Career Moves

The Challenge

Workforce development providers and job-seeking residents in Delaware face two major challenges: 

1. Limited visibility: Many providers lack marketing budgets to reach new audiences.
2. Fragmented resources: People often struggle to find clear, trusted pathways to training and career opportunities. 

In Delaware, the workforce ecosystem faced systemic barriers that required a sophisticated technical solution: 

• Fragmented data infrastructure: Training programs existed across disconnected systems with no centralized way to track user behavior, program demand, or engagement patterns. Policymakers lacked the data needed to make informed investment decisions about workforce development.
• Accessibility gap: Nearly all working-age Delaware residents have cellphones, and most individuals in the state's 17 Promise Communities rely exclusively on mobile devices for internet access. Any solution needed to be mobile-first to reach those facing the greatest economic barriers.
• Complex integration requirements: The platform needed to seamlessly integrate a mobile app experience, a public-facing website, and a Salesforce CRM system to serve multiple user types: job seekers, training providers, and workforce development administrators.
• Diverse user needs: The product had to serve job seekers at different stages (unemployed, underemployed, career advancement), training providers seeking participants, and workforce development-focused organizations needing workforce intelligence—all within a single ecosystem. 

Beyond the technical complexity, the product needed a brand identity that would: 

• Build immediate trust and credibility as a government-supported resource
• Feel empathetic and accessible rather than institutional or bureaucratic
• Inspire action and momentum for users in vulnerable career transitions
• Resonate equally with individual job seekers and organizational partners
• Differentiate from existing workforce tools that felt cold or transactional 

The challenge was to create a product and brand that felt both professional and deeply human—a tool that could meet people where they are, literally and emotionally. 

Our Approach

Product Development Strategy 

Our approach prioritized: 

• User-centered design: We created a platform that prioritized simplicity and UX best practices, ensuring the app was easily usable for everyone—from tech-savvy users to those less comfortable navigating digital products. Clear navigation, intuitive search and filtering, and straightforward program information make it easy for anyone to find training opportunities without frustration or confusion.
• Community-informed and –validated decisions: Rigorous user research and user testing helped our team understand what information and features were most important to both job seekers and program providers, and ensure the product was as easy to use as intended.  
• Mobile-first architecture: Native iOS and Android apps designed for users who rely on smartphones as their primary internet access point.
• Iterative delivery model: New releases to continuously refine features based on user feedback and usage data
• Scalable infrastructure: Drupal-based website integrated with Salesforce CRM to support growing program listings (250+ at launch) and user tracking.
• Data intelligence: Built-in analytics to capture what industries users are interested in, which programs generate the most engagement, and where gaps in training capacity exist.

The technical complexity centered on creating a seamless experience across three interconnected platforms: 

• Mobile apps for job seekers to search, filter, and save training programs based on their schedule, budget, and career goals.
• Public website for broader accessibility and program provider applications.
• Salesforce CRM backend to manage program data and generate data to inform workforce development decisions at the program, organizational, or state level.  

This integration allows Career Moves to serve as more than a directory of training opportunities. It's a data-driven platform with a goal to help workforce boards understand demand patterns, identify training gaps, and allocate resources more effectively. 

Brand Development Strategy

The Name: Career Moves 

We developed a name that was simple, memorable, and action-oriented. "Career Moves" suggests momentum, possibility, and empowerment—exactly the feeling the platform seeks to instill in Delaware residents.

The name was intentionally chosen to reflect: 

• Action: Forward progress and mobility, embracing that the tool makes information accessible while encouraging people to take decisive steps
• Clarity: Avoids institutional jargon, making the purpose immediately obvious to a wide audience
• Inclusivity: Whether unemployed, underemployed, or seeking advancement, everyone can relate to making "career moves"

The Caregiver Archetype 

Career Moves embodies the Caregiver brand archetype: empathetic, nurturing, and supportive. It's a  tool, but also a partner that helps people take meaningful steps toward their future. This positioning ensures the brand feels approachable, trustworthy, and rooted in what communities shared they needed.

Tone of Voice 

The brand's messaging is: 

• Empathetic & Understanding: Acknowledging the real challenges job seekers face
• Optimistic & Hopeful: Showing that opportunity is within reach
• Motivating & Empowering: Encouraging action and confidence
• Inclusive & Accessible: Making every Delawarean feel seen and supported

Visual Identity

The color palette blends deep indigo (stability and trust), vibrant violet (energy and empowerment), and teal (freshness and innovation). Accent colors—coral, gold, aqua, and lavender—add warmth, optimism, and inclusivity. Together, the palette communicates both credibility and compassion, reinforcing the brand's Caregiver role.

Career Moves demonstrates how a thoughtful brand strategy can transform a straightforward tool into a more meaningful experience. By combining an empathetic tone, a supportive identity, and a forward-looking vision, the brand has become a trusted guide for Delawareans navigating their careers and a valued partner in strengthening the state’s workforce.

Impact

The platform continues to grow, with hundreds of training opportunities listed and an expanding base of users and providers working together to close Delaware's skills gap and create pathways to economic mobility.

Within the first 6 months, Career Moves:  

• 1,000+ app downloads
• Expanded from to 5 to 9 industries
• Added 40+ new program listings