Overview
Kindred is a network intelligence platform that supports job seekers and early career professionals.
We aimed to solve the problem of how job seekers can better prepare for interviews and enter the workforce by building social capital skills and growing meaningful industry connections.
Role & Duration
Lead Product Designer
Project Management, UX Research, Interaction, Visual Design, Prototype & Testing
Mar - Apr, 2025
The Problem
Educational organizations want to learn about their former students, but struggle to connect. Administrators typically endure a tedious process of manually contacting thousands of alumni, with reported low response rates.
Educational organizations want to learn about their former students, but struggle to connect. Administrators typically endure a tedious process of manually contacting thousands of alumni, with reported low response rates.
Alumni do not feel supported in a way that best prepares them for landing a job and entering the workforce, hence the lack of interest in responding.
Alumni do not feel supported in a way that best prepares them for landing a job and entering the workforce, hence the lack of interest in responding.
9-30%
Reported alumni engagement rates
Reported alumni engagement rates
93%
Organizations choose not to offer alumni any benefits
Organizations choose not to offer alumni any benefits
Research
Our research comprised of 6 user interviews, 15 people surveyed and a competitive and comparative analysis of 10 organizations, ranging from conversational/non-conversational AI platforms, and career/non-career based platforms. This helped us to understand pain points and the challenges alumni face.
Insights
"I've searched in person networking events, but I could not find anything easily. So to have it accessible - somewhere where I would see it would be useful."
"I’d prefer support from experienced industry professionals rather than general career advice."
"Applying to jobs is so much work and easy apply functions don’t work because you haven’t taken the time personalize it with a cover letter."
After conducting user interviews, a thorough C&C analysis including a cartesian plot and analyzing the gathered data, I was able to make sense of what people were saying and categorized the insights into 3 categories:
Support
Alumni felt a lack of support from their education organization.
AI usage in job searching
Users were open to using AI to help them find jobs, but had limited experience with usage.
Networking
Users noted networking as a struggle and leaned mostly into people they knew (friends, family etc.)
Problem Statement
Sonia seeks professional growth and authentic connections but finds current networking methods draining and superficial. She needs a better solution that directly connects her with relevant mentors and opportunities, helping her feel more supported and understood."
Solution & Conceptualization
Considering the user needs revealed in our research, I began information architecture and low-fi concepts for primary use cases, helping to more clearly define the MVP. The design would include two user flows, within three key features of the site.
A Conversational AI intake form
Practice conversations
Smart Connections
Our efforts were focused on functionality, hierarchy and flow, while also having a keen eye for accessibility. As an example, adding a text preference for users who may not be able to talk with the AI conversation tool.
Final Product
Below is our final product for Kindred. You'll find three key pieces to the product, being the AI Intake Survey, Practice Conversations and Smart Connections.
Conversational AI Intake Survey
Utilizing natural language processing to make interactions simple and accessible. Feels less like a survey and more like a real conversation.
With a dynamic interface that visually represents active listening, conversations feel even more intuitive.
Practice Conversations
A unique opportunity to develop conversational skills to impact first impressions and job interview success. We designed this feature with natural interaction in mind, creating diverse personas for users to practice with.
Key objectives help guide each conversation and highlight crucial points to emphasize during the chat, enabling users to add value to the interaction.
Smart Connections
Helping users engage in new professional relationships. A match is typically made by connecting users within similar industries and job types and upon making new connections, users can schedule a meeting, allowing them to connect with a real person and put their 'practice conversations' skills to the test.
Reflection
The Kindred project was an incredibly rewarding experience for me. Collaborating with a highly talented team of designers, we delivered a robust platform that encourages continuous learning, professional development, and cultivates meaningful connections.
Our innovative solution addresses a traditionally tedious task, offering users a significantly more enjoyable experience when connecting with their educational organization. Ultimately, Kindred delivers a win-win scenario for both the end-user and the educational organization.
Beyond the strong teamwork, I also gained invaluable experience working on a project that harnessed artificial intelligence. I genuinely enjoyed the hands-on learning and direct exposure to various cutting-edge AI tools currently available in the market.
Overview
Overview
Kindred is a network intelligence platform that supports job seekers and early career professionals.
