UX Product Designer
Unifying Multi-Platform Interviews: Reducing Overhead and Creating Consistent User Experiences Across Codebases
who they are
HireVue
HireVue (HV) is a prominent provider of enterprise-level software, offering a comprehensive range of products that streamline the hiring process. One of its key offerings is On Demand (OnD), an asynchronous video interview service that facilitates fast, fair, and efficient candidate job matching and hiring.
what they do
On-Demand Video Interview
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An interview link sent to the candidate after the application is submitted
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Takes the place of a recruiter call
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First opportunity for the candidate to show their personality and fit
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Most utilized of the HV product suite
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Has not been maintained as the market has grown and changed
HireVue.com homepage
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APP
free to download, designed for smartphone/tablet use
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Different UI
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Limited features
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Have to download an app
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Limitations increased by the user’s device/browser
Legacy desktop video response question format.
Mobile App video response question format.
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MOBILE RESPONSIVE
responsive browser, no download required
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Limited features
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Limitations due to user's browser
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Built with React
Mobile Responsive video response question format.
the problem
3 Platforms x 2 Codebases = A Major Quagmire
The interview exists across three platforms and is written in two codebases which is causing extra overhead, inconsistent experiences, and negative returns.
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LEGACY
initially designed for desktop, most comprehensive
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Outdated UI/UX
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Built with Angular
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Desktop specific features
the personas
Our Users Face Too Many Problems
Candidates
Would like to showcase their abilities while also reviewing the company, its value, and culture
Pain Points
Unaware that their experience may vary based on device, software, and settings.
Lack of clarity and troubleshooting guidance for candidates adds an unnecessary cognitive load exacerbating the stressful interview process.
The onboarding process doesn’t provide interview preparation guides and instruction leading to confusion and misunderstanding and ultimately resulting in failing to complete the interview.
Recruiters
Responsible for recruiting and hiring quality employees that fit company needs and roles
Pain Points
Customer adoption is limited due to inadequacy associated with company hiring standards.
Recruiters cannot rely on a cohesive and consistent product.
Recruiters need a product that is accessible to all their candidates without introducing disadvantages and bias.
Internal Team Members
Responsible for maintaining, designing, and troubleshooting across the platform
Pain Points
Engineering needs to maintain and address the OnD experience across 3 platforms and 2 codebases and extra legwork is required to identify the root causes of issues that arise.
Support team members must troubleshoot for candidates understanding that issues may arise based on device and browser choice, software versions, and settings in addition to the interview settings created by each of the many customers.
Product and Design must strategize and design features keeping in mind the multiple platforms and their corresponding limitations.
Proposed web responsive solution on each device: desktop, tablet, and mobile.
the goal
One Platform to Rule Them All
Create a single streamlined and fully responsive solution that aligns with the design guide and utilizes existing components from engineering.
the projected outcomes
A Robust digital interview That Delivers
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Reduce effort for the Product, Engineering, and Support teams (potentially by 60%)
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Enhance the product market value for customers increasing the product retention rate
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Deliver a more impactful and user-centric experience for candidates that reflects strongly on customers
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Showcase to candidates a strong commitment to fair and equal hiring practices
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Informed interviews will provide clear information about the process, evaluation criteria, AI use, accommodations and accessibility, and precise instructions and expectations for interviews
the process
Become the Subject Matter Expert
As a new designer with the team, I worked to thoroughly understand the On-Demand interview experience. The work I completed helped identify candidates’ overall impressions and pain points related to asynchronous video interviewing along with further clarifying needs and expectations of internal and external users.
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I hoped that the gathered data would help identify and solve many problems taking into account the following:
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Maintain current design system guidelines
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Align with Engineering and Product timeframes and limitations
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Prevent Support from taking on more workloads
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Consider high-level business objectives for revenue and future growth scalability
1
ONGOING MEETINGS WITH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL TEAM MEMBERS
Interviews to gather data on day-to-day experiences, frustrations, and dreams
Excerpt of data gathered and mapped based on qualitative research performed.
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USABILITY STUDY PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK
Qualitative studies to gain insight into candidate needs
Previous email interview link highlighting pain points gathered from usability studies.
Diagram highlighting key takeaways from all usability studies performed.
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SERVICE AUDITS
A side-by-side comparison of the 3 versions highlighting strengths, gaps, points of friction, and opportunities for improvement
igJam breakdown of each platform across devices and operating systems, notating similarities and discrepancies.
Data analytics showing how many interviews were sent, 81k versus how many were completed, 44k.
Previous email interview link.
Proposed email interview link.
the designs
Sketches and Proposed Solutions
Current State: Email Interview Link
The CTA button, “Practice or Interview” induces anxiety and is confusing. Users aren’t sure when the interview starts.
Proposed Solution: Email Interview Link
CTA is now two separate buttons, each with clear microcopy that better helps users navigate.
New Feature: Candidate Practice Zone
The CTA button "Practice or Interview will now be two separate buttons. The "Practice" button will now direct users to a Candidate Practice Zone where they can prepare before the interview.
Features may include:
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Practice sample questions
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Set preferences and accommodations
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View FAQs
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Read about the position/company
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Review interview best practices
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Press start when ready
Mobile versions of lo and high fidelity mock-ups of new Candidate Practice Zone.
Mobile version of proposed Welcome screen.
Proposed Solution: Welcome Screen
This is the first screen users will see when starting their interview.
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Fully responsive and adapts to each device size
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A progress bar that indicates prep, interview, and wrap-up states
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Accommodations, settings, and help established and constant on each ensuing screen
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Consistent offerings regardless of settings, browsers
Desktop version of proposed Welcome screen.
Tablet version of proposed Welcome screen.
Proposed Solution: Video Response Question
This question format is the most utilized of all the formats.
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Improved clear and consistent UI
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New options to blur the background
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The new progress bar remains constant at the top of the screen and tracks each step
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Question copy no longer interferes with video
Current State, Desktop
Previous Video Response question on desktop.
Proposed Solution, Desktop
Proposed Video Response question on desktop.
Current State, Mobile
Previous Video Response question on app and mobile responsive.
Proposed Solution, Mobile
Proposed Video Response question on mobile.
Mobile and Desktop demos of Proposed On-Demand Solution
Proposed solution as seen on desktop.
Proposed solution as seen on mobile.
the project conclusion
Next Steps
After prototype completion, the initiative (with its product roadmap for early 2025) came to a halt.
Had the initiative continued as planned, the next steps would include:
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Conduct moderated/unmoderated usability studies and A/B testing to further inform and improve the proposed product
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Handoff prototypes and mocks to development engineers for inspection and implementation
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Review the development builds before launching into production
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Sunset the existing mobile application
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Continue iterating on the On-Demand Vision project, an interactive AI assistant-driven On-Demand experience
A future vision mockup of an AI assisted On-Demand interview.
the takeaways
Learning and Results
The initiative came to a halt due to a company acquisition. This introduced unexpected complexity and raised questions about the future direction of the combined platform. However, this initiative has made a significant impact by paving the way for enhanced On-Demand hiring experiences. Because of the thorough research and data collected as well as the executive buy-in on the importance of a single codebase and more streamlined experience, this work has the potential to influence future innovations.