Case Study
TheLadders
TheLadders is a career platform that helps job seekers and employers connect. Across multiple engagements, TheLadders partnered with Usable Interface to research both sides of that experience, including new mobile products for job seekers and recruiters and the day-to-day workflows of recruiters.
Our work included two longitudinal research studies conducted alongside active product development, along with a foundational study of recruiter behaviors, workflows, and needs.
Competencies
Longitudinal User Research Surveys Remote Mobile Usability Testing Foundational User Research Contextual Interviews Prototype Testing Personas Mental Models Evaluative ResearchLongitudinal Research With Job Seekers
TheLadders was developing a new iPhone app for job seekers using one-week Agile sprints. They wanted regular feedback from real users while development was underway, so we designed a six-week longitudinal study with 12 active job seekers.
Participants used the beta app throughout the study, completed a short survey each week, and joined us for a 30-minute weekly interview. They also installed frequent product updates so we could see how their experience changed along with the app.
During interviews, participants mirrored their iPhones so we could watch them use the working app. We also brought sketches and prototypes into sessions when the team needed feedback before development.
The questions changed as the product changed. Findings from one week often became the focus of the next.
Research, Change, Retest
An early issue involved the order of job matches. In Week 1, 10 of 11 participants wanted jobs sorted by date so they could quickly see what was new.
The team changed the default sorting. When we revisited it in Week 3, participants reported that the new approach made it much easier to find new postings.
Another issue surfaced around saving versus acting on a job. Participants viewed saving something for later as different from expressing interest or applying. We followed that issue across several releases as the team tested different approaches to bookmarking, liking, saving, and applying.
The six-week format also surfaced needs outside the immediate interface. In the final week, five participants independently described sending applications into a "black hole" because they had no idea whether anyone had reviewed them.
Media
TheLadders Job Search app screen shot (1)
TheLadders Job Search app screen shot (2)
TheLadders Job Search app screen shot (3)
Tracking the Experience Over Time
We asked participants to rate the app every week on a five-point scale. The average rating rose from 2.5 in Week 1 to 4.5 in Week 6.
By the final week, 10 of 11 participants said they would recommend the app to another job seeker.
We treated those ratings as directional evidence. The product was changing throughout the study, and participants were also becoming more familiar with it over time.
Keeping Research Close to the Roadmap
Waiting until the end of six weeks to deliver a traditional report wouldn’t have helped a team working in weekly sprints.
After each round of interviews, findings were analyzed and shared while product decisions were still being made. We also created short video clips so stakeholders could see some of the evidence firsthand.
That gave the team a chance to make changes and, in many cases, bring those changes back to the same participants in later weeks.
Additional Research With Recruiters
TheLadders later brought Usable Interface back to study the recruiter side of its marketplace.
We first conducted 15 contextual interviews with retained agency recruiters, contingency recruiters, and in-house corporate recruiters. Participants shared their screens and walked us through the tools and workarounds they used to find, evaluate, and manage candidates.
We synthesized that research into recruiter personas and a mental model that helped the product team understand recurring behaviors, needs, and pain points.
Once TheLadders began developing a recruiter iPhone app, we conducted another longitudinal study with eight recruiters over five weeks.
Participants used the evolving app between sessions while we evaluated both released features and new prototypes. Findings led to changes such as adding location-radius controls, revising Save/Dismiss behavior, and improving recruiter outreach messages. Later sessions explored skills-based search, relocation, job posting, and richer candidate information.
Research That Changed With the Product
Across these studies, the methods changed along with the questions.
The longitudinal work let us see how people responded to products over time and after new releases. The foundational recruiter research helped the team understand an audience before moving further into design.
Research stayed close to the product work, which meant findings could influence a release and then be evaluated again after the change.
Testimonial
"I hired Kyle to run a 6-week user testing study while my team iterated on an iOS app we are getting to market... There were many moving parts, and a lot of data to collect. Kyle's ability to organize the participants, adapt to our 'lean' approach, professionally moderate the calls, and immediately turn around findings in an easy to digest format was instrumental to the success of the study... She effortlessly established a rapport with my team and with the users; and was always punctual, professional, and extremely organized. Kyle made a hard job seem easy, and made invaluable contribution to our project work. I wouldn't hesitate to hire her again."
Michelle Zassenhaus
Director, UX & Design
TheLadders