Designing an MVP to track applicants and manage jobs with AI
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.
My contribution
Product strategy
User research
Product design
The team
2 x Product designer
3 x Engineers
2 x AI Engineers
Year
2023
What problem are we solving?
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 – 2024
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.
Empathize – User research
How do works the workflow of the recruiters ?
User interview conducted with 10 participating recruiters aged between 30 and 45.
Conducted online survey with 64 participants recruiters to validate user interviews.
User research analysis – Key Findings
Survey Validation: 80% of survey responders expressed the urgent need for a solution to save time in their daily tasks.
Survey Validation: 72% of survey responders highlighted the frustration about all the things they need to manage, like candidates, interviews and offers.
Survey Validation: 69% of survey responders emphasized the need for a platform that facilitates communication with candidates.
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 & Journey maps
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.
Crazy8 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.
%
Success Rate
AI-generated job descriptions were successful in 72% of cases.
%
Error Rate
There was a low error rate of 28% in the AI-generated job descriptions.
Average post-task satisfaction
Overall, 71% 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.
