AiTou - H1B Visa Sponsor Checker Extension & AI Tool
What is the Problem?
AiTou Technology is a job searching platform that is customized for international job-seekers. Due to the massive layoff, More and more international job seekers are on the market.
How might we create a tool that can help international job seekers to boost their job search efficiency?
Solution
My team has created a Chrome extension that efficiently checks H1B sponsorship status on LinkedIn, enhancing users' job search productivity.
We are consistently enhancing the extension's capabilities with the power of AI.
My Contribution (Chrome Web Store)
I take immense pride in being the sole designer of this product, guiding its journey from initial ideation to full implementation.
This role has involved concept development, visual design, and iterative refinement of key features.
It's truly gratifying to see thousands of users benefit from our work today.
Simplify the Job Search with One Click Filtering
This Chrome Extension is tailored for LinkedIn and is designed to assist international students and workers in discovering H1B-sponsored job opportunities.
This tool showcases H1B and OPT sponsorship details for numerous companies on LinkedIn, encompassing up to 30,000 entities with the latest USCIS data.
Additionally, it offers the convenience of hiding non-sponsored job listings, drastically enhancing the efficiency during job search.
For our users, simpler is better
The goal is to develop a tool that simplifies and enhances the job-hunting process for international candidates, making it easier for them to secure meaningful employment and advance in their careers.
For our business, we need user expansion
AiTou already has an established brand as a job-seeking and referral platform. However, due to the significant layoffs in the tech industry, fewer people are using the referral program. We aim to create an entry point to attract new users and expand our user base.
Design Solution (Discover it on the Chrome Web Store)
We chose to develop a tool that offers immediate, insightful advice to international applicants during their job search and incorporates advanced features to motivate user sign-ups.
Make an Application Decision with Just One Glance
Users can see 'E-Verified' or 'H1B-Sponsoring' badges as they scan the job listings to assist them in making informed decisions.
I aim to maintain a seamless browsing experience for our users, so I've opted to use LinkedIn's system font to ensure consistency.
Dark Mode? Yes!
The sponsor checker also supports dark mode, providing users with a more visually comfortable experience while they search for job opportunities.
Never Reaching a Dead-end
For companies with no sponsorship history in our database, we enable users to report inaccuracies.
This approach not only improves data accuracy but also reduces maintenance costs, with users assisting in data filtering.
Tooltips
To ensure users understand the meaning of 'E-Verified,' I've embedded a tooltip within the badge, providing information that helps users realize the importance of finding an E-Verified company to extend their OPT.
Another critical factor for our users is data accuracy, and we reassure them that our information comes directly from USCIS.
How can we enhance the competitiveness of this extension in the market?
We realized that our lightweight Chrome Extension lacks space for users to sign up, hindering our goal of user expansion.
With over 3000+ daily active users (DAUs), we're taking the next step by transitioning these users into registered users.
Advanced User Dashboard
To assist our users in finding their ideal jobs, I have designed an advanced user dashboard that highlights newly posted positions.
Users can set up their career preferences, and we will push relevant job listings to their dashboard.
In today’s competitive job market, time plays a crucial role in the application process. Submitting applications early can significantly increase the chance of a resume being seen by recruiters."
Information Architecture Behind the Design
I Want to Offer More Data to Users for Informed Application Decisions
After leading the team discussions on feasibility, we've chosen to enhance the interactivity of our badges.
Users can click on the badge, which will redirect them to a more detailed page with the company's sponsorship history.
Encourage Users to Sign Up/In
My expertise is in growth design, and I've gained valuable insights from past experiences. To drive user acquisition, I've designed a registration wall for the company details page.
I acknowledge that the registration wall can create a barrier between us and the users. Therefore, I've streamlined the sign-up process to make it more user-friendly.
Are these efforts enough to attract users? Perhaps not.
Even though we can significantly enhance users' job search efficiency, we must continue exploring more opportunities to expand our business.
How might we leverage the AI trend and enlist ChatGPT to assist us in achieving our goals?
I started to reevaluate our strengths and reassess the market needs, and here's what I've concluded.
My Answer: AI-based Cover Letter Generator and Interview Tool
Many competitors are involved in AI-based resume building, but it typically demands significant time and resources. Our team aims to create something distinct from them while still offering convenience to our users.
My goal is to develop a solution that leverages our strengths and requires no learning curve for our users, as simple as a single click.
Extract Essential Job Post Details
I've designed a side panel that displays the key information from the job post.
The side panel not only makes it easy for users to use the cover letter generator but also simplifies our development work.
Empowering Users for Successful Interviews
With the data we provide to our AI model, we can develop a chatbot to assist users in preparing for their interviews.
By leveraging the data fed into our AI model, we can offer personalized and timely assistance to users as they prepare for interviews.
What’s Next?
I designed the entire flow based on my past successes and extensive secondary research, but I still require time to validate that I've made the correct decision.
We're launching this version in the market, and I'll monitor user behavior to identify at which step they tend to drop off. This will allow me to make quick iterations for improvement.
We have temporarily disabled our referral program for maintenance. If you're interested in this, you can check it out here!
(Please note that the design of the referral program is outdated, and I'm currently working on updating components and fonts to ensure design consistency.)
Retrospective
Despite being affected by the layoff trend earlier this year, I didn't give up on chasing my dream as a product designer. I delved into this project to help people who are facing similar challenges.
I've learned from past experiences and keep refining my design and thinking process to benefit both users and the business. Job searching is a competitive field, so I break down complex tasks into smaller pieces and work on finding solutions step by step.
This project has been an opportunity for me to take on larger responsibilities, including assuming the role of a product manager and conducting research with limited resources. It has expanded my skill set and capabilities.