Platform Discovery Research Project Case Study

Transforming career education with Compass+ insights and innovation

The Careers & Enterprise Company required a platform discovery to help shape development and make effective changes to their Compass+ service, assisting educational organisations to benchmark, manage, track and report career provisions.

Results at a glance

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End user survey responses

End user workshops

Detailed recommendations

Informed by evidence, developed for users

Compass+ is an online platform developed by Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges. It provides a range of tools and resources for careers leaders, teachers, and other staff to manage, deliver, and evaluate careers education and guidance activities.

Invuse were chosen as the preferred supplier to conduct research and gather an evidence base that would inform the next phase of Compass+ development work, shaping their strategic goals to extend the product to help deliver the CEC’s aspiration of ensuring that high quality, 21st century careers education is a reality for everyone, everywhere.

Further results of the project

In under 5 months, we completed an in-depth report detailing the identified accessibility and usability failures and recommendations.
Our UX team identified the platform needed to be more customisable and be able to integrate with other systems.
The comprehensive user research for platform discovery was grounded in 27 extensive end user workshops, 30+ insightful survey responses, and a multitude of impactful stakeholder interviews.
We then offered a further 30 days support to them for any questions or assistance that was required.

Project at a glance

The scope

Identify the stakeholder and user priorities in order to make the most effective changes to the system.
Discover any user experience issues and determine the levels of priorities for areas of improvement identified.
Prepare and provide a comprehensive recommendation report outlining findings from the Platform Discovery and User Research.

The process

Conduct an accessibility audit to identify any issues with the product’s accessibility.
Develop user personas to understand the different user types and their needs.
Host stakeholder interviews to gain insights into the goals and objectives of the product.
Distribute user surveys to gather feedback from users on their experiences with the product.
Manage user workshops to gather detailed feedback on specific areas of the product.
Carry out scenario testing to identify any issues with the product’s functionality.
Perform a GAP analysis to identify areas for improvement.
Compile the findings and prepare a detailed report to present the discoveries to the CEC team.

The challenges

With a short research period, the team had to work efficiently and effectively to ensure all research objectives were met and the final report was delivered on time.
The team had to carefully manage resources to ensure all research activities were conducted effectively. This included managing staff time, budget constraints, and coordinating with stakeholders to ensure their involvement.

“Working with the Careers & Enterprise Company has been a fantastic experience. The team was incredibly collaborative and focused, always eager to identify and tackle the challenges that arose along the way. It was truly rewarding to compile a comprehensive report and present our findings to the CEC team. Overall, I'm proud to have contributed to this important initiative and look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on students and educators."

Cynthia Sipes

Invuse UX Researcher

The Project Team

Invuse and CEC worked collaboratively as one team to identify the challenges throughout the project, working together to ensure effective resolution of the issues. Through the procurement process, we were chosen as the preferred supplier based on our experience with accessibility audits and usability assessments. Additionally, our approach to the project was well-received, and our energy and enthusiasm during the presentation was appreciated.

About The Careers & Enterprise Company

Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is a government-backed organisation in the United Kingdom that aims to provide young people with better access to high-quality careers education, information, advice, and guidance. It was established in 2015 as part of the government’s plan to improve social mobility by ensuring that young people from all backgrounds have the skills and knowledge to succeed in the modern workplace. The CEC works with schools, colleges, employers, and other organisations to develop and promote effective careers education and guidance programs, and to create more opportunities for young people to gain work experience, apprenticeships, and other forms of vocational training.

About Compass+

The platform includes features such as a future skills questionnaire, careers activities tracker, destination data reporting, and more. Compass+ helps schools and colleges ensure that their students have access to the information, advice, and guidance they need to make informed decisions about their future careers and education.