reminded me just how powerful design can be when it meets people where they are.

TOOLS

Figma, Dovetail, Miro, Forms

→ TL;DR

PROBLEM

Aspiring developers hesitate to apply for jobs due to self doubt and imposter syndrome -> leading to inaction despite having the sills

SOLUTION

Designed EmpowerMe, a career support tool that helps users reflect on transferrable skills -> boosting confidence and reducing application friction

IMPACT

Based on the 1.5 weeks testing we conducted, 80% of users completed the onboarding flow
3.2 mins average time spent per session, indicating engaged reflection
70% of users reported feeling more confident applying to jobs after using product
5/6 users said they’d recommend it to a friend also changing careers

MY CONTRIBUTION

Facilitated discovery and MVP workshops to align the team and speed up sprints
Conducted structured user interviews and synthesized insights to shape the product vision and MVP
Led MVP scoping during a major team setback
Documented design and created consistent handoff files for developers

→ Bridging the solution to problem

SOLUTION

The first step towards gaining self confidence and overcoming imposter syndrome

1

Answer a set of onboarding questions

2

Discover transferable skills you already possess

→ The design process

PROBLEM

Research shows lack of confidence is by far the biggest cause of inaction in job applications

People with imposter syndrome often doubt their abilities. If they are looking for jobs, they don't feel qualified enough to apply and if they are new to their job they don't feel qualified enough for the work.

"…makes it hard for them to believe in themselves and their skills"

How can we address the confidence factor in this situation?

DISCOVERY WORKSHOP

I facilitated a discovery workshop with the team, which revealed unrealistic expectations developers compare themselves to

📌 We scoped down and concluded our target audience to be early developers

What makes users feel under qualified?

→ Concept of superhero developer

→ The pressure to have full-stack knowledge

→ Constant comparison with AI-generated code

RESEARCH

The interviews I conducted confirmed that taking the first step felt overwhelming—even for developers with some experience

I developed interview script based on our workshop conclusion and the PMs did the competitive analysis. We used LinkedIn, design slack channels etc. to recruit participants. We used Dovetail to analyze and structure our interview data.

First Step

Self Doubt

Overwhelming

78%

of interviewees reported feeling imposter syndrome despite their achievements

3 months

average time it took for professionals to feel more confident in a new role

Self-doubt

was the most frequently mentioned challenge during interviews

PRODUCT VISION

Based on research and brainstorming sessions, I led an MVP workshop to build the product vision—helping users identify their transferable skills

The bigger vision

✓ Help users recognize their transferable skills

✓ Give them the confidence to know they’re ready to apply

✗ New job board for entry levels

✗ New volunteer opportunity

✗ Signing up for career resources

CONSTRAINT

It wasn’t all perfect—we had a developer mishap

2 out of 3 developers had to leave the project midway. This caused a major delay and required us to rethink both the process and the timeline

I sat down with the team to rethink priorities and restructure the VISION

CUTTING DOWN THE MVP

We had a big vision, but with new timelines, we shortened the scope to 2 core features - Phase 1 of EmpowerMe

Before

User registration and DB storage

Screener + Onboarding Questions

A skill matching feature to surface transferable skills

Input past experience/ resume

Incorporate AI to auto match and identify transferrable skills

Restart the process

New vision included

User registration and DB storage

Screener + Onboarding Questions

A skill matching feature to surface transferable skills

Input past experience/ resume

Incorporate AI to auto match and identify transferrable skills

Restart the process

SOLUTION

So what do users do with the product?

1

View the product review

2

Fill out screener questions to match with relevant roles

3

Answer onboarding questions to explore what skills are needed

4

Get a personalized list of transferable skills they can use to apply confidently

→ Conclusion

SOLUTION

EmpowerMe - Phase 1, helping career switchers focus on transferrable skills

Final product with lot of iterations, handoffs, QA assessments and meetings

→ Setting the tone: Users have more skills than you think

→ Gently guiding users into self-reflection

IMPACT

Impact on the users and product

80% of users completed the onboarding flow

3.2 mins average time spent per session, indicating engaged reflection

70% of users reported feeling more confident applying to jobs after using product

5/6 users said they’d recommend it to a friend also changing careers

REFLECTION & LEARNINGS

Reflecting my journey

This was my first time facilitating workshops, and I loved the energy it created. Seeing everyone align around a shared goal made collaboration feel truly meaningful.

I learned that building products isn't always smooth; setbacks are part of the process. As a designer, I realized the importance of staying adaptable and continuously asking: how can I add value, even when plans shift?

NEXT STEPS