Mil'jobs

Reserved Recruitment Transformed

My Roles

UX Designer

UX Researcher

UI Designer

Tools

Figma

What Is Mil'jobs?

Mil'jobs is a mobile recruiting application designed for the Israeli army, specifically for short-term reserve service.
The application is used by soldiers who are responsible for recruiting fellow soldiers.

Within Mil'jobs, users have the ability to post new job openings, review applications, and select the most suitable candidates for the positions.

The Challenge

Before Mil'jobs, recruiters struggled with an old, poorly-designed desktop system.

Additionally, the system didn't present information about candidates beyond their military service, which made the recruitment process inefficient.

To address this, the recruitment unit suggested a new mobile system that is intuitive and easy to use, in which all relevant information about candidates can be shown.

However, transitioning to mobile presented its own challenges. Due to smaller screens and touch input, tasks such as filling in fields and comparing candidates can become more difficult, negatively impacting user experience.

The Mission

To transform reserved-soldiers recruiting into a simple, efficient process that requires less time and effort.
Designing a product that's intuitive, easy to manage, and ensures a precise match between candidates and roles.

The Research

Recruiting Soldiers Within the Service

I visited the military unit and conducted interviews, observations, and surveys with the military recruiters.
This allowed me to gain valuable insights into various roles, their requirements, daily routines, challenges, and sources of frustration.

I delved deep into the recruitment routines, uncovering:

A high abandonment rate.
The different inefficiencies and suggestions brought up by the users
User's wishlist for an intuitive tool.

Private-Sector Recruiters

Separately, I also interacted with private tech sector recruiters.
I observed and interviewed a high-tech company recruiter using a system named "Adam".
This experience offered a contrast to the military's methods. It emphasized the importance of intuitive design, efficiency, and comprehensive candidate profiles in modern recruitment processes.

Results and Conclusions

After 9 interviews and some surveys and observations, I began to understand the needs and behaviors of the users.

The users can be represented by two personas:

Maya - The Regular Recruiter

Demographics:

Age: 19
Gender: Female

Background:

Daily user of the recruitment system.
Smartphone-savvy, using it for various personal activities.

Goals:

Post job openings efficiently.
Quickly review applications and select candidates.
Finish tasks by 3:00 PM.

Quote:
"I just want a system as easy and intuitive as the apps on my phone."

As heavy users of smartphones, they prefer a user-friendly interface that does not require extensive training.

Daniel - The Recruit Unit Officer

Demographics:

Age: 23
Gender: Female

Background:

Oversees the entire recruitment process.
Occasionally uses the system, primarily when there are issues.

Goals:

Have a system that offers insights and control over the recruitment process.
Efficiently address any issues that arise in the recruitment process.

Quote:
"I wish our system presented job openings in a way that truly entices potential applicants."

While monitoring the overall recruitment process, they seek a system that provides the necessary insights when needed.

The regular recruiters are the primary users of the systems.
Both groups typically work until 3:00 PM each day and are strongly motivated to complete their daily tasks by that time.

A remarkable 80% of respondents reported that they had abandoned the job submission process midway in the past month.

"It's not a difficult job, it just feels Sisyphean at times"

Key Insights and Takeaways

Pain Point

Implementation for the design

Previously, recruiters were unable to access relevant applicants' backgrounds and professional experiences beyond their military service, leading to suboptimal job matching

Mil'jobs will display applicants' professional experience and relevant background information.
Recruiters will be able to identify candidates with skills and qualifications that extend beyond their military roles, resulting in optimal job placements

Research set the stage;

Design steals the show.

Let's dive in!

Paper Prototyping

I start my design with simple, low fidelity paper sketches to figure out the best user flow and design.
Those paper prototypes enabled a design iterations and usability testing in early stages, fostering creativity while minimising risks through early identification of usability issues and enhancing user-centric development.

Defining User Flows

Flow #1: "Submitting a New Job Opening"

Flow #2: "Reviewing an Applicant"

Full User Flow Diagram

Design System

Establishing a Coherent Visual Language: Developing a unified look and feel for the system, where System Design acts as the foundational building blocks of the design.

Designing Components

After translating insights from the paper prototypes, I developed the digital designs for Mil'jobs. These high-fidelity screens were A/B tested to optimize key interactions, and I continuously compared them to user needs and industry standards.

The Solutions

The design decisions for Mil'jobs focus on the user needs and pain points discovered from the research.

POP-UPS:

Simplifying Task Flows

The research showed that users were frequently overwhelmed by too much information, leading to task abandonment.
With pop-ups, users can focus on one task at a time.
These pop-ups appear gently, only when a user taps on a field they intend to complete.

By isolating the user's focus to a single component, the chances of them abandoning the task decrease.
The job submission form is broken down into manageable segments.

Cards:

Quick Glance at Jobs and Applicants

Job cards and Applicant cards allow users to efficiently review multiple positions and applicants simultaneously, eliminating the necessity to delve into specific details for commonly used information.

Instead of flooding users with too many details, cards present the essentials in a clear, digestible way.

Colors:

Enhancing Clarity

Strategic use of colors guide user attention and help differentiate between data types.

Notifications:

Staying Informed

Providing timely updates and alerting users in situations requiring their attention, ensuring that the users are constantly updated

Testing and Evaluation

I introduced users to the new app, using the Figma app on my mobile device.
Some users felt they were interacting with the actual app.

Stakeholder and Developer feedback also played a significant role.
They were actively involved in the Feedback Process, and their input has supported the design direction.

Usability Testing

During Usability Testing, I used medium-fidelity prototypes, simulating tasks like "Submitting a New Job Opening" and "Reviewing an Applicant".
The result showed an over 90% task completion rate.

However, through direct user feedback and observation, it became evident that some users were left with a sense of uncertainty after completing the "Submitting a New Job Opening" task.
They were unsure if their actions had actually published the job, and they often checked the Open Position page, to reassure this.

To address this, the Product Maneger had suggested implementing a snack bar gesture.
This addition intends to confirm the successful publication of the job and provide an immediate visual.
That way, it eliminates the users' doubts and reinforces their confidence in the system's functionality.

It's Not Over Yet,

In the next few months, I plan to conduct a Post-Deployment Analysis.
I aim to check task abandonment rates and task completion times, hoping to see improvements and better understand user behavior.

Next Project