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Designing for an AI-first world

Designing for an AI-first world

Phone with title share digital CV via QR with the name of the user and a QR code

Breaking tradition

Breaking tradition

Jobhunting is evolving in the age of AI, moving beyond traditional searching, keywords and lists. At Stepstone, we are reimagining our recruitemt platform into an AI-first experience, helping jobseekers and recruiters find and evaluate the right opportunities and talent faster.  

Jobhunting is evolving in the age of AI, moving beyond traditional searching, keywords and lists. At Stepstone, we are reimagining our recruitemt platform into an AI-first experience, helping jobseekers and recruiters find and evaluate the right opportunities and talent faster.  

Search bar for finding jobs with an AI search option

My role

As the Lead Product Designer for the jobseeker search experience, I shape how candidates search for jobs and ensure job searching is seamlessly integrated across the wider platform.

I work closely with Product and Engineering from the Onboarding and Job Listings teams, while also contributing and collaborating with the Design System team. 

The challenge

The challenge

Introduce AI to help solve user problems we were not able to solve with traditional search. We needed to rethink how search, discovery and conversation could work together while keeping the experience familliar, useful and easy to navigate.

Introduce AI to help solve user problems we were not able to solve with traditional search. We needed to rethink how search, discovery and conversation could work together while keeping the experience familliar, useful and easy to navigate.

Finding the right roles

"I'm not sure which roles fit my know-how & experience."

58

58

%

%

Of urgent jobseekers lack clarity of how to improve their job search.

Knowing what fits

"I struggle to identify jobs that genuenly fit my lifestyle."

26

26

%

%

Of jobseekers struggle to find the information they need upfront when browsing job listings.

Reducing the effort

"Searching through jobs takes too much time and effort."

82

82

%

%

Of candidates feel overwhelmed by the number of listings they need to go through.

Reimaging the search

Reimaging the search

Finding the the right balance between the predictability of traditional search and the flexibility of AI was key. Users still needed to understand what was happening and feel in control, while having a more natural way to explore their options.

Finding the the right balance between the predictability of traditional search and the flexibility of AI was key. Users still needed to understand what was happening and feel in control, while having a more natural way to explore their options.

Seemless integration

Seemless integration

Rather than making AI a separate destination, I explored how it could complement the existing search experience — helping candidates refine their intent, discover relevant opportunities and move between conversational and structured interactions without losing context.

Rather than making AI a separate destination, I explored how it could complement the existing search experience — helping candidates refine their intent, discover relevant opportunities and move between conversational and structured interactions without losing context.

AI-powered sollutions

AI-powered sollutions

Putting AI and data to work for jobseekers, reducing the effort it takes to find the right opportunities.

Putting AI and data to work for jobseekers, reducing the effort it takes to find the right opportunities.

Surfacing top matches

Show why each job is recommended and let users focus on their strongest match.

Guide vague searches

Help jobseekers when searches are too broad or narrow to find suitable matches.

Choose how to search

Let users switch between conversational and interactive ways to find jobs.

Bringing ideas to life

I used Figma alongside Claude Code and Vercel to turn concepts into working AI-assisted and code-based prototypes, allowing me to experiment with interactions, states and flows and make ideas tangible for Product and Engineering.

This approach helped us move from “what if?” to something we could actually interact with, critique and iterate on. It also made conversations with engineers more concrete by exposing behaviour and technical considerations earlier in the process.

I used Figma alongside Claude Code and Vercel to turn concepts into working AI-assisted and code-based prototypes, allowing me to experiment with interactions, states and flows and make ideas tangible for Product and Engineering.

This approach helped us move from “what if?” to something we could actually interact with, critique and iterate on. It also made conversations with engineers more concrete by exposing behaviour and technical considerations earlier in the process.

AI companion

AI companion

I explored multiple directions for the AI companion interface, collaborating closely with Data Science and the Language Model teams.

I explored multiple directions for the AI companion interface, collaborating closely with Data Science and the Language Model teams.

Collaboration & delivery

The work involved continuous collaboration rather than a traditional design handoff, to resolve dependencies, align behaviours and maintain consistency across the platform.

The experience has now shipped and is in a continuous cycle of improvement, with search forming one of the core ways candidates interact with the new platform.

3 people workshoping in an office with a lot of post it's on the wall
3 people workshoping in an office with a lot of post it's on the wall
3 people workshoping in an office with a lot of post it's on the wall
Studio image of Denni wearing a yellow blouse on a teal backdrop
Studio image of Denni wearing a yellow blouse on a teal backdrop

To help you design
for an AI-first world

To help you design
for an AI-first world

Feel free to contact me to discuss possible permanent & contract opportunities at deni.red@gmail.com and LinkedIn.

Feel free to contact me to discuss possible permanent & contract opportunities at deni.red@gmail.com and LinkedIn.

Driving product direction

Driving product direction

Shaping product strategy through collaborative design and vision sprints.

Shaping product strategy through collaborative design and vision sprints.

Click through rate boost

515

515

%

%

A redesigned dashboard drove users deeper into the platform and increased engagement.

Engagement growth

40

40

%

%

A digital transformation and redesign that achieved higher event attendance.

Conversion success

42

42

%

%

An experiment that grew into a standalone product across two countries.

PROCESS

Fostering accessible design

Fostering accessible design

Helping product teams bring accessibility into their design process from the very start.

Helping product teams bring accessibility into their design process from the very start.

lab attendant using tring to tie their shoelaces with the Cambridge simulation gloves - creating physical resistance and limit mobility, dexterity, and grip strength

All rights reserved @Denni Bakardji. Design and build by @Denni Bakardji