MIS portal for Swisscontact
Swisscontact is a foundation focused on international development, operating in 34 countries to foster economic, social, and environmental progress. One of its significant initiatives in South Asia is the B-SkillFUL project, which aims to support unemployed and underemployed individuals. Funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the European Union (EU), this project provides training to selected groups through various partner training service providers, assists in job placement, and monitors enhancements in participants' wellbeing. The goal is to train 40,000 individuals, primarily from marginalized communities, including divorced or widowed women, single mothers, people with disabilities, and members of ethnic and religious minorities. To address the unique aspects of the software platform and its users, our approach prioritized usability. Our design and product teams collaborated with the B-SkillFUL team and potential users to identify challenges, leading to the development of wireframes and mock-ups for the screens. These designs were tested for usability and refined accordingly. A key objective during the design phase was to keep the interfaces light to accommodate low internet bandwidth scenarios. The completed mock-ups served as the foundation for the software development process, resulting in a Microsoft .NET-based web application with a JavaScript front-end, supported by an MS SQL server database to handle the considerable data volume. To assist users lacking computer skills, we created comprehensive video tutorials for common tasks, allowing them to complete procedures step-by-step, which minimized the need for direct training.