Verified Skills Project Match
Design a fair skills assessment and project matching flow for independent professionals.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
Freelance profiles and self-ratings are difficult to compare, while rigid tests can disadvantage experienced candidates, disabled users, and people working in a second language. Portable evidence and transparent evaluation can improve trust without claiming a score defines someone's ability.
User context
Mateo is an experienced data analyst with a strong portfolio but no platform history. He wants to qualify for a short retail forecasting project and request extra assessment time.
Product problem
Professionals need a credible, explainable route to demonstrate relevant skills, and clients need role-specific evidence with room for accommodations and appeals.
Objective
Create assessment setup, evidence review, match explanation, and appeal states for one freelance project category.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Review assessment criteria and data use
- Request an accommodation or choose an evidence route
- Complete a practical task
- Inspect a project match and challenge an incorrect result
Screens and states
- Assessment overview
- Practical task workspace
- Evidence report
- Project match detail
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Mateo reviews the forecasting competency rubric
- 02
He requests extra time and submits a portfolio example
- 03
The report shows evidence by competency rather than one opaque score
- 04
He opens a matching project and corrects an availability mismatch
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Publish criteria, time expectations, and permitted resources before assessment
- Support accommodations and alternate evidence
- Explain each match using skills, availability, pay, and constraints
- Provide appeal, retake, and evidence expiry policies
Constraints
- Assessment work cannot be resold as unpaid client work
- Identity checks must be proportionate
- A low result cannot permanently block future opportunities
Reality check
States worth considering
Finish line
What to deliver
- Four desktop-first screens plus notes for accommodation and appeal behavior
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.