Boosting gig applications by 300% and securing our first major contract
GigNow’s early focus on recruiters laid a strong foundation for the platform, but there was a huge opportunity to refine the candidate experience to increase engagement and drive multiple applications per session. With the potential to become a leader in the gig work space, GigNow needed targeted design improvements to reach its full potential.
Role
Product Design Lead
Year
2019
Team
Myself
3 PMs
15 Devs
3 QAs
1 Community Manager
Deliverables
Competitive Analysis
Mockups
Prototypes
Final specs
Asset production
When I arrived, GigNow’s candidate experience felt like an afterthought, with low application numbers and a significant bounce rate. Despite a robust recruiter experience, candidates were dropping off after applying for a single gig, and we were missing out on valuable traffic. With goals to scale the platform and secure enterprise contracts, it was clear the candidate side needed significant attention.
The initial candidate experience wasn’t converting, leading to lost opportunities
Key Takeaways
Important gig details were hidden in plain sight with poor placement and confusing language
Overall listing wasn’t easily scannable
Apply button was hidden in the right rail under what looks like a button but isn’t
Did nothing to encourage additional action or suggest similar gigs
No information on the company or why the seeker would want to take this gig
No indication of how relevant this gig is to the seeker’s skill set or qualifications
Not a good first impression for what is the largest entry point to the site
The gig landing page when I started.
The search experience when I started.
Key Takeaways
Gig ads lacked important details
Clicking a gig opened it in a new tab
Important filters were missing while irrelevant ones were included
Extremely basic and well short of industry standard
Unprofessional look and feel
Cumbersome and frustrating to use
As a new team member, I needed to gain trust and deliver quick results. I began with small, high-impact changes: improving job ads by adding more details, redesigning the gig landing page, and streamlining the application flow. These wins built credibility and laid the foundation for larger projects, ultimately leading to a much-needed overhaul of the candidate experience.
Building social capital and focusing on early wins
Redesigned the gig details UI with a focus on scannability and surfacing important information faster.
A more prominent call to action with a sticky header to keep it there. Skills, highlighting matching ones from the profile. Similar gigs. A refined gig detail section. An updated header with a better place for multiple cities. A more concise and user-friendly share option. More information about the company.
After speaking with the recruiting team, I implemented small but impactful changes that made gig ads look and convert better. Important information was more concise and scannable. Worked with recruiters directly to implement a small description in the ad that they controlled, using copy they’d probably already written in an email to a prospective candidate.
Interim gig search page, while I built toward the search redesign.
Redesigning search to supercharge candidate engagement
With search being an underutilized feature, I knew its potential to drive more applications. I redesigned the search experience to be more intuitive and user-friendly, making it easier for candidates to find relevant gigs. This change acted as a turning point for the platform, increasing user engagement and contributing significantly to the 300% increase in gig applications.
Final search experience, focused on keeping users engaged and applying for multiple gigs.
Instead of dropping users on a blank search page, I created a new homepage experience to guide users through search. This was more aligned with industry standard, but also allowed us to utilize the recommendation tech we’d built to surface relevant information quickly.
Transforming the candidate journey with data-driven decisions
Using user research and journey mapping, I identified areas where candidates were dropping out and implemented solutions to keep them engaged. The redesigned flow emphasized multiple gig applications in a single session, significantly improving user retention and satisfaction. By strategically focusing on high-impact areas, the platform saw a 77% increase in multiple applications and a 53% decrease in bounce rate.
Over time I was able to iterate on my initial designs and subtly layer in more useful information and functionality for seekers e.g. if the gig was a match for your skill set, the number of applicants, and the ability to save a gig to apply to later.
Worked with the back end team to deliver a feature that indicates if a gig is a good match based on the seeker’s profile.
Used the matching algorithm to display relevant gigs after a seeker applied for a gig from the focus page instead of search to keep them engaged.
Redesigned the email template for seekers, then created a recommended gigs email as well as gig alert email to keep seekers engaged with the platform over time.
Impact and conclusion
At the end of the 6-month project, the results were undeniable: gig applications increased by 300%, and we secured our first major client contract. The redesign not only optimized the candidate experience but also positioned GigNow as a more professional and scalable platform, ready to compete in the recruitment marketplace. Our success helped establish GigNow as EY's most successful startup, saving the firm millions in external recruiting costs.
“Clay has been great in understanding candidates’ needs and has provided easy-to-use and intuitive designs to improve candidate engagement.”
“Clay has demonstrated strong UX/UI design skills in this project. He has shown an exemplary positive attitude toward learning new things and doing something outside the norm. His attention to detail and problem-solving are crucial for our project.”
“- Great team player.
- Brings a lot of insights to the job.
- Thinks through scenarios well and is prepared to answer questions.”
“Clay has been a voice for the candidate during the execution and delivery of the candidate search and profile enhancements in GigNow. Clay navigated the candidate search enhancements with skill and confidence.”