Website optimization
to reduce drop-off rate
2023
CUSTOMER: BAZA IT
BazaIT is an IT recruiting platform that connects candidates with tech companies, offering clear feedback and a supportive community.
MY ROLE
I was fully responsible for UX research, hypothesis development, testing, and redesigning key pages.
Achievements
I worked in a team alongside 1 business analyst and 1 project manager. I was responsible for conducting research and improving the UI/UX design of the main pages of the website. Here are some key achievements:
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• Conducted the first comprehensive UX research. This helped our team bring more clarity and organization to our workflow, ensuring better cross-team collaboration and visibility into upcoming sprints.​
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• Provided valuable insights from user interviews. Stakeholders had not previously communicated with users but were eager to receive feedback. This research offered critical input for product improvements and helped align the design with user expectations.
Problem
Have you ever looked for a job? The obvious answer is “yes” 😉.
I can guess that it was important for you to do it as quickly as possible and find the best company. Job search websites can help a lot with that. But how many of these websites do you actually know? If you can name at least three, that’s already a good result. Yet, there are many more out there.
Our clients created one of these platforms - Baza IT. From a business perspective, they identified a key problem:
High drop-off rate from the main and registration pages.
Old design
This is what the homepage looked like, and users were leaving immediately. They didn’t understand what the site was about or how it could be useful to them. And when they clicked the CTA ‘Search,’ they were redirected to a mandatory registration.
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Process
I based my approach on the Double Diamond principle. First, I identified the activities at each stage that would help me the most and then got to work.
Generating Value
The high drop-off rate from the website’s main pages clearly indicates a UX problem. However, the site also has a generally low number of users, which isn’t surprising given the high competition in this space. When we spoke with stakeholders, they struggled to clearly define what made them stand out from competitors.
To address this, I decided to create a Lean Canvas - a tool that works well for startups and products - to structure the business idea and identify areas for improvement.
As a result of this activity, together with the stakeholders, we were able to identify their Unique Value Proposition - they have a strong database of companies and carefully manually sort them, ensuring that they do not offer job vacancies from unreliable companies.
Research
I started by creating a user persona. There are two options:
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Job seeker
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HR manager
I focused on the job seeker since the problem lies in the churn of job seekers. I defined the main goals, wants, needs, fears, pain points, and gains.
Now that I have a persona, I can create a User Persona Mapping.This will help me better understand the user’s needs, identify potential areas for improvement in the product, and ensure that my design decisions are focused on delivering value to the user. It also helps keep the team aligned on the user’s expectations throughout the development process.
I have created a SWOT analysis for the company to assess the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in order to develop strategies for improvement and growth.
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Competitor analysis
To better understand this niche, it is essential to conduct a competitor analysis. I selected both direct and indirect competitors for the study. The direct competitors included Ukrainian companies that addressed the same user pain points using the same approach, while the indirect competitors tackled similar issues using a similar method.
Next, I conducted several activities, such as crafting UI patterns, usability heuristics, and a speed test. Additionally, I analyzed the functionality, which helped identify points of parity and points of difference.
​This made it clear which features must be present on the website to meet user expectations, and which features could strategically differentiate it from competitors.
User interviews
The next step was user interviews. In total, 10 interviews were conducted with our target audience – developers, managers, QA, and sales – anyone who could use such a website for job searching in IT. I learned about their expectations from the job search process, what they were dissatisfied with in the past, and what could help address their pain points. I also asked them to try the current version of the website, which allowed me to conduct a small usability test.
INTERVIEW INSIGHT #1
"Company moderation is a big plus. You just need to know the criteria for selecting the best companies."
INTERVIEW INSIGHT #2
"Transparency of the company is important, so it would be great to have information about the specialists, existing departments, salary range, roadmap, and opportunities for professional growth."
INTERVIEW INSIGHT #3
"I would like to see an auto-matching feature for job vacancies that fit the best."
INTERVIEW INSIGHT #4
"It’s important for the interface to guide the process of filling out a job vacancy (the application process)."
Empathy mapping
Based on the gathered information, I created an empathy mapping. It helps to visualize and understand the needs, pain points, and motivations of users, ensuring that the design process is user-centered and focused on addressing their specific challenges and goals. Now, based on real data, I can adjust and supplement the information I used for the user persona.
CJM
Based on the usability testing, I created a CJM that clearly highlighted the problems and pain points for the user. The CJM clearly shows drops at several points:
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• The user doesn’t immediately understand what the website is about – job search or education?
• They can’t find their job vacancy.
• They can’t see the company’s contact information.
• When applying for a job, they have to upload their CV again.
• They see companies with zero vacancies.
1. How might we help the users simplify the job search?
The first thing the user sees is the homepage. And it’s with this page that we have the most issues:
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• There is too little information on the home page, and the users don’t see the value of the website.
• UI problems (broken visual hierarchy in the layout).
• The inability to view job vacancies without registration.
Therefore, I decided to focus on the essentials.
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• Place the search and filters in a prominent position.
• Provide all job information without registration.
Since it was very important for stakeholders that users register, I suggested an option to show all the details of the vacancy but hide the company and contact information for unregistered users.
2. How might we help the user find a suitable vacancy in the future if it’s not available right now?
The next problem was user churn as soon as they couldn’t find a suitable job vacancy. I decided to show similar job vacancies if no results were found by the filters. I also added the option to set up an alert in case a vacancy appears based on the selected filters. In this case, the user must provide an email (register).
3. How might we help users understand if this is the right job vacancy for them?
On the job vacancy page, the following problems were identified:
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• There is too little information about the company.
• Complex navigation between tabs.
• Impossible to return to the job vacancy.
• UI problems (unclear tags).
• No display of job match or salary range.
Therefore, I decided to redesign the job vacancy page, which includes:
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• Detailed job description.
• No tabs (everything on one page).
• Highlight filters that don't match the vacancy.
• Clear interview steps.
• Similar job vacancies.
4. How might we make the registration process simple and fast?
The registration form was the biggest issue. Users had to go through 9 steps and fill in 12 fields just to see job vacancies. This was a major obstacle, and users were leaving the site. I reduced the number of steps to 2 and minimized the fields. Also, registration is now only mandatory when applying for a job, so users are no longer blocked from viewing vacancies.
UI Kit
Conclusion
As a result of the comprehensive UX research, I gathered invaluable insights from users regarding their expectations, pain points, and behaviors. This research provided a deeper understanding of the key areas that required attention and improvement. Stakeholders were able to gain a much clearer and data-driven perspective on how to strategically develop and grow their business, making informed decisions moving forward.
Based on these findings, I refined the design of the main pages to better meet user needs and expectations. The design adjustments were strategically made to enhance usability, improve navigation, and deliver a more seamless user experience.
