💼 Job Pool - Simplifying Seasonal Recruitment

Job Pool is a digital platform that connects job seekers, companies, and agencies in the hospitality and seasonal work sector.

The goal was to simplify the hiring process, improve communication between parties, and create an intuitive experience for all users.

As the lead product designer, I was responsible for:

  • User research and UX strategy

  • Information architecture

  • Wireframes, prototypes, and user testing

  • Visual direction and full design system creation from scratch

  • Handoff and design QA with developers

🧭 Project Overview

  • My Role: Lead UX & UI Designer

  • Team: Project Manager, Developers, Business Analyst, Designers, Testers, Product Owner, Stakeholders

  • Timeline: 8 months

  • Client: Swiss Recruitment Platform

  • System thinking: balancing 3 complex user types with shared and unique needs

  • Strategic design: aligning user goals with business objectives

  • Scalable UI: design system reduced future design time by 50%

  • Leadership: acted as bridge between design, tech, and business teams

✨ My Learnings & Highlights

💬 Final Reflection

Job Pool taught me how to create harmony within complexity.
It’s more than a job platform - it’s a bridge between people, opportunity, and trust.

👥 User Personas

  • 👩‍🍳The Job Seeker - Sofia, 27

    Goal: Find reliable, well-paid seasonal jobs fast


    Pain Points:

    Too many platforms with outdated or fake job ads

    Confusing application processes

    Difficult to track status of applications


    Needs:

    Transparency, quick communication, and mobile-friendly design

    “I just want to find good jobs easily - without chasing emails or unclear requirements.”

  • 🏨 The Company - Mark, 42

    Role: HR Manager at a Swiss Ski Resort

    Goal: Quickly fill seasonal roles before the high season

    Pain Points:

    Managing hundreds of applicants manually

    Unclear profiles and missing documents


    Needs:

    Efficient filtering, direct messaging, and organized dashboards

    “I need a system that helps me find the right people fast - not a pile of CVs.”

  • 🧑‍💼 The Agency - Anna, 34

    Role: Recruitment Consultant managing multiple clients


    Goal: Match candidates with the right companies and track placements


    Pain Points:

    Time wasted on manual communication

    No overview of candidate availability


    Needs:

    Smart filtering, collaboration tools, and admin-level control

    “I need one place to manage all my candidates and clients easily.”

🧩 The Design Process

1️⃣ Research & Discovery

  • Stakeholder interviews

  • Competitive analysis (Swiss job platforms + EU job marketplaces)

  • User interviews with seasonal workers and recruiters

  • Defined key flows and user journeys

2️⃣ IA & Flows

I mapped the 3 user journeys in parallel - identifying overlaps in onboarding, messaging, and job management.
Created flowcharts to visualize cross-user actions (e.g. how a company post triggers notifications for job seekers and agency visibility).

Goal: unify the experience across different roles while maintaining tailored dashboards.

3️⃣ Wireframes & Testing

  • Low-fidelity wireframes in Figma

  • 2 user test rounds with job seekers and employers

  • Iterated on clarity, navigation, and dashboard overview

4️⃣ UI Design & Design System

Built a complete design system from scratch, including:

  • Color palette inspired by Swiss precision — calm blues, white, and grey neutrals

  • Custom icon library

  • 8pt grid system

  • Component library for buttons, inputs, cards, tables, and modals

Result: Faster design-to-dev handoff and consistent visuals across modules.

5️⃣ Prototype & Development

  • Created clickable prototypes for user testing and internal demos.

  • Worked closely with front-end developers to align on component logic and micro-interactions.

  • Led weekly design QA reviews to ensure pixel-perfect implementation.

    “The developers said it was the easiest handoff they’d ever worked with.”

💡 Key Features Designed

  • Multi-user onboarding (Job Seeker / Company / Agency)

  • Smart Job Matching Algorithm UI

  • Messaging and Notification System

  • Application Tracker Dashboard

  • Profile Builder with Document Uploads

  • Admin Management Tools for Employers

📊 Impact

✅ Developers reduced design-related tickets by 40%


✅ Client praised design for being “intuitive, modern, and scalable”

✅ Platform successfully entered beta launch phase with strong user feedback