Table of Contents
Tools
Figma, Canva
Skills
Wireframing, Prototyping, User Research
Role
Designer & Strategist
Duration
January – April 2025
Overview
Job Cruise is an AI-assisted job search platform developed as a group project for CSC318: The Design of Interactive Computational Media at the University of Toronto. Collaborating closely with a multidisciplinary team, I applied a user-centered design process to address the common challenges students and professionals face during online job searches—such as application fatigue, scattered platforms, and lack of personalized recommendations. Through user research (interviews, surveys, and usability testing), iterative prototyping, and design evaluation, we created a solution that streamlines job discovery, supports tailored applications, and enhances overall efficiency. Job Cruise offers a more intuitive and supportive experience for job seekers navigating a competitive market.
Stakeholders
Primary Stakeholders
Job seekers (students & professionals)
Secondary Stakeholders
Employers
Problem
The Challenge: How can we make the online job search simpler and more intuitive for students and busy professionals?
The online job search process is often overwhelming for students juggling academic responsibilities. Many face frustration with scattered platforms, poor job-matching accuracy, and tedious applications — leading some to avoid job searching altogether.
To create a more efficient, intuitive, and personalized job search experience by improving match relevance, enhancing filtering, and simplifying applications through AI-powered support and clear job recommendations.
Research
User Persona
Formative Studies
1. Interviews
| Primary Stakeholders (Job Seekers) | Secondary Stakeholders (Employers) |
|---|---|
| Networking effectiveness varies significantly. | Concern over AI-generated applications leading to low-effort submissions. |
| Customizing applications is time-consuming. | Referrals are preferred for over cold applications. |
| Use of multiple platforms to broaden job opportunities. | Different platforms used for distinct hiring needs. |
2. Questionnaire (Survey Form)
Primary Stakeholders (Job Seekers)
- Most use multiple platforms to boost exposure.
- Participants commonly use a range of platforms to maximize their exposure to potential job opportunities.
- Tailoring cover letters and finding the right job fit are top challenges.
- Many conduct external research beyond job postings.
Synthesis
Job Stories
| Situation | Motivation | Expected Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| When preparing cover letters and resumes, | I want help identifying job-specific keywords | to avoid my application being filtered out by automated systems. |
| When I find a job posting I am interested in, | I want support in writing cover letters and filling out applications | to reduce application fatigue. |
| When I find a job posting I am interested in, | I want to learn more about the employer and company beyond the information in the job posting description | to make informed decisions and improve my interview/application prep. |
| When searching for job postings, | I want to search across multiple platforms | to maximize job opportunities and increase callback rates. |
| When searching for job postings, | I want to quickly find jobs that match my skills, interests, and requirements | so I can focus on the best-fit opportunities. |
Experience Map
Design Requirements
Based on field study insights, we identified five key functional requirements to address common job seeker frustrations and improve the job search experience. These focus on increasing efficiency, reducing cognitive load, and supporting informed decisions:
- Identify relevant keywords for targeted job searching
- Aggregate job postings across multiple platforms
- Personalize search results to match users’ backgrounds and goals
- Provide deeper insights beyond job descriptions
- Track applications, deadlines, and statuses
Our Solution
- AI-generated Resume Builder: Creates tailored resumes using user data
- Personalized Job Recommendations: Suggests jobs aligning with user profiles
- Application Tracker: Monitors job application statuses
- Company Insights: Provides additional information beyond job descriptions
Design
Low-Fidelity Prototype
Our paper prototype simulates “Job Cruise,” an AI-assisted job search site designed for PC users.
Storyboards
Resume & Cover Letter Customization: Illustrates how the system reduces effort in tailoring application materials through automation while allowing users to retain control over personalization. 
Intelligent Job Matching & Insightful Support: Depicts how users are matched with relevant roles and can ask AI for deeper insights, streamlining decisions and reducing search fatigue. 
