Profile Match visual elevation
Creating a bold, intuitive moment that is unmistakably ours and immediately understood
Some background
Profile Match is an AI-powered feature that compares a candidate’s CV against a job advert and shows how well they align, alongside supporting rationale.
The initial release validated the concept. Users understood it, engagement was strong, and the AI performed well. However, the experience itself felt functional rather than memorable. It communicated the outcome, but lacked clarity, distinctiveness, and emotional impact.
The opportunity wasn’t to change the capability, but to elevate how it was experienced—creating something bold, intuitive, and instantly understandable that strengthened the product’s overall perception.
Exploring creative directions
To avoid converging too quickly, the team explored a wide range of directions before narrowing in.
Concepts included circular dials, activity-ring visualisations, abstract forms, probability models, and progress-based metaphors. Each was tested against key principles: clarity, emotional appropriateness, distinctiveness, and scalability across the candidate journey.
The focus shifted from precision to comprehension—helping users understand outcomes quickly. Inspired by wellbeing-style products, we moved away from exact scores and towards ranges and visual cues that felt more supportive and less judgemental.
This evolved into a scalable visual system used across search results, job listings, and profile touchpoints, creating a consistent Profile Match identity.
The impact of design
The final solution delivered one of the most impactful changes to a Stepstone product.
Crucially, the underlying functionality didn’t change—no new AI, no new data, and no major flow redesign. The impact came almost entirely from visual execution, interaction design, and communication.
Despite this, engagement increased significantly and the perception of Profile Match improved. It became a clear example of how design can unlock latent product value by making complex functionality easier to understand and more meaningful.
For the design organisation, it stood as a strong proof point that design craft is not just aesthetic—it can directly influence product performance when applied with clarity and intent.