We aimed to solve the problem of how job seekers can better prepare for interviews and enter the workforce by building social capital skills and growing meaningful industry connections.
Kindred is a network intelligence platform that supports job seekers and early career professionals.
We aimed to solve the problem of how job seekers can better prepare for interviews and enter the workforce by building social capital skills and growing meaningful industry connections.
Role & Duration
Role & Duration
Lead Product Designer
Project Management, UX Research, Interaction, Visual Design, Prototype & Testing
Mar - Apr, 2025
Research
Our research comprised of 6 user interviews, 15 people surveyed and a competitive and comparative analysis of 10 organizations, ranging from conversational/non-conversational AI platforms, and career/non-career based platforms. This helped us to understand pain points and the challenges alumni face.
Insights
"I've searched in person networking events, but I could not find anything easily. So to have it accessible - somewhere where I would see it would be useful."
"I’d prefer support from experienced industry professionals rather than general career advice."
"Applying to jobs is so much work and easy apply functions don’t work because you haven’t taken the time personalize it with a cover letter."
Support
Alumni felt a lack of support from their education organization.
AI usage in job searching
Users were open to using AI to help them find jobs, but had limited experience with usage.
Networking
Users noted networking as a struggle and leaned mostly into people they knew (friends, family etc.)
After conducting user interviews, a thorough C&C analysis including a cartesian plot and analyzing the gathered data, I was able to make sense of what people were saying and categorized the insights into 3 categories:
After conducting user interviews, a thorough C&C analysis including a cartesian plot and analyzing the gathered data, I was able to make sense of what people were saying and categorized the insights into 3 categories:
Support
Alumni felt a lack of support from their education organization.
AI usage in job searching
Users were open to using AI to help them find jobs, but had limited experience with usage.
Networking
Users noted networking as a struggle and leaned mostly into people they knew (friends, family etc.)
Problem Statement
Sonia seeks professional growth and authentic connections but finds current networking methods draining and superficial. She needs a better solution that directly connects her with relevant mentors and opportunities, helping her feel more supported and understood."
Solution & Conceptualization
Considering the user needs revealed in our research, I began information architecture and low-fi concepts for primary use cases, helping to more clearly define the MVP. The design would include two user flows, within three key features of the site.
A Conversational AI intake form
Practice conversations
Smart Connections
Our efforts were focused on functionality, hierarchy and flow, while also having a keen eye for accessibility. As an example, adding a text preference for users who may not be able to talk with the AI conversation tool.
Final Product
Conversational AI Intake Survey
Utilizing natural language processing to make interactions simple and accessible. Feels less like a survey and more like a real conversation.
With a dynamic interface that visually represents active listening, conversations feel even more intuitive.
Practice Conversations
A unique opportunity to develop conversational skills to impact first impressions and job interview success. We designed this feature with natural interaction in mind, creating diverse personas for users to practice with.
Key objectives help guide each conversation and highlight crucial points to emphasize during the chat, enabling users to add value to the interaction.
Smart Connections
Helping users engage in new professional relationships. A match is typically made by connecting users within similar industries and job types and upon making new connections, users can schedule a meeting, allowing them to connect with a real person and put their 'practice conversations' skills to the test.
Below is our final product for Kindred. You'll find three key pieces to the product, being the AI Intake Survey, Practice Conversations and Smart Connections.
Reflection
The Kindred project was an incredibly rewarding experience for me. Collaborating with a highly talented team of designers, we delivered a robust platform that encourages continuous learning, professional development, and cultivates meaningful connections.
Our innovative solution addresses a traditionally tedious task, offering users a significantly more enjoyable experience when connecting with their educational organization. Ultimately, Kindred delivers a win-win scenario for both the end-user and the educational organization.
Beyond the strong teamwork, I also gained invaluable experience working on a project that harnessed artificial intelligence. I genuinely enjoyed the hands-on learning and direct exposure to various cutting-edge AI tools currently available in the market.
Overview
Overview
Kindred is a network intelligence platform that supports job seekers and early career professionals.
We aimed to solve the problem of how job seekers can better prepare for interviews and enter the workforce by building social capital skills and growing meaningful industry connections.
