Ikigai
UX & UI Design
Overview
In this project I designed the MVP of a complex SaaS product-- an AI-driven applicant tracking software and people management platform that generates job postings, job details, organizes candidate pipelines, and coordinates candidate skill assessments. Over the course of 3 months, I designed the the MVP from scratch by creating a style guide/design system, designing atomic components and creating an interactive mockup. I also contributed to the overall visual and branding of the company.
Role
UX Designer
Duration
June - August 2023
Background & Problem Space
Applicant tracking systems are complex SaaS products that companies use to seek talent, gather candidates, assess necessary skills, and hire for positions.
Hiring processes are a complicated process because not only does it involve job candidates and skills, but is integrated into a complex system of people management including employee engagement tracking, skills training, and organization maps/headcount systems.
The Problem
The problem this project tackles can be summarized into three main points:
Why is this important?
This problem space is important because business success is driven by having the right people in the right place. Effective hiring practices directly correlates to employee engagement, which can contribute to the overall success of employee driven businesses.
This project's tight timeline could not afford extensive research. However, user research & testing are integral steps in my design process and I have shared what my approach would be at the end of this page if I had had the time and resources to conduct it.
Quick Research Insights
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42% of startup founders are concerns about hiring the best talent
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29% worry about hiring fast enough
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14% worry about not having the right talent
(OpenView Partners)
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The stages of job recruitment include: analyzing requirement, planning recruitment process, attracting candidates, and selecting candidates.​
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Recruitment and selection of qualified candidates play a critical role in businesses success and organizational development​
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Long recruitment cycles and discriminatory job requirements are obstacles that both recruiters and candidates experience.
(Atlantis Press)
The Solution: An AI driven application tracking system
Job listing details, descriptions, recruitment planning, and skills assessments are AI generated, relieving recruiters of mundane, tedious, and time-consuming tasks. Integrating people management software to create a streamlined, all-in-one HR management tool.
User Personas
Jazmin is one of the main user personas for this product-- a busy, 31 year old technical recruiter currently in peak hiring season at the software company she works for.
Jazmin's biography, personalities, and needs
Jazmin's goals, frustrations, and hobbies
Jazmin's biography, personalities, and needs
User Journey Map
This chart displays Jazmin's journey map as a technical recruiter. Her expectations are to post multiple job listings, track candidate progress, and design an efficient interview process for her candidates.
Initial Wireframes
The MVP called for the following features:
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AI-generated job listing creation + job board
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A visual candidate pipeline
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Interview scorecard view
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Employee engagement survey
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A organizational headcount view
The job creation page is a simple job board page where the details are automatically generated after entering in the job position title.
The hiring plan includes all the high level AI-generated job listing details as well as interview plans which can be customized.
An organizational headcount chart. Displays employee hierarchy with positions, YoE, and departments.
The job creation page is a simple job board page where the details are automatically generated after entering in the job position title.
Visual Direction & Mood Board
For the visual direction, I decided to go for a minimal, sophisticated look to reduce the clutter especially for a complex product like an ATS & people management platform.
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Minimal curvature
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Card design pattern to organize content
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Simple and user-friendly font
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Blues, grays, off-whites
​
Example UI of Jasper
Example UI of Zendesk
Example UI of Luma
Example UI of Jasper
Design System
The values this design system reflects are user-centered design, intuitive design through minimalism, and accessible navigation.
My client wanted a simple and minimalistic branding to the product. I went for limited primary colors with a simple and clean font to achieve this look.
Helvetica was used for all typefaces for its simple and user-friendly look.
Blue and purple were the primary colors. Most secondary colors were used as highlights or accent colors.
Simple spacing and margins for web content with 100 px margins on each side. Frames with minimal content has increased margins of 300 px.
Helvetica was used for all typefaces for its simple and user-friendly look.
Patterns
Some common patterns in the design system include:
Cards
For organizing the extensive information on the platform including candidate profiles, job creation, and planning components.
Table & List View
Present in the job board view, job listings (candidate view), and candidate resources.
Kanban Board
Used to organize the visual candidate pipeline-- a core feature of the ATS.
Component Library
Here's a collection of some of the main components used in the product.
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Final Product
Here is a selection of the final mock-ups of the main features.
Job listing details are AI-generated after inputting position and listing title.
AI-generated hiring plan page allows for companies to focus on the people rather than repeating tedious processes.
SmartPlan is a organization headcount tool in Ikigai that integrates hiring processes and people management systems into a unified platform.
Job listing details are AI-generated after inputting position and listing title.