End-to-End Product Design for Kanbii

Client: Kanbii Solutions AG, Switzerland
Role: Product Design, Research, Prototyping
Year: 2022

Kanbii envisioned a swipe-based app to transform the hiring process by eliminating traditional CVs with the help of AI. My role involved end-to-end UI/UX design, from validating the initial concept to delivering a high-fidelity interactive prototype.

The Problem

The traditional job application process is often fraught with inefficiencies and frustrations:

Candidate Fatigue: Writing CVs and cover letters for every application is time-consuming and often yields low returns.

Employer Overload: Recruiters sift through countless, often irrelevant CVs. Wasting valuable time and money.

Bias and Misalignment: Traditional resumes can perpetuate unconscious bias and fail to capture the candidate’s skills, personality, or potential fit for a role.

Slow Process: Scheduling, and review stages are notoriously slow, especially for high-volume recruitment.

Mobile app screens showing a user inputting 2 years of experience on a slider and setting a monthly salary range of $4,500 to $5,000 USD.

Brainstorming & Research

I begun the design process by collaborating with the client. Our brainstorming sessions focused on their deep industry knowledge as experienced recruiters, defining the core value proposition and outlining the desired user experience.

Simultaneously, I conducted thorough background research:

• Conducted competitive analysis

• Analized market reports & trends:

• Conducted initial stakeholder interviews

Option 1: Concise & Primary Focus
Competitive analysis slide comparing four top Swiss job-finding platforms: Jooble, jobup.ch, Jobs.ch, and Indeed, listing their Strengths and UX Opportunities.

Key insights:

• Users are accustomed to gamified interfaces for matching (e.g., “swiping”).

• Both candidates and employers fell fatigued during the traditional recruitment process.

Anonymity early in the process could reduce bias and encourage broader engagement from candidates.

Job search frustrations market research summary with following data:
42% not getting any interviews after applying
35% non-responsive employers and hiring managers
31% difficulty finding the right jobs to apply for
2022 Job Seeker Nation Report

The solution

The design was centered around two interconnected experiences: the candidate app and the employer app, each optimized for its unique user goals while preserving a consistent underlying logic.

Candidates are presented with job opportunities in a familiar, engaging swipe interface. This interaction model significantly reduces cognitive load while job searching.

To promote fair hiring and reduce unconscious bias, employers initially view anonymized candidate profiles. Key attributes, skills, and experience are highlighted without revealing personal identifiers.

Register screen and a chat screen inside phone mockups.
Kanbii screens showing an employer profile and a job candidate profile.

Fully interactive prototype for seed startup funding

A primary objective was to create a fully interactive prototype that brought the app’s vision to life, crucial for the seed startup funding phase. Leveraging Figma’s advanced interaction capabilities, I built a prototype that allowed investors to experience the core flows as if they were using the actual app. This included:

Figma file screenshot showing multiple screens connected with Figma prototyping.

Design Kit

I broke down the existing kit into atomic components and created a small design system. Scale matching the needs of the project.

Kanbii design kit components in a geometric grid layout.

Outcomes

Seed Funding: The prototype effectively demonstrated the product vision and user experience, playing a critical role in securing initial seed funding from investors. This tangible representation of the app’s potential was a key differentiator in pitches

Positive Stakeholder Reception: The client expressed high satisfaction with the prototype’s ability to clearly communicate the innovative nature and user-centric design of Kanbii.


Co-Founder of Kanbii René F. Lehmann on a gray background.

René F. Lehmann

Co-Founder of Kanbii

“Michael was recommended to us as a Talented UI/UX Designer and I can confirm that. Despite his young age he quickly understood our needs and was able to deliver a prototype on Figma for Job-Matching App. The Prototype helped later the development team to develop the app and was that foundation of this great app. His Skills and dedication were a big asset for us and exactly what we needed at that time.”