Every visit moves your job hunt forward .
Every visit moves your job hunt forward .
Every visit moves your job hunt forward .
Designing a guided, habit-forming job search assistant.
Designing a guided, habit-forming job search assistant.
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Overview - One Pager
Overview - One Pager
JobBox started as a basic job tracker — but early-career users still felt lost and unmotivated. The opportunity? Redesign it into a supportive, habit-building assistant that guides users to take meaningful action each day.
JobBox started as a basic job tracker — but early-career users still felt lost and unmotivated. The opportunity? Redesign it into a supportive, habit-building assistant that guides users to take meaningful action each day.
Role
Role
Product Designer
Product Designer
Timeline
Timeline
Mar 2025
Mar 2025
Tasks
Tasks
UX Design
Prototyping
User Research
User Testing
UX Design
Prototyping
User Research
User Testing
Tools
Tools
Figma
Figma
Entry Level Job Seeker
Entry Level Job Seeker
I don’t even know what to do anymore....
I don’t even know what to do anymore....
I don’t even know what to do anymore....
Research Insights
Collected from a resume workshop and job search communities
Research Insights
Collected from a resume workshop and job search communities
😓 Demotivation & Burnout
“It's exhausting spending so much time scrolling through job boards that all look the same.”
🌀 Feeling Stuck or Lost
“Some days I feel like giving up. But what else can I even do?”
😓 Demotivation & Burnout
“It's exhausting spending so much time scrolling through job boards that all look the same.”
🌀 Feeling Stuck or Lost
“Some days I feel like giving up. But what else can I even do?”
😰 Anxiety & Self-Doubt
“I try not to compare myself, but it’s hard when it feels like I’m falling behind.”
💸 Financial Stress
“I’m stuck between needing a job and not being able to afford to wait for the right one. I can’t waste time anymore”
😰 Anxiety & Self-Doubt
“I try not to compare myself, but it’s hard when it feels like I’m falling behind.”
💸 Financial Stress
“I’m stuck between needing a job and not being able to afford to wait for the right one. I can’t waste time anymore”
Solution Priorities
Solution Priorities
Focuses on search & apply flow
Focuses on search & apply flow
CORE OPPORTUNITIES & PRIORITY
Job Search Assistant
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Automatic Job Updates
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Preference Collection
⭐️⭐️
Smarter Job Tracking
⭐️⭐️
Job Organization
⭐️
More Job Alerts
⭐️
WHY IT MATTERS
WHY IT MATTERS
Drives habit, structure, and motivation.
Works with the assistant for a feedback loop.
Learns user preferences over time.
Improves status updates and clarity.
Becomes valuable at scale. Reduce Overwhelm.
Supports jobs sourced from outside alerts.
Constraints
Constraints
As a new product, JobBox had limited resources and technical capacity. LLMs were out of scope for this phase, so I focused on simple, habit-driven designs that could deliver daily value without complex infrastructure.
As a new product, JobBox had limited resources and technical capacity. LLMs were out of scope for this phase, so I focused on simple, habit-driven designs that could deliver daily value without complex infrastructure.
OLD UI/UX
OLD UI/UX
OLD UI/UX
HMW design a task-oriented assistant flow to reduce overwhelm and build momentum in a supportive, emotionally aware way?
HMW design a task-oriented assistant flow to reduce overwhelm and build momentum in a supportive, emotionally aware way?
Design Process
Design Process
Why small tasks work?
Why small tasks work?
Let’s refer to psychology.
Let’s refer to psychology.
Studies in behavioral psychology show that breaking a larger goal into small, achievable actions increases the likelihood of habit formation and sustained motivation (Fogg, 2019; Clear, 2018).
BJ Fogg’s model (B = MAP): simple prompts + low effort = sustainable habits.
Even on tough days, JobBox helps users take action, feel progress, and come back tomorrow.
Studies in behavioral psychology show that breaking a larger goal into small, achievable actions increases the likelihood of habit formation and sustained motivation (Fogg, 2019; Clear, 2018).
BJ Fogg’s model (B = MAP): simple prompts + low effort = sustainable habits.
Even on tough days, JobBox helps users take action, feel progress, and come back tomorrow.
Introducing - Today's JobBox
Turning chaos into daily clarity.
Introducing - Today's JobBox
Turning chaos into daily clarity.
Key Interactions
Key Interactions
Hotkeys for Speed
Repeated actions become habits. Reduce friction and make daily job review feel seamless.
Hotkeys for Speed
Repeated actions become habits. Reduce friction and make daily job review feel seamless.
Auto Follow-ups via Email Parsing
Tracks replies and rejections from your inbox, surfacing timely next steps — reinforcing the habit loop.
Auto Follow-ups via Email Parsing
Tracks replies and rejections from your inbox, surfacing timely next steps — reinforcing the habit loop.
Progress Bar & Small Wins
Visual progress & subtle celebratory animation turns effort into achievement.
Progress Bar & Small Wins
Visual progress & subtle celebratory animation turns effort into achievement.
clarify task phases
Test.
Test.
Tweak.
Tweak.
Repeat
Repeat
Testing & Iterations
Think-Aloud Sessions
Testing & Iterations
Think-Aloud Sessions
Low-Fi Prototype
The overall flow felt intuitive, but early feedback revealed two friction points: first-time users needed a clearer onboarding tip, and the keyword tagging feature lacked immediate explanation.
Mid-Fi Prototype
Hotkeys were often missed — indicating a need for a quick discovery tip. Users also found the task phases unclear, and the progress bar lacked clarity and guidance.
Low-Fi Prototype
The overall flow felt intuitive, but early feedback revealed two friction points: first-time users needed a clearer onboarding tip, and the keyword tagging feature lacked immediate explanation.
Mid-Fi Prototype
Hotkeys were often missed — indicating a need for a quick discovery tip. Users also found the task phases unclear, and the progress bar lacked clarity and guidance.
Result
Result
100% of users said they’d return the next day.
100% of users said they’d return the next day.
Simpler job searching.
Simpler job searching.
Better consistency.
(Expected 2–3× improvement based on habit loop models)
Better than last version.
Reflection
Reflection
Designing Within Limits
Kept things simple, focused, and doable with a small team
Behavior-Driven UX
Turned job search stress into daily wins and repeatable routines
Supportive, Not Just Smart
Used tone & feedback to keep users encouraged and coming back
© 2025 Amy Hsieh
Built with ♥ and music
© 2025 Amy Hsieh
Built with ♥ and music
© 2025 Amy Hsieh
Built with ♥ and music
© 2025 Amy Hsieh
Built with ♥ and music