Design Personas

Understanding the needs, behaviors, experiences and goals of the next billion job seekers in India

Client: Vahan
Timeline: 6 weeks
Sample Size: 12
Location: Bangalore

A few years ago, tech startup Vahan emerged as a unique jobs platform built for India’s next billion job seekers. With millions already on the platform and several tech startups as clients, Vahan showed immense growth potential – despite operating in a space marked by high attrition and complex user dynamics.
To sharpen their offering, Vahan turned to goal-directed design, grounded in a deeper, more nuanced understanding of their core users.

Over six weeks in March–April 2020, Anagram Research led an in-context study to uncover the realities of India’s next billion job seekers – exploring their backgrounds, capabilities, ecosystems, and job-seeking behaviors.

Participants were recruited using a tailored screener, developed with input from the Vahan team.
The study involved 90-minute home visits with semi-structured, theme-based interviews, combining observation, conversation, and quick research activities to draw out rich, relevant insights.
We captured detailed field data – notes, audio, video, and photographs and followed a two-step synthesis process – A quick read for immediate insights, followed by deep analysis using data coding and persona scales to identify key user archetypes.

The research resulted in a set of actionable, design-focused personas, along with insights into the motivations and barriers shaping online job search behavior.
To support practical application, we delivered brainstorming cards rooted in real user needs, along with clear guidance on how to use (and not misuse) the personas. These tools were designed to inspire and guide Vahan’s product and design decisions with lasting impact.

This research was the first of a series of studies Anagram Research conducted for Vahan.
Through user research, Vahan gained deep insights into the needs, behaviors, and aspirations of their target users. This understanding has shaped Vahan’s approach to connecting India’s blue-collar workforce with employment opportunities and informed the development of their AI-driven solutions.
Vahan has successfully placed over 500,000 workers across more than 480 Indian cities, partnering with major companies like Zomato, Swiggy, Flipkart, and Uber.