Since March, I have been working with a company called SkillGigs. It started on Dribbble, that inquiry came in, you know the kind that builds your anticipation the further you read. Then suddenly you burst into a parade around the house so happy to see an energetic project. Bottoms up on the Dr. Pepper you’ve been drinking to get through the day and fists in the air. You sit back down at the computer and give the company props for knowing what Dribbble is, and even better, how to find you on it. At least that’s how it was for me. The first meeting couldn’t have gone any better. It was any creative’s dream. A company that actually had wireframes before they reached out for a user interface designer? Unheard of. A business owner who already had a smooth elevator pitch that wasn’t littered with half baked thoughts? I must be dreaming. I had to tip my cowboy hat that I don’t have to them. Kashif and Amit really had it together and they wanted to see if I was a good fit for their own master plan. Bringing me in at just the right time, they explained that they were looking for someone to mold the brand and paint a pretty face on this beastly platform. They stressed the importance of the user experience and relayed that it would drive the way the platform behaved. I don’t know about you but, it is almost euphoric to be around so many capable people at one time, all moving their own parts for the bigger whole.

So this platform supports two types of users: a Skill [which is a person offering his/her skill as a service such as a Javascript Developer, a User Interface Designer, an Accountant, etc] and a “Gig” [which is a person who has a project that they need additional skills outside of their own to complete]. They can find each other inside our Marketplace and manage the project through our platform, or hell, make the connection and hop onsite. It’s all about what works best for the users. Each can create listings to post in the Marketplace and each can search for listings related to what they need. I would primarily use the site as a “Skill” and I would be able to post listings that say I am available for a 6 month User Interface Project, for example. A “Gig” can come online and search for a User Interface Designer to find my listing, and voila. Business begins. Reversely, I can go online to see if a “Gig” has posted that he needs perhaps a photographer for 2 months, or 2 years. The platform supports a bidding system for “Gigs” to bid on my hourly rate as a Skill and reversely,  there is a proposing system for a “Skill” to place a proposal on a “Gigs” Project. I could go on for days about the awesome details of this platform but what I want to talk about is the design itself, which is my primary focus right now. Once I get that right, then I will move into marketing beyond our soft Beta Launch that already went out. By the way, if you’re looking for the comment section to tell me that this is an eLance or ODesk bit, let me spare you the wrath you may receive for such an obscenity. I’m winking at you from across the room right now because I’m looking out for you. This platform is structurally not engineered to function so clumsily as these predecessors [and that is my own opinion]. Efficiency, and a self-sustaining ecosystem fueled the creation of SkillGigs. I digress.

Let’s start with where you land once you have logged into the platform; the Dashboard. I just couldn’t get my brain wrapped around a strong direction as my mind was pelted with all the functions I needed to include. So then I just started. I started clicking, dragging, deleting and repeating. I scribbled notes, drew boxes and e-mailed these guys on many nights at the same hour I am working now.

Finally… a direction was set. And I am so damn happy with how the product is shaping up. You can check it out live here >> www.skillgigs.com – I’m looking forward to sharing my progress with all of you, the supporters, the devil’s advocates, the critics, and even you haters. Get in here for some love.

By the way, I really like music. You’ll find some of my favorites posted throughout my work, at random.