Turning Hiring Chaos to Clarity

1. Research: Learning from our own struggle

User Interviews

Deep-dived with CEO/CFO (who *were* the primary users) to map their daily frustrations.

Competitor Analysis

Studied tools like Greenhouse to identify gaps.

Persona

"Stephanie," the hiring manager (based on our Founders’ experiences), became our compass.

Why am I paying for three platforms if I still use Excel as a ‘source of truth’? I need to see all job postings, and candidates in one place, but I’m stuck switching between tools. Stephanie

Key Insight

The problem wasn’t missing features—it was “disconnected data” forcing constant app-switching.

2. Designing the Solution: Simplicity Over Complexity

Wireframes

Focused on a “single dashboard” showing all candidates (Kanban view).

Prototyping & Testing

 Early version added “job publishing feature” (publishing the job/vacancy on external channels directly from dashboard). 
 Interviews and calendar management to help user propose an interview to a candidate and keep track of it. 
 Simplified the pipeline to “6 fixed stages” (mirroring actual workflow, despite requests for customization).

Compromise

Backend concerns about new "skills tags" led to a “phased rollout” (tags first, AI matching later).

3. Navigating Challenges: Aligning Perspectives

CEO Pushback: Worried simplified features wouldn’t appeal to enterprise clients.
CFO Intervention (as user and “stakeholder”): “Custom features cost us $300/week in admin fixes. “It’s an MVP, let's save time first”.”
Outcome: We removed custom elements, and kept main features to preserve clarity.

4. Results: One Platform to Rule Them All

Launched on Wiggli’s existing infrastructure, the ATS:

 ✅ Cut time reviewing candidates by 40% (no more cross-tool checks). 
 ✅ Saved more than $10.5k/year by replacing 4 paid tools. 
 ✅ Reduced errors with a single, reliable data source.

“Finally, we're starting to have a tool that works the way we actually hire.”The CEO’s feedback post-launch

Why It Worked

 User-Driven: We solved our "own" problem, ensuring deep empathy. 
 Iterative Approach: Built on Wiggli’s foundation while adding critical ATS functionality. 
 Team Alignment: Bridged design, engineering, and business needs through constant collaboration.

Potential growth

AI Qualification: Let hiring managers automatically match and qualify candidates from the talent pool with posted jobs.

Key takeaways

 1. Research as Validation: Even stakeholders need interviewing. 
 2. Phased Rollouts: Manage technical risk while delivering value. 
 3. Simplicity > Flexibility: When users are drowning, throw a life raft—not a toolkit.