Hiintern v1.0 was built around a chat-based internship application system, which concerned investors as it deviated from typical recruiting processes. From a technical perspective, applications were tightly integrated with chat channels. The team struggled to find a clear solution that balanced user needs, investor expectations, and development costs.
In this project, I refined the core user flows, conducted a bunch of researches to understand the internship recruting process and the popular tools. I also streamlined the chat feature to ensure a simple and efficient connection between employers and candidates.
Separate applications from the chat page and create a new application management interface
Design a quick-rating feature to help employers quickly categorize candidates during the evaluation process
Maintain direct communication while simplifying the feature for an improved user experience
The team faced an urgent situation after receiving negative feedback from the investor, who demanded an immediate adaptation of our product strategy. It felt like we were lost in the forest without a clear direction.
The chat-based product strategy for internship recruiting was heavily criticized by the investors
The chat-based hiring process had low acceptance among employers
The developed system had many obvious usability issues
The chat-based approach resulted in high code coupling
Since Hiintern v1.0 was fully developed, adjusting the fundamental product strategy posed a significant challenge. To address this, I conducted the following research to understand the current issues and explore potential minimal-cost solutions: user testing with three clients, interviews with the company leader and development teams, and a UX audit of the Hiintern v1.0 platform.
I identified the core user flow and created an employer journey map.
The current chat-based application management is unstable. For instance, the order of candidates is based on the time of the last message, which can change with the arrival of a new message. Additionally, employers have to check the screening question answers through the chat box instead of a stable list page.
From our early research, we found that over 98% of companies in the US use ATS for recruiting. The recruiters who participated in the user interviews also expressed a preference for the ATS experience in application management.
The company leader set the product strategy to build application management functionalities similar to those found in ATS systems.
I analyzed the most popular ATS in the US market, focusing on their application management features. This analysis aimed to identify standard solutions and find inspiration for addressing chat-based application challenges.
In this version, we created a Candidate Management page similar to ATS platforms, featuring a hiring pipeline, evaluation, bulk actions, and more. However, it essentially mirrored the chat lists, with a stable order based on when the chat was created. The chat page continued to have confusing tabs for categorizing candidates, which led to further chaos in the overall project logic.
I realized the overcorrection through two key aspects based on the data and research I gathered in my daily work: the collection of internships from the internet and the analysis of internships posted on other job boards.
Over 90% of internship application forms redirect to ATS platforms
Few employers review internship applications directly on third-party job boards
ATS platforms are the final management destination for daily recruiting
Implementing an ATS-like application management solution was an overcorrection
Since ATS platforms hold a significant share of the US market, most job boards serve an exposure role in the hiring process. Finally, most applications are collected and managed through the ATS for easier handling.
So, what functionalities do these job boards offer to employers for managing applications created on their own systems? I conducted research and found that, while the functionalities are similar to those of ATS, they are much simpler and more limited.
From the research, we understood that Hiintern plays a role similar to that of other job boards in the overall recruitment process. Hiintern is not intended to be the final application management tool; rather, it serves as a resource for companies to find suitable candidates and drive traffic to job postings created within ATS platforms.
After gaining a clear understanding of Hiintern’s role in the overall recruitment process, we made the following decisions to guide the further design:
Since the Hiintern platform has two main user groups—candidates and employers—adjusting the fundamental application strategy had a comprehensive influence on the entire platform. I crafted the core application process for both the candidate side and the employer side to streamline the interaction between the two.
Based on research of other job boards, I simplified the features, keeping only the essential ones.
Before handing off the designs to development, I conducted a design review meeting with stakeholders and usability testing with three users recruiting through the company network. The feedback led to improvements in the original design concept.
Users wanted a comprehensive applicants list to view all new applicants at a glance.
Details like the internship title on the review page and the close button’s layout affected the overall reviewing experience.
Making the avatar and name clickable to display more applicant information created a consistent experience throughout the recruitment process.
All applicants sorted by application time
Filter by apply date, position, statuses, rating, degree and preference
Applicant cards with basic information
Rate applicants
View application details
Schedule interviews
Initial direct messages
Sequential browsing
Direct message
Quick reply (customizable templates)
Send positions
View candidate profiles
Emails
In-app notifications
Hi, I’m Zoe Zhou! 👋 A UX/UI designer with 3 years of experience in web and mobile design. I’m currently seeking a full-time UX/UI position where I can bring user-friendly, clear, and delightful designs to life. Let’s collaborate to make your projects shine!