Smart Preferences & Unified Search: Shows users setting up filters and preferences to receive tailored job results from multiple platforms in one place. 
Application Tracking Dashboard: Highlights how users monitor application progress through a centralized tracker with clear stages and deadlines. 
Integrated Research Assistants: Displays how users access salary data, company insights, and employee reviews in one view to make better-informed choices.
Think-Aloud Study
We recruited four job-seeking participants from our CSC318 course to evaluate our paper prototype. Each completed five tasks while verbalizing their thoughts.
Task #1: AI-Generated Resume
- Generate a resume from scratch and preview it
- Upload a certificate (certified_consulting_accounting.pdf) under “Personal Info”
- Re-generate and compare the updated resume
Task #2: Update Personal Info
- Access and update phone number in “Personal Info”
- Check changes in the system’s raw memory
Task #3: Browse Job Recommendations
- Explore recommended jobs and open detailed views
- Learn why a job was recommended and gather more company info
Task #4: Apply to a Job
- Manually apply to a job
- Enable Auto-Apply (without review) and apply to another job
Task #5: Review Job Application Tracker & Notifications
- View job progress on the Kanban-style tracker (Backlog -> Doing -> Review -> Accepted/Rejected)
- Observe how stages shift based on Auto-Apply settings
- Check for job application notifications on the menu page
Key Findings:
- Hyperlinks/shortcuts improved navigation
- “Auto-Apply” function was unclear
- Job tracking system had inconsistent interpretability
Heuristic Evaluation
After completing the Think-Aloud tasks, all four participants performed a Heuristic Evaluation, rating usability issues based on frequency, impact, persistence, and market effect using the scale below:
Heuristics Evaluated:
- Visibility of system status
- Match between system and real world
- Aesthetic and minimalist design
- User control and freedom
- Consistency and standards
- Error prevention
- Recognition rather than recall
- Flexibility and efficiency of use
- Recognition, diagnosis, and recovery from error
- Help and documentation
Severity Rating Scale:
0/N/A = Bright spot/Not a problem
1 = Cosmetic issue
2 = Minor usability issue
3 = Major usability issue
4 = Usability catastrophe
Key Findings:
- UI is cluttered, inefficient, and hard to navigate
- Lack of documentation/guidance limits feature usability
- Poor discoverability and usability hinder core functions, highlighting the need for intuitive, user-centered design and clear navigation
High-Fidelity Prototype
Usability Study (Survey)
We recruited 8 job-seeking participants from our CSC318 course to evaluate our high-fidelity prototype. Each completed four tasks and filled out a Google Form:
- Resume Generation Task
- Input personal information and generate a tailored resume using the AI-powered resume builder.
- Job Exploration Task
- Browse job recommendations, explore job details, and select one you’d like to apply to.
- Application Task
- Apply to one job manually and apply to another using the Quick Apply feature.
- Automation & Tracker Task
- Enable the auto-apply system and observe the application tracker update with new job submissions.
Key Findings:
- Participants appreciated the AI-generated resume feature as it helped alleviate the burden of customizing resumes and cover letters for each job application
- Participants appreciated the “Quick Apply” feature as it simplified the job application process and made it more efficient
- 100% of participants answered that they would want to use this system again in the future
Reflection
Working on “Job Cruise” deepened my understanding of user-centered design and the complexities of the job search process. Through interviews, surveys, and experience mapping, I uncovered key user challenges like application fatigue, lack of personalized recommendations, and the overwhelm of using multiple platforms.
A major takeaway was the importance of empathy in design—stepping into users’ shoes helped me identify pain points and develop meaningful solutions. The iterative design process, from low- to high-fidelity prototypes, enabled continuous feedback and refinement.
This project also highlighted the value of collaboration, as working with a diverse team enriched our ideas and approach. Overall, “Job Cruise” strengthened both my technical skills and commitment to creating intuitive, empathetic user experiences—skills I’m eager to bring to future UX projects.