From discovery to delivery
Building a research-led product experience for Hudson's staffing platform
Summary
As Hudson prepared to scale its AI-powered staffing platform, flexhive by Hudson, I was brought in as the sole designer, responsible for both UX and UI delivery across web and native platforms.
My work began with foundational research to uncover candidate pain points and validate our customer value proposition.
These insights shaped the platform’s MVP – from journey mapping and onboarding flows to high-fidelity design in Flutter – helping launch a user-centred, production-ready product experience.
From insight to interface
I led the end-to-end design for flexhive’s staffing platform across web and native apps – built in Flutter, supporting both light and dark themes.
Where the business thought the value was
flexhive, part of the Hudson Group, connects employers with pre-qualified temporary and permanent staff in sectors like contact centres, admin support, and finance. As they prepared to launch a new service and platform, the team needed a clearer understanding of how candidates experienced the job search and placement process – and what value the product could truly offer.
How I uncovered what candidates really needed
Our objective was to validate and refine our candidate value proposition (CVP) and use those insights to inform product design.
I led a mixed-methods research program that included:
Qualitative research with 100 participants across Australia and New Zealand, all of whom had applied for a job in the past 6 months
Moderated usability testing with 7 users using mid-fidelity wireframes
Thematic analysis of nearly 600 open-ended responses
Participants included temp workers, first-time job seekers, contact centre applicants, and administrative professionals – a diverse and representative sample of flexhive’s target audience.
Mapping the journey
Based on insights from 100 job seekers, this journey map defined key stages, pain points, and opportunities that shaped our CVP and MVP.
Owning UX and UI delivery in a cross-functional team
I was the sole designer on the project, responsible for both UX and UI delivery. I worked cross-functionally with a Product Manager and Tech Lead, initially reporting to the Chief Product Officer. After the CPO moved to new role, I reported directly to the CEO/co-founder, maintaining executive visibility and alignment.
What the research told us
Through interviews, testing, and survey analysis, I identified six key stages in the candidate journey – from job search through to first day in role – and mapped the primary job to be done at each stage. Pain points clustered around three recurring issues:
Lack of real-time updates on application progress
Repeatedly entering the same personal information
Vague or inaccurate job descriptions
These insights were categorised into pains, gains, and pain relievers, forming the backbone of a candidate journey map and shaping the revised customer value proposition.
From insight to implementation: design that shipped
The goal of this work was not just to design a great user experience – but to support flexhive’s broader business model.
By delivering a web and mobile app, we aimed to simplify the end-to-end job search, application, and offer acceptance journey. This supported candidate acquisition and retention goals, while also improving our ability to deliver high-quality, work-ready staff to our clients.
The research directly shaped both product strategy and UX execution:
Journey map and CVP guided design decisions for the platform MVP
Insights influenced onboarding, messaging, and feature prioritisation
I delivered the full end-to-end design for the production-ready app (web + native), including both light and dark themes
The platform was built in Flutter, and I was responsible for the entire user experience across devices.
Reflections on culture, craft, and collaboration
This was one of the most rewarding and productive teams I’ve worked with – strong leadership, genuine collaboration, and shared purpose made for a high-performing culture.
I wrapped up my role as we launched the MVP, so I didn’t see the long-term results firsthand – but it was rewarding to leave behind a well-researched, well-designed foundation for the team to build on.
I moved on to take up a contract opportunity at Virgin Australia.
Responsive, research-led
design
I delivered the full UX and UI across web and mobile, using insights from candidate research to shape every screen and flow.
