Application on Phone & Desktop
Research Participants
The Research
Situation
A leading UK healthcare agency was undergoing a large-scale digital transformation process. The existing online recruitment platform needed improvement to handle a high volume of applicants more efficiently, as only about 1% of applicants were ultimately employed. As the Senior UX Designer, I identified several issues, including low conversion rates, poor interview booking rates, confusion about the application process, and the need for automation to reduce manual workload. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all work on this project had to be conducted remotely, adding an extra layer of complexity to the task.
TASK
In my role as Senior UX Designer, I took on a product-focused approach to revisit and improve the existing online recruitment platform. The primary objectives were to:
1. Increase conversion rates at the first stage of the application.
2. Improve interview booking rates.
3. Simplify the Right to Work process.
4. Reduce confusion and complexity in the application journey.
5. Automate previously manual processes.
6. Enable self-service to decrease recruitment team queries.
7. Reduce friction and time from registration to scheduling a screening interview.
To address these challenges, I led a comprehensive research exercise that combined UX methodologies with product management principles:
Stakeholder Collaboration: I facilitated remote journey mapping sessions with various stakeholders, including HR staff and recent joiners, to review the old process and identify pain points. This demonstrated my ability to gather and synthesise input from diverse teams.
Data-Driven Decision Making: I conducted an Emotional State Analysis, measuring applicant satisfaction at each stage of the recruitment process. This quantitative approach revealed significant drops in satisfaction at critical points, informing our prioritisation of improvements.
Emotional State analysis of the process.
End-to-End Process Evaluation: I analysed each stage of the recruitment process, looking for opportunities to simplify, automate, and improve the applicant experience. This holistic view allowed me to identify cross-functional improvements and efficiencies.
Technology Integration: Working closely with the development team, I explored the potential for using APIs to automate manual processes such as right to work checks, CRB checks, and membership organisation verifications. This showcased my ability to bridge UX design with technical solutions.
Automated Data Handling: I proposed ingesting CVs and extract data automatically, reducing the burden on applicants when providing work history.
Process Automation: I collaborated with the product team to implement a system to automate the requesting and chasing of work references, showcasing my ability to streamline operations and improve efficiency.
Research Participants
Research Spreadsheet
Based on our findings, I presented a comprehensive set of recommendations to stakeholders, including:
1. Restructuring the application process to provide a conditional "yes" early on, encouraging applicants to persist through the more challenging stages.
2. Simplifying processes and reducing the number of steps in the application journey.
3. Removing extraneous information gathering from early stages and moving it to the interview stage.
4. Implementing API integrations for instant processing of checks where possible.
5. Improving the user interface and providing clearer guidance throughout the application process.
6. Enhancing communication with applicants to set expectations and provide support at critical stages.
"Welcome" flow.
Suggestions from research workshops.
RESULTS
Due to my transition to a Product Management role, this project was handed on to another designer to see to completion. However, the expected outcomes based on our findings and recommendations include:
• Improved conversion rates at the first stage of the application due to a simplified and more engaging process.
• Increased interview booking rates resulting from earlier conditional acceptance and clearer communication.
• Reduced confusion and dropout rates during the Right to Work process through improved guidance and streamlined steps.
• Decreased time from registration to screening interview scheduling.
• Reduced manual workload for the recruitment team through automation and self-service options.
• Enhanced applicant satisfaction throughout the journey, with expected improvements in emotional state scores at critical stages.
• More efficient processing of high-quality candidates, potentially increasing the percentage of applicants reaching the interview stage.
• Overall improvement in the recruitment process efficiency and reduction in time-to-hire.
This project demonstrated my ability to apply UX design principles to solve complex product challenges, work cross-functionally with diverse teams, and drive data-informed decision-making. My experience in leading this initiative, from research to recommendation, showcased my readiness to transition into a Product Manager role, where I was able to leverage my UX expertise to create user-centric, efficient, and innovative solutions.
END