Project overview
For ENGL 3367, my team conducted a usability study on Indeed’s job search and application experience for college students. We wanted to understand not just whether users could complete applications, but how much effort it took them: how many clicks, how much time, and how often they encountered irrelevant or frustrating job listings.
As a UX Researcher on the project, I helped define the research focus, collect observation data using screen recordings, and analyze where users’ time and attention were going on the site. Our findings led to concrete layout and interaction recommendations aimed at making the process faster and less exhausting for job seekers.
Research goals
We framed our study around a simple question: How efficiently can college-aged job seekers find and apply to relevant jobs on Indeed?
More specifically, we wanted to:
- Evaluate the relevance of suggested job postings for a defined persona.
- Measure the time it takes to find and apply for jobs.
- Track clicks to see where effort is concentrated in the interface.
- Identify pain points and frustrations in the application process.
Methods & participants
We ran in-person usability tests with six college students from different majors. Each participant was given an Indeed account with a prebuilt persona and resume aligned to a specific field, plus written instructions to follow a realistic job search and application scenario.
Using OBS, we recorded their screens to capture:
- How long they spent browsing job listings vs. filling out applications,
- How far they scrolled down the job list, and
- Where they clicked on the page (search bar, job titles, “Apply” buttons, etc.).
After the task, participants completed a short questionnaire rating the difficulty of finding and applying for jobs, whether a quicker application process would help them, and what changes they would like to see.
Key findings
The data confirmed what many job seekers already feel: applying for jobs on Indeed is possible, but it’s often more work than it needs to be.
- Most attention stays at the top of the results. Scroll maps showed that users focused heavily on the top of the job list, with very few scrolling far down the page. In practice, this means the first three or four jobs receive most of the attention.
- Applications demand the majority of effort. Our click analysis showed that about 86% of all clicks occurred during the application process itself, not while searching for jobs.
- Time is spent filling out forms, not choosing jobs. Time-on-task data indicated that users spent roughly 61% of their time inside application flows and only 39% of their time browsing and selecting jobs.
- Job relevance is uneven. Participants frequently encountered job postings that didn’t match their persona’s experience or field, and several commented on frustration with sponsored or misaligned listings.
- Perceived complexity varies, but speed matters to everyone. Not every participant found the process “very difficult,” but nearly all agreed that a faster, more streamlined application process would benefit them.
Recommendations & redesign
Based on our findings, we recommended layout changes that make better use of the screen and reduce the interaction cost of applying:
1. Show more jobs above the fold
Because most users rarely scroll far down the list, we proposed widening the job list area and making each listing vertically shorter. This allows more jobs to be visible at once, increasing the chance that users see postings beyond the very top of the list without requiring extra scrolling.
2. Move filters to the side
We suggested relocating filters from above the job list to a left-hand column. This frees vertical space for more listings while keeping filters visible and usable, supporting both quick scanning and more deliberate searching.
3. Expand job descriptions by default
In the current design, job descriptions are often constrained to a small pane that requires additional scrolling. Our recommendation was to widen the job description area and have it open in a more readable space by default, so users can better understand the role before investing time in a long application.
What I learned
This project reinforced how valuable it is to pair observed frustration with measurable data. Seeing time and clicks shift heavily toward the application flow made it easier to argue for design changes that prioritize efficiency and reduce cognitive load.
As a UX Researcher, I gained experience planning a small-scale usability study, running moderated sessions, and turning scroll maps, click data, and open-ended feedback into actionable recommendations for a real, widely used product.
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