Trajectory — Smart Job Application Platform
Product & UX • 2025 • Personal Project
Overview
Trajectory is a streamlined platform that helps applicants manage and complete job applications faster, with cleaner UX and assistive logic for repetitive fields.
Role: Product, UX, & Full-stack Developer
Tools: Figma, React, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, MySQL
Problem
Job seekers hit the same walls across applications: re-typing the same data, unclear progress, and mobile-hostile forms. Existing flows optimize for intake systems rather than humans, causing fatigue, errors, and drop-off—especially when juggling dozens of openings at once.
My Approach
Discovery — Interviews with recent grads and switchers to map friction in the end-to-end process (search → apply → track).
Synthesis — Journey maps and pain clusters (repetition, lack of preview, poor mobile ergonomics).
Ideation — Alternative form architectures and save/recall patterns; prioritization with MoSCoW for an MVP scope.
Prototyping — Interactive Figma flows tested with 5 users; rapid iterations on copy, grouping, and error states.
Build — React front end with reusable form components; MySQL schema for profiles, applications, and autosaved drafts.
UX Decisions
- Multi-step flow with clear milestones to reduce cognitive load and keep momentum.
- Progress tracker + inline validation to minimize backtracking and form fatigue.
- “Smart memory” for reusable fields (education, work history, links) across applications.
- Mobile-first tap targets and spacing; consistent 16:9 media for clean scanning.
- Accessible color/contrast, keyboard nav, and error messaging aligned to WCAG 2.2.
Final Build
MVP includes applicant dashboard, profile save/recall, application tracker, and structured form components. Current focus: admin views and basic analytics for application status, plus refinement of autosave logic.
Reflection
Building Trajectory reinforced how much small UX choices change user stamina in long flows. The biggest lesson was sequencing: designing the data model early makes every UI decision cleaner. Next, I’m expanding recruiter-facing tools and experimenting with simple AI-assist for field suggestions—always keeping applicants’ clarity and control at the center.