Interlock

Reimagining recruiting through immersive, skill-based matchmaking

Interlock is a platform that transforms job searching into a dynamic, experience-driven process. Built for both candidates and hiring teams, the platform matches talent with companies using AI-powered insights, collaborative challenges, and a human-first approach to discovery.
DIVIIDI
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• Project Type: Independent Case Study
• Team: Solo Project
• Duration: 2 Weeks
• Tools: Figma, Adobe Illustrator, After Effects

01 My Role

As the sole designer on this freelance case study, I led the full design process—from early research and persona development to prototyping and testing. This was a speculative product aimed at rethinking recruiting from the ground up, blending storytelling, interactivity, and systems thinking into one platform experience.

02 Product Glimpse

Here is a brief overview of the final mobile app for Interlock:

03 Process

I followed the double diamond process to explore, define, design, and deliver a user experience grounded in real insights from job seekers and hiring professionals. Each phase was iteratively shaped by user feedback, competitive benchmarking, and design experimentation.

04 Ultimate Goal

The ultimate goal is to eliminate friction in recruiting by helping job seekers express who they are beyond a resume, and helping hiring teams evaluate potential in a more human, interactive way.

This project asked:

How can Interlock help candidates showcase skills, values, and creativity in more engaging ways?
How can Interlock help employers discover great talent based on problem-solving and culture fit—not just keywords?

05 The Users

In order to understand Interlock’s core users, I conducted interviews and surveys with job seekers and hiring professionals navigating the traditional recruitment process. I identified three main user personas who represent key perspectives in the hiring ecosystem.

06 User Research

To uncover pain points and design opportunities, I conducted early-stage user interviews with job seekers and hiring managers. Participants were recruited from university career centers, LinkedIn outreach, and online hiring communities. Each session lasted 20–30 minutes and focused on recent experiences with recruitment platforms.

Here are key insights from 30 interviews:

Resume Fatigue
Many job seekers felt that resumes didn’t fully capture their abilities, especially in creative or cross-functional roles.
Ghosting & Silence
Several participants expressed frustration with never hearing back after submitting applications—leaving them uncertain about where they stood in the process.
Rigid Application Processes
Users noted how most job platforms lacked flexibility or opportunities to personalize applications, often forcing them into one-size-fits-all forms.
Limited Cultural Insight
Candidates wanted to understand company culture before applying but found most listings to be generic or vague.
Disconnected Tools
Hiring managers reported relying on a mix of Google Sheets, Slack messages, and email threads to track applicants—leading to confusion and inefficiencies.
Lack of Soft Skill Visibility
Recruiters felt current platforms did a poor job surfacing soft skills like communication, creativity, and adaptability.

– Main User Painpoint

Resumes don’t tell the whole story
Traditional hiring relies too heavily on résumés and keyword scans, missing out on creative, high-potential candidates who don’t fit conventional molds.
Generic applications to poor matches
Applicants often apply in bulk with little personalization, while recruiters struggle to identify fit beyond job titles or buzzwords.
Hiring workflows scattered
Companies often use multiple tools for sourcing, reviewing, and communicating with candidates, leading to misalignment and delays.

07 Brainstorming

I brainstormed a wide range of potential solutions to the user pain points uncovered during research. Using affinity mapping, I grouped and refined ideas for each problem area in the hiring process—from résumé fatigue to poor communication clarity.

Here are some of the early concepts I explored:

– Converging on my ideas

After identifying key frustrations from both candidates and hiring managers, I refined the features to strike a balance between engagement, clarity, and usability—reimagining job applications as an interactive experience rather than a transactional process.

Here are several key implementations I focused on:

Skill-Based Application Flow
I explored two approaches: a traditional résumé upload or a structured skills-first format. I ultimately chose the latter to highlight real capabilities and allow candidates to showcase portfolios, challenges, and video intros.
Personalized Candidate Profiles
Instead of a one-size-fits-all résumé view, I designed a customizable profile system that lets candidates tailor their presence—highlighting strengths, personality, and work style to better connect with hiring teams.
Matchmaking Dashboard
Employers needed more than a long list of applicants. I developed an AI-powered dashboard that surfaces candidates by skill, cultural fit, and challenge performance—turning hiring into a strategic, data-backed process.

08 Product Structure

Before diving into detailed design, I mapped out the full structure of the Interlock platform to clarify how users—both candidates and hiring teams—would navigate through the site.

– Candidate Side

Designed for clarity and ease, the candidate flow includes personalized dashboards, guided challenge submissions, and real-time status tracking—helping applicants stay focused and confident.

– Recruiter Side

Built for speed and structure, the recruiter interface offers a centralized dashboard, clear candidate profiles, and feedback tools—streamlining evaluation and collaboration.

09 Design Research

With the core layout and user journeys mapped out, I shifted my focus to usability testing to refine key features—especially the application flow and challenge submission process.

– A/B User Testing

I conducted comparative testing with two versions of the candidate experience:
• Version A: a streamlined, one-page application.
• Version B: a guided, multi-step format broken into smaller decision points.

– The Test

To ensure meaningful feedback, I ran moderated sessions with 12 participants—split evenly between job seekers and hiring managers.

Task
1. Completing an application flow from job discovery to challenge submission
2. Reviewing and responding to candidate entries as a hiring manager
3. Providing feedback on clarity, effort, and perceived value
4. Measuring time to complete each task
5. Collecting open-ended reflections on usability
Key Findings
• Job seekers preferred the guided version, especially first-time users, citing “less pressure” and “clearer expectations”
• Hiring managers favored the one-page dashboard for reviewing submissions but requested clearer status indicators
• Completion time differences were minimal, but dropout rates were lower on the guided version
• Both groups emphasized the need for better previewing tools before committing to action

– Outcome

I moved forward with the guided application format for job seekers to increase clarity and reduce friction—especially for first-time users. For hiring managers, I integrated real-time feedback indicators and candidate preview tools into a dashboard-style layout.

10 Final Designs

Interlock’s visual direction focused on clarity and confidence—using a clean layout, calming color palette, and modern UI components to make job search and hiring feel accessible and efficient for both sides of the platform.

10 Reflection

Interlock was an independent case study that gave me full ownership of the product thinking, from identifying user pain points to crafting design solutions. Without a formal team, I wore many hats—researcher, strategist, and designer—pushing myself to balance user empathy with systems thinking.

The most valuable lesson was learning how structure can reduce friction and build trust—especially in something as personal and high-stakes as job hunting. Designing both for candidates seeking clarity and recruiters needing efficiency required me to consider multiple perspectives at every stage.

This project strengthened my ability to make strategic UX decisions, simplify complex workflows, and prototype experiences that feel human. Interlock became more than a design challenge—it was an opportunity to create a product that supports confidence, connection, and potential on both sides of the hiring process.