Case Study
Scouted
EdTech Marketplace & Algorithmic Matching
Executive Summary
Designing a two-sided recruiting platform with algorithmic matching and standardised video interviews.
Scouted is a New York EdTech recruiting platform matching college graduates with top companies based on career goals, core values, and personality traits. Founded by former Bridgewater Associates talent executives, Scouted engaged me to lead their second phase of product development. I architected a scalable two-sided marketplace, replaced static resume screening with predictive talent analytics, and delivered production-ready front-end code templates. By shifting the screening process beyond basic resumes to predictive talent analytics and virtual video interviews, Scouted achieved a 6x increase in hiring efficiency and an 80% job offer conversion rate.
Impact at a Glance
Streamlined candidate evaluation workflows reduced client evaluation time sixfold.
Algorithmic matching combined with qualitative talent insights produced an exceptionally high offer-to-interview conversion rate.
Direct access to university talent across hundreds of institutions nationwide.
Precise alignment between soft skills, company culture, and role requirements supported long-term candidate retention.
The Challenge
Beyond the PDF resume
Traditional entry-level hiring relies heavily on GPAs and static resumes, which fail to capture candidate potential, interpersonal skills, and cultural fit. Employers struggled with high resume-screening overhead, while candidates lacked clarity on where they stood in the hiring funnel.
How do you design a two-sided marketplace that balances automated algorithmic matching with human talent insights, while delivering dedicated workflows for both job seekers and enterprise recruiters?
Funnel Architecture & Onboarding UX
I architected the end-to-end platform UX to seamlessly bridge candidate discovery with enterprise recruitment workflows:
- Two-Sided Platform Strategy: Mapped the complete system architecture and user flows connecting job seekers, internal talent managers, and enterprise employers.
- Frictionless Candidate Onboarding: Structured a multi-step profile builder and virtual video submission workflow capturing qualitative traits without drop-off.
- Culture Matching Engine: Designed a comparative trait matrix that replaced vague survey questions with data points to power algorithmic talent matching.
Tailored Dashboard Environments
After completing the first phase of wireframing and user flows, I worked with the client's provided brand guidelines (logo and colour palette) and designed custom, dedicated dashboard environments tailored to each user group's distinct mental models:
- Candidate Profile & Synthesis: Integrated video snippets, resume PDFs, and cultural preferences into a single scannable recruiter view.
- Employer Pipeline Management: A high-level candidate roster categorised by pipeline stage (Review, Keep Warm, Interview, Offer) with match percentages.
- Real-Time Application Tracker: Actionable candidate cards tracking active candidate batches, match scores, and interview prep resources.
Front-End Delivery & Developer Handoff
To accelerate product release and preserve design precision, I translated the interface architecture into production-ready code:
- Modular Web Components: Built clean, semantic HTML5 and CSS3 prototypes for all candidate and employer portal views.
- Responsive Architecture: Ensured seamless performance across desktop, tablet, and mobile web browsers for video submissions on the go.
- Engineering Enablement: Provided fully formatted code templates to the client's engineering team, accelerating backend integration by several months.
Strategic Takeaways
Key learnings from the build
Role-Specific UX Specialisation
Dividing candidate and recruiter experiences into dedicated dashboards reduced cognitive friction and improved daily engagement.
Qualitative Data Visualisation
Integrating video interviews directly alongside algorithmic match scores enabled recruiters to evaluate soft skills instantly.
Lean Development Strategy
Conducting upfront concept workshops and HTML/CSS prototyping saved months of full-stack engineering overhead.
Tools & Methods
What powered the build
UX Architecture & Strategy
Front-End & Prototyping