Designing an AI-first MVP for recruiters to post and manage jobs.
I led the product strategy and research end-to-end — running the recruiter interviews and the survey that shaped what the MVP needed to be. I shared the product design with another designer, and the AI chatbot that drafts a job offer in seconds — the MVP's core feature — started as my concept and was refined with the team.
Company
B4work
Date
2025
Duration
1 year
Stage
Shipped
Role
Founding designer
Team
Product designer, Product manager, CTO and Dev
Company overview
B4work is a job board app designed exclusively for job seekers. Recruiters, can use the platform’s integrated Applicant Tracking System (ATS) within B4work to efficiently review job applications.
Additionally, recruiters can post job openings exclusively through the ATS. B4work streamlines the entire process, making job searching and recruitment more straightforward for everyone involved.
From problem to impact
The problem
The integration with ATS can be excessively lengthy, lasting up to three months in some cases, and some ATS can only be partially integrated.
This problem is also related to the fact that B4work needs to increase app downloads in order to grow, but this can only change if we manage to attract more candidates, and for this, we need more job postings.
Business goals
The integration with ATS can be excessively lengthy, lasting up to three months in some cases, and some ATS can only be partially integrated.
Independent Solution for Recruiters
We need an independent solution where companies can register on B4work and post job offers without the need to integrate with ATS.
Boosting App Downloads
We require a significant increase in app downloads, achievable by attracting more candidates and companies.
More Job Offers and Candidates
More job offers lead to more candidates, resulting in higher retention and ultimately more app downloads.
Solution
Instead of forcing recruiters through a months-long ATS integration, I designed a standalone solution: recruiters register on B4work and post and manage jobs directly, with no integration required. The MVP centered on three things the research had flagged — an AI chatbot that drafts a job offer in seconds, real-time candidate communication built into the platform, and a dashboard to manage offers and applicant status in one place.
Impact
The MVP launched in November 2023. In the first quarter after launch, job postings rose 30% — the metric most directly tied to the new self-serve flow. Candidate hires (+9%) and app downloads (+12%) also grew over the same period. These moved alongside other factors — marketing, organic growth, seasonality — so I don't read them as caused by the MVP alone; what I can attribute most confidently is the lift in job postings, which the standalone posting flow was built to unlock.
Discovery
Before designing, I wanted evidence over assumptions — combining interviews with a survey to validate the patterns we found.
Research Methods
User interview conducted with 10 participating recruiters aged between 30 and 45.
Conducted online survey with 64 participants recruiters to validate user interviews.
Key insights from interviews
Survey result
Survey to validate which data must be visible at a glance
80% expressed an urgent need for a solution to save time in their daily tasks.
70% were frustrated having to manage candidates, interviews and offers separately.
69% emphasized the need for a platform that improves communication with candidates.
Insights
Survey to validate which data must be visible at a glance
Time Efficiency
Recruiters need time-saving solutions.
Process Streamlining
Simplifying hiring processes is crucial.
Effective Communication
Communication with candidates is vital.
Job Management Features
Robust tools for offer management are essential.
Team Collaboration
Collaboration within HR teams is critical.
AI Integration
Leveraging AI for workflow automation is promising.
Competitive Analysis
We analized different type of job portals and ATS, to see their features and compare.
User personas
We analized different type of job portals and ATS, to see their features and compare.
Sandra — HR Manager at a Large Company
Managing a high volume of job applications daily makes effective candidate management and seamless team communication a real challenge.
Alex — Founder of a Small Startup
Time is precious. A platform that simplifies job posting while helping us assess cultural fit and skills alignment is vital for our small team's growth.
Ideation
Based on the insights discussed we conducted a few workshops to discuss the insights and HMW solve those issues.
How might we?
How Might We Save Recruiters Time?
How Might We Simplify Hiring Processes?
How Might We Improve Communication with Candidates?
How Might We Enhance Job Management Features?
User story mapping
We’ve embraced User Story Mapping as a pivotal part of our development approach. This technique allows us to visually outline and prioritize key product features cohesively. By mapping user stories, we’ve clearly identified essential functionalities, their priority, and relationships, providing a detailed roadmap for efficient development.
Crazy 8 ideation
Skecthed the ideas gathered from the How Might We process using the Crazy8 techniques.
Protoyping
Dashboard with essential features
First we built a dashboard with all the essential features, like change status of the offers, change status of candidates applied etc..
Create Job Offer with AI in few seconds
One of the big feature of our first MVP was the chatbot with AI integrated to create a job offers in few seconds. This chatbot would be like a helpful assistant, guiding recruiters through the process in a natural way. By using AI, the chatbot can understand what recruiters need and respond accordingly. This makes it easier for recruiters to make job postings quickly and accurately.
Comunication with candidate in real time
Our real-time communication feature ensures seamless interaction, allowing you to engage with candidates instantly, answer questions, and provide updates throughout the hiring process. Keep the conversation flowing effortlessly with B4work for Companies.
User testing
We launched a user testing with 15 recruiters participating.
8 out of 10 users: AI-generated job descriptions were successful in the majority of cases.
There was a low error rate of 28% in the AI-generated job descriptions.
7 out of 10 of recruiters found the AI integration helpful in speeding up their workflow.
MVP Launch: Business impact
The MVP was launched in November 2023.
Jobs Posting +30%
30% increase in the number of job postings on the B4work platform in the first quarter after the MVP launch.
Candidates hired +9%
9% rise in the number of candidates hired through the B4work app compared to the previous quarter.
App downloads +12%
+12% surge in total app downloads during the MVP launch period, indicating heightened user interest and adoption.
What did I learn
In our journey to enhance B4work for Companies, we encountered several key challenges that demanded innovative solutions.
MVP was too poor
We wanted launch the MVP as soon as possible in line with the business goal, but many users feel that some features are missing to decide to only use B4work 100%.
Technical Alignment
Aligning with diverse technical profiles posed communication barriers and decision-making delays.
Technological Complexity
I encountered difficulties integrating complex technologies, which often required a deep understanding of APIs to connect data. Navigating these technical aspects left me feeling challenged and occasionally overwhelmed.