Overview

Amazon's employee referral process was cumbersome and frustrating. Referrals were being lost in a sea of emails, bonuses were late, and the program lacked transparency. I was responsible for improving the referral experience through a program rebrand and process overhaul.

Customer Obsession

To inform a user-centric design, I conducted in-depth research across various stakeholders, including candidates, employees, recruiters, hiring managers, and HR teams. Recognizing the nuanced needs of each role, I developed a deep understanding of their pain points and expectations.

Through in-depth interviews and observational studies, I immersed myself in the recruiting process. By witnessing firsthand how the program functioned in real-world scenarios, I gained invaluable insights into the pain points and desires of candidates, employees, and recruiting teams.

Defining the Core Issue

The referral process was hindered by a critical inefficiency: incomplete candidate information. While the system required specific data fields to be populated, candidates frequently bypassed the referral form, opting instead to email resumes. This manual workaround introduced errors and delays. To streamline the process and improve data accuracy, I identified the need for a user-friendly referral portal that would encourage form completion and minimize manual intervention.

Information Architecture

Prioritizing speed and efficiency, I partnered with recruiting teams to design a streamlined referral portal. By identifying critical data points and integrating with existing systems, I created a seamless experience for employees to submit referrals. Automation features, such as duplicate detection and bonus tracking, optimized the process for both recruiters and referrers.

User Interface Design

The referral portal was designed to live harmoniously within Amazon's intranet. By adhering to the established Amazon Employer Brand guidelines, I crafted a layout that felt familiar and intuitive, mirroring the look and feel of the internal job search tool. This design choice aimed to minimize cognitive load and create a sense of familiarity for users.

Testing

As an Experience Designer, I fostered a collaborative relationship with a core group of employee advisors who served as invaluable sounding boards for recruiting system feedback. Their deep understanding of the employee experience made them ideal candidates to test the new referral portal. By incorporating their insights throughout the design process, I ensured the portal aligned with employee needs and expectations.

Results

The redesigned referral portal was successfully launched on the company intranet for US corporate roles and subsequently expanded globally. The project exceeded expectations, driving significant growth in referrals and solidifying them as the primary source of corporate hires.

Marketing Campaign

To support the successful launch of the referral portal, I developed comprehensive training materials including graphics and presentations tailored for new hires and recruiting teams. This initiative enhanced awareness of the new system and provided a platform to address potential concerns for continuous improvements.