01 introduction
How restructuring job requisition flows, dashboard cards, and filtering patterns transformed a cluttered ATS into a focused hiring tool. Creation time dropped from fifteen minutes to under three, and required fields went from 34 to 10.
Category
Product Design
Client
SquaRecruit
Year
2024
Services
Job Creation
Dashboard Design
Filtering System
02 the problem
SquaRecruit is an applicant tracking system built for high-volume hiring teams. Recruiters posting multiple roles per week depended on the platform for speed, but the job creation flow demanded seven mandatory steps and 34 fields before a single requisition could go live.
The steps were strictly linear. No jumping between sections, no saving partial progress, no clarity about which fields actually mattered. The dashboard compounded the problem: each job card displayed 19 text elements and eight unlabeled icon buttons. Eight filter chips sat permanently visible regardless of usage. Recruiters were spending more time navigating the tool than evaluating candidates.
For new users, the experience was especially punishing. No onboarding guidance, no templates, no way to learn the system without filling out every field from scratch. For experienced recruiters posting the same type of role repeatedly, there was no shortcut to duplicate an existing requisition. Both audiences were underserved by the same rigid structure.
03 the approach
I mapped every field in the existing flow, categorizing each as essential for getting started or better suited for a later stage. The same logic applied to the dashboard: every element on a job card had to justify its presence against the visual noise it added.
"Reduction isn't about removing features. It's about deciding what belongs at the top level versus behind a click."
the overload
Seven mandatory steps. Thirty-four fields. Eight unlabeled icons. No templates, no shortcuts.
04 the solution
Less interface, more hiring
The redesign targeted three layers of the platform. Each one followed the same principle: reduce what's visible, preserve what's accessible.
job creation
"How do I post a role in under three minutes?"
Three steps, ten fields, tabbed navigation. Move freely between sections, save drafts at any point, and choose from blank, template, or existing job.
job cards
"What actually matters on a job card?"
From 19 elements to 12. From eight icons to three labeled actions.
filtering
"Do eight filter chips need to be visible at all times?"
Consolidated into a clean Sort, Filter, and Search bar. Filter panel opens as a sidebar with organized categories. Visible only when needed.
05 visual reduction
06 outcomes
Faster to post, easier to manage
creation time
Fifteen minutes per requisition became under three, with ten fields replacing thirty-four.
field reduction
34 fields became 10 essential ones.
action clarity
Eight unlabeled icon buttons replaced by three clearly labeled actions per card: Add Candidate, Posted Internally, and More Options. Every action now communicates its purpose.
first-time experience
Three guided paths for new users: Blank Job, Template, or Explore. Returning users get a fourth: Copy Existing.
visual density
Job cards went from 19 elements to 12.
07 reflection
Going from 34 fields to 10 wasn't about deleting 24 fields. It was about understanding which 10 are essential for getting started and where the other 24 should live so they remain accessible without blocking the critical path. The same thinking applied everywhere: cards, filters, actions. Every element that stays in the interface needs to justify itself against the noise it adds. The constraint that shaped this project most was learning to see reduction not as simplification, but as reorganization with a clear hierarchy of importance.