Rawitphoom Kiatthitinan

Context

NextStep is an app designed to empower international students seeking part-time employment. The app combines job searching, AI-driven interview preparation, and work-hour tracking into one platform, this app simplifies the challenges students face when balancing work and academics.

Process

The project began by identifying key pain points for international students, including limited work-hour regulations and interview preparation barriers. My role focused on designing and prototyping the user interface and interaction flows. I created interactive elements such as the work-hour tracker, job application buttons, and navigation for key pages like Home, Saved Jobs, and Account. Using Figma and ProtoPie, I developed features such as a dynamic timer for tracking hours, login/sign-up conditions, and a search function. To ensure the app met user expectations, we conducted usability tests and refined the design based on feedback.

One of the biggest challenges was prototyping the AI interview practice feature in ProtoPie. I had to make the counting timer that started when users pressed “Record,” which required adding simple code to simulate the countdown. Another challenge was creating how the AI responds to specific keywords. I set up keyword-triggered replies to make it feel interactive without real AI. Since this was just a prototype, the AI couldn’t truly listen, so I had to carefully plan how the interactions would feel real.

Final Product

Reflection

The prototype was tested with users, and we refined it based on their feedback. The updated version improved clarity and better supported users through the interview prep process. This project helped me improve my design thinking and understand how small changes in layout, clarity, and guidance can make a big impact on usability.