Case Study: Modernizing an outdated job application process
Summary
Overview
Project Type: UX Research to create a Product Recommendations Document
Timeline: 3 months
My role: Sole UX Researcher
My team: Content Strategist, Business Analyst
Outcome: Clear roadmap for rebuilding the a state agency’s job application system and uncovering blockers in the hiring process to digital transformation
Context & Problem
What was the issue to be solved?
A major state agency’s job application platform was more than a decade old, and riddled with usability and compliance issues. Recruiters were forced to rely on paper applications when tablets or authentication tools failed, creating bottlenecks in the hiring process.
Why it mattered:
This outdated experience directly impacted hiring for critical public-safety positions across the state. Every system failure translated to longer vacancies, slower onboarding, and lower morale.
My Role and Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
As the sole UX Researcher, I guided the project from discovery to requirements handoff to our Lead Content Strategist and Business Analyst to create a Product Requirements Document.
My contributions:
Conducted heuristic and accessibility audits of the existing platform.
Designed and analyzed surveys for recruiters and job applicants.
Facilitated a virtual Service Blueprint workshop mapping the hiring process end-to-end.
Synthesized findings into our Research Repository so they could be into a structured Product Requirements Document (PRD).
Collaborated with a our Lead Content Strategist to bridge human workflows with technical constraints.
Methods & Process
Process Overview
Heuristic Review: I started here to identify usability issues and discovered a lot of main menu items pointed at content other than internal pages.
Outcome: The client decided to pivot and start from scratch. I welcomed this a great opportunity to create something without legacy bias.
Survey of the recruitment staff: I captured front-line recruiter pain points to get the client’s point of view.
Survey of new hires: I captured pain points from the potential new employee’s point of view.
Service Blueprint Workshop (Tool: Miro): I facilitated several interactive workshops with HR staff to fill-in-the gaps between what was documented and what wasn’t listed in the hiring process.
Outcome: Each task was aligned with the current tools, documents, and tests used plus who was responsible for each step.
PRD Development: I collaborated with our lead contest strategist to translate findings into actionable requirements.
A birds-eye view of how complex their hiring process is currently. Each square represents a task, tool, document, test or person responsible. (And yes, it’s too small to read unless given direct access to zoom in. This image is only showing the complexity of the process.)
Insights & Findings
High Level Overview
Internal staff: With digital applications erasing entries out in the field, wifi not always available for two factor authentication, required form fields that job applicants would not be prepared for at a job fair, a lot of recruiters resorted to paper forms.
Applicant feedback: There were so many steps, forms, tests and time spent waiting on social media checks etc. the process felt overly long to them.
HR staff: No single person managed the full hiring pipeline. Dependencies between HR, IT, and security teams caused data silos and delays.
Impact & Results
Silos in Alignment
The final Product Requirements Document (PRD) served as a north star for redesign and redevelopment. It helped the client visualize both the digital roadmap and the organizational dependencies required for success aligning leadership, HR, and technical teams. The PRD included:
14 structured sections with clear MoSCoW priorities (Must / Should / Could)
Functional and non-functional requirements tied to user pain points
Neutral placeholders for missing technical specs to encourage future collaboration
Challenges & Reflection
Pulling together isolated process fragments
Because of the agency’s strict hierarchy, no single owner could provide full process or technical details. To keep momentum, unknowns were documented transparently so any gaps could be addressed when the client was ready.
If I could do one thing differently, I’d push earlier for joint scoping sessions between UX and business analysis to identify any technical blind spots sooner.