More U.S. job seekers are applying for positions in the same way they shop for products and services online — through their mobile devices. With the increased demand, the process of how users apply for jobs must go smoothly. Some job-seeking apps, like LinkedIn, provide a feature of applying for jobs directly through the app, which makes the application process far more convenient and fast compared to the traditional application, and a hypothetical increase in application completion rates and user satisfaction.
As a LinkedIn app user, I often feel frustrated, which motivated me to redesign part of the product, and I mainly see a lot of friction. This project is self-initiated— I redesigned the end-to-end Easy Apply flow and filter for Notifications and Jobs pages, which resulted in a more intuitive and efficient user experience.
Reinvent the LinkedIn Easy Apply Flow
UX Researcher & Designer
were completed during 2021, according to a report by Appcast. （source: recruitingdaily.com)
from 2020 to 2021, according to 2022 Recruitment Marketing Benchmark Report（source: hcmtechnologyreport.com)
has consistently been bringing in more new U.S. app installs than LinkedIn since March 2018. According to Apptopia Search Intelligence
Insight from flash interviews with 10 job seekers across various job titles and seniority levels and research on Reddit discussions:
I love that it saves me time!
Preliminary Data:
I conducted an online survey with 87 participants to learn users' goals. The data underscores the demand for a mobile-optimized application process that aligns with users' expectations for speed and accessibility, highlighting an opportunity to enhance the LinkedIn app's user experience in job application functionality.
Reducing 10% application time can increase the applicant pool by 2.3% on mobile.
The chance to apply for more jobs in a shorter time span.
Indeed has consistently been bringing in more new U.S. app installs than LinkedIn since March 2018.
To ensure an unbiased approach, I engaged with 5 diverse job seekers to comprehend standard job hunting and application patterns. Talking to users before formal interviews also helped me understand the context in which the LinkedIn app is used and learn about users' mindsets and general habits about job applying:
These early discussions also helped me generate hypotheses and questions that need to be answered during the formal interviews.
To understand the habits and pain points of users interacting with the LinkedIn app, I began by conducting one-on-one interviews with three individuals selected from a pool of 104 participants through a screening survey.
Beyond these insights, I expanded my hypotheses to uncover additional potential user pain points. These were then tested and validated through a survey with 87 respondents, further informing the design process.
I prefer using the 'Jobs' tab rather than wading through the often cluttered notifications.
I sometimes struggle to recognize which job posts I've already viewed.
Sometimes, I have to pause the application to review the job posting again, check if the position is "Remote", and then return to continue.
Listing all actions, tasks, and corresponding emotions of users during Easy Apply process in a journey map outlined the user's experience, pinpointing validated and prospective pain points derived from prior feedback. This helped reveal the improvement opportunities for this feature.
Post thorough analysis of user flow and insights from use cases, four design solutions were proposed.
The new Notifications tab includes a filter "Jobs" and sets "Easy Apply" as a default filter.
Users can use these filters to quickly access job posts with Easy Apply, which serves the user goal to apply sooner anywhere on their phone.
Enhance the Easy Apply feature by prominently displaying key job details, empowering users to make informed decisions quickly during the application process.
The 'Next' button allows users to quickly advance to the next job post without returning to the main listing, streamlining the job search process for greater efficiency and ease.
