DEFINE

Synthesis & Problem Definition

Empathy Map

I created an empathy map to quickly synthesise interview insights and identify recruiters’ key behaviours, needs and pain points that directly inform the design. To accelerate the process, I used Miro AI to organise and cluster the raw notes before refining the empathy map manually. I then conducted a theming exercise to group recurring insights into clear design themes that guided feature prioritisation and design decisions.

Problem Definition

I created an empathy map to quickly synthesise interview insights and identify recruiters’ key behaviours, needs and pain points that directly inform the design. To accelerate the process, I used Miro AI to organise and cluster the raw notes before refining the empathy map manually. I then conducted a theming exercise to group recurring insights into clear design themes that guided feature prioritisation and design decisions.

Ideation

Brainstorming

The purpose of this exercise is to explore the solution space in a structured way before moving into design, ensuring that all features are grounded in validated user insights and clearly defined problems. The HMW framework helped translate research findings into practical design directions for the Candidates List and Candidate Info pages. I plan to incorporate as many of these ideas as possible into the final designs within the scope of this task. Since this is a recruitment exercise, the focus is on user value rather than technical feasibility, as I do not have access to the technical or business teams beyond the initial brief provided.

Feature Prioritisation

The purpose of this exercise is to translate research and brainstorming into a clear, prioritised feature set that directly informs the final designs. It ensures the Candidates List and Candidate Info pages focus on the most critical recruiter needs while staying aligned with the task requirements. Since this is a recruitment exercise, prioritisation is based on user value and the given brief, without factoring in technical constraints or additional business input.

Design & Prototype

User Flow

Designed user flows to map the end-to-end journey, ensuring users could easily navigate the platform, access candidate profiles, and complete key tasks efficiently and without friction.

Information Architecture

Based on the research and prioritised features, I defined an information architecture that supports recruiters’ core workflows: reviewing jobs, evaluating applications, and managing candidates long-term. The structure separates Jobs, Applications, Candidates and Shortlists, allowing recruiters to move from role-level overview to detailed evaluation and talent rediscovery. Each section prioritises decision-critical information, evaluation status and next actions, while AI prompts and filters help surface priorities and reduce effort.

Design & Prototype

Over the last week, I designed and built the interactive prototype using an AI-accelerated workflow to move quickly and iterate effectively. I initially created the full experience in Lovable, which allowed me to rapidly define the UX flows and micro-interactions. Once I was satisfied with the experience, I rebuilt everything in Figma, as required for the exercise, and used it to refine the visuals and prepare the final polished prototype. This approach allowed me to balance speed, iteration and final design quality while delivering the complete solution in Figma.

Testing

Test Plan

In order to make sure the design decisions effectively help recruiters screen, evaluate and manage candidates efficiently, I would plan to create a detailed test plan to validate the key workflows of the ApplyNow platform and test the core hypotheses behind the Candidates List and Candidate Info experiences. While this testing has not yet been conducted, the following outlines how I would approach evaluating the product to ensure it meets recruiter needs and supports confident, efficient decision-making.

Test Plan: The Candidates List

Test plan focuses on validating the Candidates List as the primary entry point for recruiters to screen applicants for a specific job opening, assessing whether users can quickly find relevant candidates using AI quick prompts, search and filters, understand candidate status at a glance, and take key actions (shortlist, move stage, reject) efficiently without needing to open every profile.

Test Plan: Candidates Info Page

Test plan focuses on validating the Candidate Info page as the single workspace for evaluation and decision-making, assessing whether recruiters can quickly understand a candidate’s full context, review CV and interview feedback, complete structured evaluation, identify blockers (missing feedback), and progress candidates through stages with confidence and traceability.