01 Overview

Optimising job search experience by skill matching recommendations and seamless feedback process for the job applicants

JobMatch addresses the needs of job seekers by reducing overwhelming search results with irrelevant recommendations and providing timely feedback on their job applications. The research focuses on the development and evaluation of an innovative application designed to support job seekers in achieving a seamless job search experience.

ROLE

UX Research, User Interviews, Information architecture, UI Design, Usability testing, Rapid validation, Pitch deck

DURATION

3 Months (2023)

pROJECT

Graduate Dissertation

TOOL

Figma, Miro, Adobe suite

Problem

Job seekers face a challenge of skill mismatch in job recommendation, keyword search results generate generic and overwhelming results leading to a phenomenon known as information overload.

The application process often lacks user-friendly features of not providing application status, resulting in limited or delayed communication that hampers the job seeker's ability to follow up on their applications or seek clarification about job requirements.

How might we reduce the information overload and provide a personalised job recommendation matching their skillset and a seamless application feedback process?

Solution

A job search platform that is designed to address job seeker's challenges of job recommendation and the application process with the goal of enhancing the user experience with the following solutions:

Simplified onboarding process to reduce redundancy.
Personalised job recommendations with well-categorised segment to reduce the cognitive load.
Applied Miller's "chunking" technique to make information in job description is more digestible and user-friendly.
Implemented a progressive tracker for application feedback and a user-friendly dashboard.

Usability test results

4 Participants, 3 tasks

5 min 5 sec

Average time taken

100%

Task Completion rate

Happy

Emotional response

4.6 out of 5

Average UI rating

The result of usability test yielded significant insights of all three stages of Onboarding, job search and application process. During the onboarding process, participants consistently highlighted positive experience that it serves dual purpose of resume creation and simplified onboarding.
They particularly noted the side-by-side resume preview and skills are aligning their expectation and user convenience of onboarding process.
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The job search process was slightly lengthy with participants taking an average of 7.4minutes. However, the 100% task completion rate indicates that users found the process straightforward. The positive emotional response and an average UI rating of 4.6 out of 5 reflect the participant’s satisfaction with the job search functionalities, particularly the skill-highlighting feature and the detailed categorisation aligns well with the intended solution of reducing cognitive load.

02 Research

How big is the problem?

930 Million

professionals use LinkedIn
Out of 75% of people who are going through a career change

Source: LinkedIn 2015

More than 50%

applications come from job portals

Source: Jobvite 2017 Recruiting Funnel Benchmark Report

Job Seekers

say they use an average 7.6 of job portal websites during a job search.

Source: Glassdor 2016

94% of applicants

require to get a feedback but, only 41% have received the feedback

Source: LinkedIn 2015

Challenges faced by Employer to identify suitable candidate

Source: 2017 Recruiter Sentiment Study MRI Network

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

- Extensive list of job listings across various industry and locations.
- Quick to apply multiple jobs at once.
- Strong network and partnerships with a wide range of employers.
- Regular updates on job openings ensuring that it remains up-to-date.

Weakness

- Completely relies on keyword matching rather than assessing individual skills and qualifications.
- Jobseekers experience no feedback on job application.
- Overwhelming search result which confuses the jobseeker.
- Lack of clarity in job description Irrelevant job recommendations.

Opportunities

- Personalised onboarding process with standard resume format across all the candidates.
- Progressive tracker for application feedback.
- Skill based search and job recommendation.
- Intuitive layout and design to reduce to cognitive load.

Threats

- Lack of application feedback may cause user dissatisfaction
- Outdated design layout and design causing the cognitive overload.

Usability test measures

Based on findings from market research and heuristic mark-up, key usability challenges were identified in the existing job board system.
To address these challenges, a systematic approach was implemented, by conducting usability tests and post-test interviews to gather qualitative and quantitative data.

Methodology

Usability Test & Post test Interview

User Demographic

Fresher Graduate & Mid Level Professional

Recruitment Method

Voluntary basis and Networking

Usability testing type

Moderated

5

3

30

3

Total Task

Participants

Minutes each

Test Measures

Information overload will be evaluated by measuring user’s perceptions of the volume of job recommendations and search results, as well as the ease of navigation. It is to determine whether users were able to effectively filter results and whether the information presented to them is digestible and meaningful.
The relevance of job recommendations will be measured by comparing the jobs recommended by the system with user’s skills, interests, qualifications, and career goals.
Lack of feedback on job applications will be addressed by tracking the clarity, timeliness, and meaningfulness of notifications users receive regarding their application status.

Understanding the user

Persona

"Despite of updating my profile information with my skills and qualifications, I still receive irrelevant job recommendations".

