Jack

Utilizing AI to streamline the job application process

OVERVIEW

Jack is a SaaS application that focuses on helping users simplify the job application process. The traditional user journey of applying to jobs is extremely tedious and time consuming.

CONTRIBUTION AND OUTCOMES

I joined Jack as a Product Designer where I worked cross functionally - designing the web application. I led the design of the dashboard and the ‘Auto Apply’ user flow by introducing a user friendly interface and improving the user flow. I synthesized core findings, data, led workshops, established a design system and created mid and hi fidelity mockups to prototypes.

MY ROLE

UX/UI Design, Design Systems, UX Research

THE TEAM

Product Design, PM, Engineering Team

TIMELINE

Shipped Q2 2024

THE PROBLEM —

The current job application process is time consuming and inefficient, especially for individuals looking to transition into new careers.

Balancing job applications with other responsibilities is challenging, and inconsistencies across various job application platforms further complicate the experience. The current market lacks a streamlined job application approach, forcing job seekers to navigate a maze of platforms and repetitive tasks.

THE STRATEGY —

A simpler process, to reduce time and workload.

We wanted to rethink the job application process for today’s job seekers to unlock new opportunities for those overwhelmed by the traditional methods. How can we create an application process that enables users to apply to multiple jobs seamlessly, without the usual complications?

THE SOLUTION —

Leveraging AI to transform a user profile into a one-time application, automatically applying to multiple job listings without repetitive effort.

RESEARCH —

Investigating the unmet needs of current job seekers

Although initial user research interviews was executed by the research team, I analyzed our research data to understand user preferences and challenges they face and led brainstorming sessions with the team. I also dove into white paper research and engaging with forums (Reddits + subreddits) to identify trends.

Translating user insights into key features we wanted to build

While leading brainstorming sessions, I brought my key ideas to the head of product and engineering lead. Based on constraints and impact for our MVP we focused on three key features. We wanted our solutions to be revolved around two design principles:

  • Efficiency over comprehensiveness

  • Transparency is conveyed

MARKET RESEARCH —

The current user journey is convoluted and takes multiple steps.

The current user journey is extremely convoluted and since the goal was simplify this process, we didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. I took inspiration from already successful platforms and wanted to provide a sense of familiarity for the user.

[01] STREAMLINING USER FLOW —

Comprehensive profile to capture user information and experience

To enable auto applications, I designed a profile page that captures essential user information with a long scroll and tabs for easy navigation. This layout ensures easy navigation and flexibility, aligning with a familiar design seen in successful platforms like Airbnb, and Shopify, which use similar layouts to manage complex forms and multi-step processes seamlessly.

Allow users to 'Auto Apply' to job listings through an extensive dashboard

The main goal of the page is to allow users look for a job listing and to automatically apply without having to navigate to other pages. Having met with the team and going over sketches/iterations, I designed a dashboard with a list view and side module that allows users to easily find more specific job details.

[02] ALLOWING USERS TO APPLY TO MULTIPLE LISTINGS —

Designing a simple and manageable experience for multiple applications

This flow was intentionally designed to have the least amount of friction as possible, keeping the experience of finding selecting multiple jobs distraction-free. We wanted the users to really easily get to the next step and finish applying. The ‘overview’ section in the confirmation page allows users to quickly gauge how much credit is left but also recharge or upgrade if there isn’t enough to continue the transaction.

[03] HELPING USERS TRACK APPLICATIONS —

Adding a layer of transparency and reducing uncertainty

The ‘applications’ portal gives users full transparency and control over their job applications, letting users track the status and view their application, resume, and job listing. Although there was some initial pushback with viewing the actual application, I emphasized two key points to our stakeholders: aligning with our design principles and insights from user research. This decision wasn’t just about functionality; but also building trust and making sure users felt confident with our platform.

NOTABLE ITERATIONS AND FEEDBACK —

Core design explorations and how we arrived at these designs

Each element and feature of the interface is the result of deliberate design decisions. There will always be multiple variations and iterations during each design process, I wanted to walk through a few key explorations that stood out during our development process that really shaped the final outcome.

How are we able to create a comprehensive yet seamless dashboard view?

Reflecting back at our design goals, we wanted to focus on efficiency over comprehensiveness - prioritizing the speed and ease of use. We ultimately decided on Version 3 shown below - we didn’t want to reinvent the wheel for users.

How can users easily apply to multiple jobs with minimal friction?

This particular feature dictates how easily the user would be able to navigate our platform. I led our discussions to find the right balance — allowing users to apply to multiple listings with ease while incorporating intentional friction to keep them informed and engaged throughout the process. Two notable considerations were tested with users and we ultimately moved forward with Version B.

Condensing the job card components

How did I arrive at this design? The main goal of the page is to allow users look for a job listing and to automatically apply without having to navigate to other pages. Having met with the team and going over sketches/iterations, I designed a dashboard with a list view and side module that allows users to easily find more specific job details.

DESIGN SYSTEM & HANDOFF —

Design validation and preparing designs for engineering handoff

Over a series of meetings, I validated our design choices and refined interaction designs and edge cases. During this entire process, I also established a comprehensive design system to ensure consistency across the project. After four weeks of ideation, I successfully handed off the project to engineering.

Takeaways

CHALLENGES

LEARNINGS

I navigated many unique challenges while designing this platform and collaborating with engineers and stakeholders. I had to:

  1. Align with stakeholders who had differing priorities, finding common ground between business goals and user experience requirements.

  2. Establish a robust design system from scratch, ensuring it was comprehensive enough for various use cases while being flexible for future updates, all within tight deadlines.

Establish a design system early! Creating a design system early in the project provided consistency across the platform and streamlined the handoff to engineering. It really educed design debt and made future iterations more efficient.

Always keep all stakeholders informed. Sometimes a quick chat or huddle can really save potential extra work and misunderstandings.

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