Designing Job Discovery for India’s Frontline Workforce

Client: Pragati Jobs
Type: Early-stage startup | Social impact + employment tech
Timeline: Sep 2020 – Feb 2022
Role: Design & Product Manager
Engagement Type: Full-time

Context

Pragati Jobs is a social-impact startup focused on connecting India’s blue- and grey-collar workforce to meaningful employment. The product aimed to serve first-time digital users across Tier 2–3 cities via mobile-first job discovery and application flows.

My role spanned across UX design, user research, product planning, and team coordination — a true hybrid builder role.

The Challenge

Build a platform that is accessible, intuitive, and trustworthy for non-tech-savvy users
Understand employer and job-seeker needs deeply, and align both into a scalable product model
Drive continuous product iterations with lean data and fast feedback loops
Take the product from MVP to V2 while setting the foundation for scale

My Process

1. Ground-Level User Research

Conducted surveys and interviews with 300+ job seekers and 15 employers.
Identified user pain points like fear of fraud, difficulty in resume creation, and low digital confidence
Mapped out key personas (entry-level youth, semi-skilled workers, returning job seekers)

2. UX Design + Product Work

Redesigned end-to-end job discovery flow for mobile: job cards, filters, profile creation, one-click apply
Led usability reviews and ran UX audits on existing product — simplified complex workflows and reduced bounce
Planned and launched version 2.0 UI aligned with user feedback and behavior data
Owned analytics dashboard design to track conversion funnel, drop-offs, and success metrics
Coordinated across a lean cross-functional team (devs, marketing, ops) in an agile cycle

3. Brand & Communication

Defined user onboarding flows that built trust and motivation
Supported the marketing team with UX-aligned visuals and messaging for Facebook and WhatsApp campaigns

Solution Highlights

Mobile-first job discovery and application flows optimized for semi-literate users
UX-led improvements in onboarding and profile setup
Conversion-focused dashboard for internal teams
Visual design system scalable for new job categories and user types

Outcomes

Helped onboard 5,000+ users organically through product-led growth
Improved job application completion rates through simplified UX
Helped acquire 10+ new clients in the first month of the redesigned branding rollout
Positioned the product for scale in both B2C (job seekers) and B2B (employers) directions

Takeaways

Designing for Pragati taught me to let go of assumptions — especially when designing for underserved user groups. I learned how to ask better questions, listen without bias, and translate real-world complexity into simple, empowering product experiences.

It also deepened my ability to work in scrappy, fast-moving teams and use UX as a tool for clarity, trust, and inclusion.