InFlow

Master Graduation Project - InFlow

InFlow is a service design project aimed at bridging the gap between international graduates and the UK’s creative industries, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The project focused on enhancing the visibility and employability of international talent by streamlining recruitment processes and showcasing fusion skills.

Role:

UI/UX Designer

Duration:

16 weeks

Tools:

Figma

Team:

Anqi Zhu, Zhiyu Huang

Partner:

Royal College of Art

Background

93% International graduates face significant challenges in navigating the UK job market,

limiting their opportunities to contribute to the UK's creative industries.

While diverse and international talent is crucial for the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), 68% SMEs struggle with traditional recruitment platforms due to their lower brand recognition, making it difficult to attract high-quality applicants. The unique and varied skill sets required by SMEs are not easily matched by conventional recruitment software, compounding these challenges. Additionally, with limited staff, these teams face a significant time burden in screening resumes and conducting interviews, often struggling to verify candidates' skills effectively. As a result, many SMEs rely on referrals for hiring, which narrows the talent pool and makes it even more difficult for newcomers, such as international graduates, to enter the market.

This reliance on referrals exacerbates skill shortages and threatens the diversity necessary for innovation, ultimately leading to lost business opportunities and the inability to reach new audiences.

Our Goal

1. HMW help international graduates discover and connect with SMEs in the UK?
2. HMW increase the visibility and attractiveness of international graduates through a more comprehensive and authentic demonstration of their abilities?
3. HMW provide accessible and targeted career guidance to graduates?

Building Trust + Matching Talent

What We Changed

Looking at the recruitment system and recruitment process to see what we've changed.

We transformed the traditional recruitment process by integrating AI-driven screening and multimedia elements.

Outcome - Service Proposal

InFlow is a platform designed to help international graduates seeking employment in the UK's creative industry by addressing their key challenges.

It offers a comprehensive solution that enables students to creatively showcase their abilities through a multimedia skill showcase, providing an engaging way to present their skills. InFlow also bridges the information gap by linking job seekers with SMEs in the UK, creating meaningful connections. Additionally, the platform offers accessible and targeted guidance by connecting job seekers with mentors. Overall, InFlow enhances employment opportunities, fosters mutual exposure, and promotes the inflow of diverse talent into the creative industry.

1. Creative Resume

Skill Up, Stand Out

Showcase your talents, validate your skills, and create stunning video resumes with Creative Resume.

2. Connection With SMEs

Connect Live, Work Smart

Bridging the info gap with live recruitment and company profiles, linking job seekers to UK creative SMEs.

3. Accessible Guidance

Career Support, Anytime

Accessible Guidance connects job seekers with mentors through live streaming and coaching, offering paid consultation to tackle job search challenges.

Final Design

StyleGuide & Components

Onboarding

To Customer

To Business

Research At A Glance

Q1: What are the PAINS of international graduates?

Through in-depth interviews with 20+ international graduates, including 8+ sessions lasting more than 40 minutes each, we mapped out the key stages and pain points in their job search journey. The most frequently mentioned challenges centered around information access, language barriers, and exposure to opportunities.

Q2: What INSIGHTS did we get from our interviews with SMEs?

Through in-depth interviews with SMEs, we identified 3 critical challenges they face when attracting and recruiting talent:.

Limited Brand Visibility

Many talented international graduates are simply unaware of these companies. This makes it difficult for SMEs to connect with top-tier talent through traditional platforms such as LinkedIn or Indeed.

A High Bar For Applicants

SMEs often have smaller teams and more specialised roles, which means they seek candidates who possess both strong professional skills and the ability to contribute to various aspects of the business. This naturally sets a high bar for applicants, creating an additional challenge in identifying suitable talent.

Resource Constraints

The recruitment process can be time-consuming and resource-intensive for SMEs. This includes managing the large volume of applications, conducting interviews, and verifying candidate skills. As a result, recruitment becomes a task that can’t be tackled frequently, and it requires careful consideration to ensure candidates also fit well within the team dynamics.

Q3: How did we derive solutions from pains to objectives?

Through careful inference, we analyzed the identified pain points and aligned them with clear objectives. Each pain point—whether related to information access, language barriers, or lack of exposure—guided us toward specific goals. To further refine these goals, we conducted a brainstorming workshop with 11 participants, generating 15 ideas. After thorough evaluation, we distilled these into the final solution that directly addresses the core challenges of international graduates.

Q3: Where are our opportunities?

Through comprehensive desk research, we identified key opportunity areas by analysing industry trends, market gaps, and user behaviour patterns. These insights allowed us to pinpoint strategic entry points where our solution could provide the greatest impact.

Growing Demand for Fusion Skills

As fusion skills—those that combine technical, cognitive, and social abilities—become increasingly crucial in the job market, there’s a significant opportunity to address the gap in developing and measuring these skills. With a projected growth of over 70% in analytical and creative thinking, businesses must focus on upskilling talent to adapt to dynamic environments.

Challenges for SMEs in Talent Visibility

SMEs are the backbone of creative industries, yet they often struggle to attract and retain top talent due to their limited resources and lower brand visibility. This opportunity is crucial because enhancing SME visibility directly addresses the equity gap between small and large businesses. By creating platforms or tools that improve SME visibility and access to diverse talent pools, you can have a significant impact on their ability to compete, innovate, and grow.

Visual Storytelling through Videos and Multimedia

The rise of multimedia and visual storytelling as part of recruitment processes is highly relevant in today’s content-driven world. Creative industries thrive on visual and engaging mediums, and candidates are increasingly showcasing their skills through platforms that prioritize these elements. Adopting this approach not only aligns with the way creative professionals present their work, but also engages candidates in a more immersive, authentic way.

Measuring Success

Hypothesis:

Creative resumes can help job seekers better showcase their skills.

Hypothesis:

Creative resumes can help job seekers better match the suitable position.

Hypothesis:

Watching live streaming and company profile could help job seekers better connect with SMEs.

Hypothesis:

Accessible guidance could fill the information gap and guide the career path.

Hypothesis:

Our interactions are user-friendly and clear.