Developing the user experience and brand identity for Loc8um
After identifying a space in the veterinary market to provide a service to connect locums with veterinary practices, we worked with the Loc8um team in the early stages of their business to define the brand and user experience for their new venture.
Locums are typically restricted to recruitment agencies who had a limited selection of placements and charged high fees, which in turn means veterinary practices are also limited in the skill sets they have available to cover vacancies and sick leave.
Loc8um aimed to change this by providing an open and flexible marketplace for locums to bid on vacancies that suited them; and at the same time allow practices to use multiple locum resources to cover a vacancy.
Through a series of workshops and prototyping sprints we identified two key areas to develop the minimum viable product around. Firstly we needed to allow practices to allocate a period of time as needing a locum to cover. Secondly the locums needed a way to see when and where these placements are available and apply to cover the placement.
Through further iterations and user research we identified a key sticking point in the simplified user journey. The length of time practices needed to cover varied greatly, from a number of days through to months at a time. This proved too restrictive for both practices and locums. Therefore we opted to focus on creating a more flexible book system that would allow multiple locums to bid on a single placement while allowing the practice to manage multiple placements and offers.
Building on the user journey developed in the prototyping stage we created a cohesive design system that worked across the app and desktop products, making use of repeatable design patterns to create a consistent user experience.
Alongside developing the user experience we worked with Loc8um to define their brand values and identity, helping to create a cohesive and unified visual language that would appeal to both tech savvy locums and the more corporate leaning veterinary practices.
The core value we identified was connection. The service connects locums to practices and people to opportunities. This became the driving force behind the brand identity, helping to inform the tone of voice, key messaging and visual style.