Job Tracker
Helping users stay organized while job searching.
Lead UX Designer & UX Researcher
Project Overview
Applicationer aims to simplify the job application process by consolidating tracking and information in one centralized location. Instead of juggling multiple applications across various sites, Applicationer streamlines the entire process, ensuring that all active applications are organized and easily accessible.
My Role: Lead UX Designer & UX Researcher
Team: UX Designers, UX Researchers, Developers, Product Managers, Stakeholders
Client: Applicationer
Tools: Figma, Miro, Zoom, Google Slides, Slack
Project Duration: 3 weeks
Project Goal
Help users stay organized while job searching by making the application process easier, keeping up with jobs they applied for, and having the ability to set goals and write notes.
01
User Research
With a deeper understanding of how current platforms cater to their user base, I embarked on a journey to truly grasp the needs and perspectives of job seekers. To gain insights, I conducted 7 Zoom interviews, aimed at uncovering the challenges faced by job seekers during the application process and discovering ways to make it more streamlined and efficient.
1. What information do they pay attention to and what do they like to save to refer back to?
Why?
To understand what job seekers consider important during their job search.
Takeaway:
5/7 job seekers
pay attention to the company's missions.
2. What is their strategy?
Why?
To learn the plan job seekers take and why it's important.
Takeaway:
4/7 job seekers
tailor their resume for the job they are applying for and keep track of the job description, the resume, and the cover letter they used.
3. What do they do after they apply?
Why?
To learn what they do after applying for a job and what they do with the information they learned.
Takeaway:
3/7 job seekers
network with people who work at the company they applied to.
02
Competitive/Comparative Analysis
Upon conducting a thorough analysis of the feature set offered by our leading competitor, I realized that our platform needed to provide users with the ability to monitor and manage their job applications, along with setting personal targets.
03
Personas
I understood that simply theorizing about solutions for job seekers was not enough. It was important to bring my ideas to life. As the saying goes, 'designing for everyone is equivalent to designing for nobody.' To ensure that our efforts were directed effectively, I developed two personas based on the demographic data obtained from our interview participants.
04
Aaliyah and Jorge's Journey
Following a series of consultations with key stakeholders, I'm convinced that a clear understanding of the user journey with and without Applicationer will provide us with valuable insights into how our tools can make a difference. To this end, I have outlined the job-seeking process as follows:
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Spending the initial hours searching for job listings on job websites.
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Preparing for the interview, including researching the company and practicing responses.
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Conducting the most crucial follow-up, such as sending thank you notes or checking in with the hiring manager.
Aaliyah and Joge's Journey Without Applicationer
Aaliyah and Joge's Journey With Applicationer
05
User Flows
I initiated the design process by creating sketches and generating ideas for the user flow, incorporating the feedback obtained from our users during the interviews. The user flow and design studio helped us organize our thoughts on how the solution would be structured in the prototype. With the help of the user flow, we then discussed the placement of each feature within the prototype.
New User Flow
Journey to monitor job applications
06
Reframing the Challenge
Job seekers require a comprehensive tool that will aid in tracking their job application progress in a detailed manner, allowing them to establish and stay on a clear career path.
07
Sketch
08
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes and Usability Test Takeaway
Below are the mid-fidelity wireframes and key takeaways from usability tests conducted with 11 job seekers. Detailed findings are provided below the wireframes, and users have shared the following insights:
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Too many pages
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“Why can’t I edit my resume? I don’t want to type everything all the time.”
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Everyone has their resume/cover letter in pdf format.
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes and Usability Test Takeaways
Landing Page
Login Page
Dashboard
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Trouble finding the "Add New" button on the dashboard
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Delete “Become a Member” from the header after you sign in
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Display quick tags on the dashboard
View and/or add notes to saved jobs
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Pop-ups should have an “x” on the top right, easy way to quit/exit.
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Sizing on the “Add Notes’ page
Adding a new job on the tracker
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Edit/Save buttons make the process too long.
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Make “Cancel” smaller than the “Next” button (fixed verbiage)
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Having to “Save” after typing can be confusing
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Make “Dream Company” more prominent.
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“Dream Company” isn’t easy to find - maybe it should be only on the profile page, not the application process
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Having two fields for company culture and company mission/goals is redundant
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Review Info page - where’s the job title?
Profile
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Do the "Back/Cancel" buttons do the same thing?
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Quick tags need spacing on the review page
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Spacing between quick tags is uneven
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Make sure you have a uniform date format MM/DD/YY
Adding a new target on the profile
09
High-Fidelity Prototype
​Based on the findings from the usability test, I updated the prototype and presented it to my team and the stakeholders.
10
Feature Prioritization
I presented the results of all the research to our clients. It was crucial to have direct communication with the stakeholders to determine the most efficient way to implement the potential solutions I identified.
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A user profile feature that saves information about job applications and provides feedback on work history. The "Career Insights" function would allow users to visualize key trends in their application process and make informed decisions about their career path.
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The ability to save and organize multiple resumes and cover letters for different job applications. This would help users keep track of the information they provided for each application and streamline future applications by having past information readily available.
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LinkedIn integration, as this is a crucial tool for job seekers in networking. Connecting a contact list from LinkedIn would make it easier for users to seek referrals.
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Automated reminders for follow-up emails, thank-you notes, and other important steps in the job-seeking process.
11
Style Guide
Reflection
If I were still working on the project, my next step would have been to...
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Allow users to upload their resume and cover letter in .pdf format and a tool that highlights keywords​
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Import information from Google Calendar​
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Create a success story section to allow users to inspire and encourage others. It may include ideas on finding a career path, interviews with recent hires, how-to’ (ex. Networking, resume writing, preparing for interviews)
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Building functionality that suggests a fair salary for an applied-to position, and other related jobs in the field or area of interest ​
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Make sure the site is accessible to users who are color blind​
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Make sure the site layout is consistent (i.e consistent shape on all tabs & buttons)