Kindred is a network intelligence platform that supports job seekers and early career professionals.
We aimed to solve the problem of how job seekers can better prepare for interviews and enter the workforce by building social capital skills and growing meaningful industry connections.
Role & Duration
Role & Duration
Lead Product Designer
Project Management, UX Research, Interaction, Visual Design, Prototype & Testing
Mar - Apr, 2025
The Problem
Educational organizations want to learn about their former students, but struggle to connect. Administrators typically endure a tedious process of manually contacting thousands of alumni, with reported low response rates.
Educational organizations want to learn about their former students, but struggle to connect. Administrators typically endure a tedious process of manually contacting thousands of alumni, with reported low response rates.
Alumni do not feel supported in a way that best prepares them for landing a job and entering the workforce, hence the lack of interest in responding.
Alumni do not feel supported in a way that best prepares them for landing a job and entering the workforce, hence the lack of interest in responding.
9-30%
Reported alumni engagement rates
Reported alumni engagement rates
93%
Organizations choose not to offer alumni any benefits
Organizations choose not to offer alumni any benefits
Research
Our research comprised of 6 user interviews, 15 people surveyed and a competitive and comparative analysis of 10 organizations, ranging from conversational/non-conversational AI platforms, and career/non-career based platforms. This helped us to understand pain points and the challenges alumni face.
Insights
"I've searched in person networking events, but I could not find anything easily. So to have it accessible - somewhere where I would see it would be useful."
"I’d prefer support from experienced industry professionals rather than general career advice."
"Applying to jobs is so much work and easy apply functions don’t work because you haven’t taken the time personalize it with a cover letter."
Support
Support
Alumni felt a lack of support from their education organization.
AI usage in job searching
AI usage in job searching
Users were open to using AI to help them find jobs, but had limited experience with usage.
Networking
Networking
Users noted networking as a struggle and leaned mostly into people they knew (friends, family etc.)
After conducting user interviews, a thorough C&C analysis including a cartesian plot and analyzing the gathered data, I was able to make sense of what people were saying and categorized the insights into 3 categories:
Problem Statement
Sonia seeks professional growth and authentic connections but finds current networking methods draining and superficial. She needs a better solution that directly connects her with relevant mentors and opportunities, helping her feel more supported and understood."
Solution & Conceptualization
Considering the user needs revealed in our research, I began information architecture and low-fi concepts for primary use cases, helping to more clearly define the MVP. The design would include two user flows, within three key features of the site.
A Conversational AI intake form
Practice conversations
Smart Connections
Our efforts were focused on functionality, hierarchy and flow, while also having a keen eye for accessibility. As an example, adding a text preference for users who may not be able to talk with the AI conversation tool.
Final Product
Below is our final product for Kindred. You'll find three key pieces to the product, being the AI Intake Survey, Practice Conversations and Smart Connections.
Conversational AI Intake Survey
Utilizing natural language processing to make interactions simple and accessible. Feels less like a survey and more like a real conversation.
With a dynamic interface that visually represents active listening, conversations feel even more intuitive.
Practice Conversations
A unique opportunity to develop conversational skills to impact first impressions and job interview success. We designed this feature with natural interaction in mind, creating diverse personas for users to practice with.
Key objectives help guide each conversation and highlight crucial points to emphasize during the chat, enabling users to add value to the interaction.
Smart Connections
Helping users engage in new professional relationships. A match is typically made by connecting users within similar industries and job types and upon making new connections, users can schedule a meeting, allowing them to connect with a real person and put their 'practice conversations' skills to the test.
Reflection
The Kindred project was an incredibly rewarding experience for me. Collaborating with a highly talented team of designers, we delivered a robust platform that encourages continuous learning, professional development, and cultivates meaningful connections.
Our innovative solution addresses a traditionally tedious task, offering users a significantly more enjoyable experience when connecting with their educational organization. Ultimately, Kindred delivers a win-win scenario for both the end-user and the educational organization.
Beyond the strong teamwork, I also gained invaluable experience working on a project that harnessed artificial intelligence. I genuinely enjoyed the hands-on learning and direct exposure to various cutting-edge AI tools currently available in the market.