Textkernel · 2025
From the functionality that few recruiters used to one of the most adopted features in the product
This redesign significantly increased
email alert usage
Context
Textkernel is an ATS platform. As a part of a bigger redesign of Search, I was assigned to examine the email alert & project functionality, determine use cases, and propose a solution.
Process
Step 1
I examined the current flow and found that the email alert feature was hidden under the "projects" functionality. So, if recruiters don't use projects, they might not be aware that email alerts exist.
I started to think: is this step necessary? Do users want to use email alerts separate from projects? I decided to collaborate with the customer success team to find answers.
Step 2
We didn't have time for exploratory research, so the PM and I decided to collaborate with the CS team to gather data we already had.
Recruiters who attended learning sessions use email alerts 5 times more often than the rest. This insight reinforced the idea that the feature was simply too hidden to discover on its own.
Step 3
I started exploring how recruiters could set up email alerts differently, without needing to create a project first. I explored several variants:
After several iterations, we decided to test the toggle variant with users. It felt most natural — visible at a glance, no extra steps.
After redesigning the email alert creation flow, the product team raised a question about redesigning a space where we store this information. We came up with the idea of creating a new dashboard (instead of projects tab) — and I also proposed new UI for the existing pattern to test several ideas during upcoming research.
Step 4
1.
7/10 recruiters used email alerts as a part of their working routine. Also, we learned that some users indeed don't know about this function in our product.
2.
4/10 couldn't find email alert info or frequency on the dashboard. Users wanted to see their alerts at a glance, but the current layout made it hard to locate.
3.
5/5 new users were confused by the "save project" naming. They didn't associate "project" with saving search filters or email alerts.
Step 5
After the research I facilitated a workshop with the team to align on what we should change. We agreed on the following action plan:
Go with the dashboard idea, but add date and make email alert info more noticeable
Rename "save project" to "save search" to reduce confusion
Merge saved searches and email alerts on the dashboard into one unified view
Final designs
After implementing the changes, here's what the designs look like:
Even when there's no time for dedicated research, collaborating with other teams to surface data we already have can be just as valuable.
Strategic UI changes can have a significant impact on UX and feature discoverability — sometimes the problem isn't the feature, it's how hard it is to find.
This project taught me to effectively balance short-term redesign goals with a long-term design vision.