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Breaking traditions
Breaking traditions
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.
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.
My role
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.
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.
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
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.
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
Finding the right roles
"I'm not sure which roles fit my know-how & experience."
"I'm not sure which roles fit my know-how & experience."
"I'm not sure which roles fit my know-how & experience."
58%
58%
58%
Of urgent jobseekers lack clarity of how to improve their job search.
Of urgent jobseekers lack clarity of how to improve their job search.
Of urgent jobseekers lack clarity of how to improve their job search.
Knowing what fits
Knowing what fits
"I struggle to identify jobs that genuenly fit my lifestyle."
"I struggle to identify jobs that genuenly fit my lifestyle."
"I struggle to identify jobs that genuenly fit my lifestyle."
26%
26%
26%
Of jobseekers struggle to find the information they need upfront when browsing job listings.
Of jobseekers struggle to find the information they need upfront when browsing job listings.
Of jobseekers struggle to find the information they need upfront when browsing job listings.
Reducing the effort
Reducing the effort
"Searching through jobs takes too much time and effort."
"Searching through jobs takes too much time and effort."
"Searching through jobs takes too much time and effort."
82%
82%
82%
Of candidates feel overwhelmed by the number of listings/applications they need to go through.
Of candidates feel overwhelmed by the number of listings/applications they need to go through.
Of candidates feel overwhelmed by the number of listings/applications they need to go through.
Reimagining the search
Reimagining the search
Reimagining 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.
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
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.
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
AI-powered
sollutions
AI-powered
sollutions
Putting AI and data to work for jobseekers, reducing the effort it takes to find the right opportunities.
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.
Surfacing top matches
Surfacing top matches
Show why each job is recommended and let users focus on their strongest match.
Show why each job is recommended and let users focus on their strongest match.
Show why each job is recommended and let users focus on their strongest match.

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

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

Bringing ideas to life
Bringing ideas to life
Bringing ideas to life
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.
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
AI companion
AI
companion
I explored multiple directions for the AI companion interface, collaborating closely with Data Science and the Language Model teams.
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.
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.
Collaboration & delivery
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.
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.
The work involved continuous collaboration rather than a traditional design handoff, to resolve dependencies, align behaviours and maintain consistency across the platform.




To help you design for an AI-first world
Please feel free to contact me to discuss potential permanent opportunities via email at deni.red@gmail.com or on LinkedIn.
Or.. continue browsing

To help you design for an AI-first world
Please feel free to contact me to discuss potential permanent opportunities via email at deni.red@gmail.com or on LinkedIn.
Or.. continue browsing


To help you design for an AI-first world
Please feel free to contact
me to discuss potential permanent opportunities via email at deni.red@gmail.com or on LinkedIn.
Or.. continue browsing
To help you design for an AI-first world
Please feel free to contact me to discuss potential permanent opportunities via email at deni.red@gmail.com or on LinkedIn.
Or.. continue browsing

To help you design for an AI-first world
Please feel free to contact
me to discuss potential permanent opportunities via email at deni.red@gmail.com or on LinkedIn.
Or.. continue browsing

To help you design for an AI-first world
Please feel free to contact me to discuss potential permanent opportunities via email at deni.red@gmail.com or on LinkedIn.
Or.. continue browsing


Driving product direction
Shaping product strategy through collaborative design and vision sprints.

Driving product direction
Shaping product strategy through collaborative design and vision sprints.

Driving product direction
Shaping product strategy through collaborative design and vision sprints.

Driving product direction
Shaping product strategy through collaborative design and vision sprints.

Driving product direction
Shaping product strategy through collaborative design and vision sprints.

Driving product direction
Shaping product strategy through collaborative design and vision sprints.
All rights reserved @Denni Bakardji. Design and build by @Denni Bakardji
All rights reserved @Denni Bakardji. Design and build by @Denni Bakardji