— Sarah Adams, Designer with over 4 years of experience and looking for a Mid level role.

Goals

- Relevant job recommendation
that matches the skillset.
- Better clarity on job description.
- Timely feedback on application status.
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Pain Points

- Overwhelmed with irrelevant job recommendation.
- Feels frustrated when job descriptions are unclear on required skills.
- Feeling anxious about the job application status.

How we can help

- Provide a relevant job recommendation bases on the skills.
- More clarity on the job description of required skillset.
- Progressive application feedback mechanism.

User Stories

As a job seeker, I want the onboarding process to be simple and quick, so that I can start my job search as soon as possible.

As a job seeker, I want the system to understand my professional profile (qualifications, experience, skills, interests), so that I can get relevant job recommendations.

As a job seeker, I want an efficient job results that reflects my skills, so that I can find job opportunities that are best suited to my capabilities.

As a job seeker, I want the job descriptions to be clear, so that I can understand the job requirements and responsibilities properly before applying.

As a job seeker, I want to receive timely updates on my application status, so that I am aware of the application feedback.

03 Design

How might we improve the relevance of job recommendation?

Capture all relevant skills and expertise during the onboarding process to facilitate better job match.
Highlight each skills with level of experience to ensure job requirements align accurately with user's abilities.
Display eligible job listing which matches the user’s skills and qualifications.
Provide a suggestion for candidate on the required skills in the job description.

How might we provide feedback to users on their job application status?

Provide a progressive status on the application.
Offer application insights as soon as they log into the platform.

MoSCoW

MoSCoW model was used identify and determine priorities in four categories. It helped to focus on what's truly essential, ensuring that features are delivered on time and within scope.

User Flow

Job search and application status

Mood Board

The mood board focuses on the themes of trust, growth, and professionalism. The design aims to provide users with a stress-free and intuitive job search experience, aligned with a personalised approach to reducing information overload. International Klein Blue was chosen to represent trust, stability, and calm, thereby it helps the job seekers in reducing stress and anxiety during their search.

The green shade invokes feelings of growth and freshness, symbolising the opportunities and career development through the platform. Greyscale will be utilised to maintain a clean, uncluttered look, emphasising simplicity and sophistication.

Style Tile

Branding & Typography

JobMatch was chosen to reflect the platform's mission – connecting job seekers with most relevant jobs. The word 'Job' describes the primary focus, while 'Match' emphasises the platform's capability to alignment between candidate's skills and job requirements.

Roboto is a modern and clean that ensures readability across various devices and sizes. It makes the text easy to read, especially in the large text content of job descriptions. The clear appearance of the text helps mitigate the key challenges of information overload.

Colour Palette

Buttons

System Architecture

Product Design

Onboarding process

The integration of an automated resume generator, featuring a side-by-side preview function within the onboarding process, eliminates the redundant task of manually uploading a resume.
By enabling users to fill out their details in a single step, the system simultaneously presents the information in the form of a formatted resume, enhancing efficiency in the user experience.

Skill inputs are unclear in the onboarding

User's skills and experience levels are captured during the onboarding process to ensure personalised and efficient results. The system will categorise the user's skills and level of experience into various segments (such as Beginner, Experienced, and Expert) and match them with the skills required by employers during job postings.

This ensures that the most relevant job recommendations are provided, aligning closely with the job seeker's qualifications and interests.

Job description page

The job description page clearly outline the must-have skills and experience for the position, which can lead to better clarity about what is truly required for the role. By clearly highlighting the required skills, potential candidates will be able to make quicker decisions and proceed with their applications.

Job application process

Users can effectively track the status of their submitted applications through the 'My Job Status' page on the platform. This feature provides clear and transparent insight into the application process by displaying progress stage-by-stage in a visual progressive bar. This not only eliminates uncertainty but also ensures that applicants are continually updated and informed about the status of their applications.

Dashboard

The dashboard provides the insight of the application status and the user's activity on their job search journey. User can effortlessly track their application status and job recommendations. This will enhance user experience, making it easier for candidates to find previously applied jobs and stay informed about their current applications.

Usability Testing

To evaluate the effectiveness of the prototype developed in Figma, which presents a simulated flow that limits to measure the volume of job recommendation, the evaluation will emphasise the simplified onboarding process, eliminating redundant tasks and featuring personalised job recommendations aligned with user skills during onboarding. This approach aims to capture user satisfaction levels during the onboarding experience.

Similarly, the job search process of stimulated prototype to measure the efficiency of categorisation of job recommendation, search functionality, advanced filtering options and the clarity on required skills in the job description, as well as ease of navigation.
Finally, the evaluation was extend to measuring the efficiency of job application and the status of feedback on application and providing an overview of user activity.