An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is, by definition a heavy piece of software. It's built to hold massive amounts of data which often results in numerous complex features fighting for attention.

The core problem wasn't that it looked dated, it was that the architecture work in direct contrast to the users natural intuitions. My goal was to move away from 'managing' a system and toward navigating a workflow.

Challenge

In the original ATS, information was laid out in a way that ingnored how a recruiter actually works. Because every piece of data was presnted at once, the user was consistantly forced to scroll and search, thus increasing cognitive load and slowing down the hiring process.

6 Steps of Improvements

( Step 1 ) - Begin with a wireframe.

Disregard styling and focus directly on the information architecture and hierarchry.

( Step 2 ) - Identify components & features.

The ATS is divided into three sections as shown, (1) Job Listings, (2) Applied Applicants and (3) the Applicants information.

( Step 3) - Identify hierarchry & architecture.

The governing / parent component is the (1) Job Listings column on the right side of the screen.

• When a Listing is selected it populates a list of (2) Applicants to the Left of the screen.

• Subsequently, when an (2) Applicant is selected, the main viewport is populated with that (3) Applicants Information which can be more than a resume; credentials, qualifications, hiring process, inview and verification status; etc.

( Step 4) - Improve hierarch.

The first big win is by placing the governing (1) Job Listings to the Right of the screen. This improves natural flow and human intuition that now reads from Left to Right like reading a book.

( Step 5 ) - Remove redundancies.

The (3) Applicant Information is where the workflow lives. It's where actions, proceedures, insights and processes take place. It contains an applicant profile and a scroll view containing more data than a Twitter timeline.

• By utilizing a tabs in place of the scroll window it enables the user with direct selection resulting in quicker action of intent and comprehension.

• Final Wireframe.

( Step 6 ) - Styling improvements and mockup.

Styling isn't just about aesthetics, by standardizing the typeface and establishing a light, monochrome palette I shifted the focus away from the UI and back to the content. The purpose of consistencey in design is to allow for user focused action.

Conclusion

By removing friction from the interface, we allowed the recruiter to focus on what actually matters, hiring the right people. This is a good reminder that simplicity is an engineering challenge and requires hiding features and reordering hierarchry to give prioritization and respect the to user's time and efficiencey.