Interviews with Akbank Design Studio

Transparency emerged as one of the strongest themes throughout our research process. Candidates consistently emphasized the importance of clearly understanding where they were in the application journey, what the next step would be, and what to expect along the way.While many of these steps already existed in the recruitment process, the experience itself was not always easy to follow. To address this, we redesigned the communication and tracking flow to be more intuitive, informative, and user-friendly. By improving content clarity, progress visibility, and guidance at each stage, we made the process feel more transparent and easier to navigate.

The scale of our research fundamentally changed how we approached the platform. Rather than starting with assumptions, we conducted interviews, workshops, usability tests, surveys, tree tests, and benchmarking studies involving more than 400 participants.One of the most important findings was that different user groups entered the platform with very different goals. Students, recent graduates, and experienced professionals were looking for different opportunities, content, and levels of guidance. This led us to restructure the information architecture around user needs rather than internal organizational structures.Research also showed that candidates needed clearer access to relevant content, recruitment programs, and job opportunities. In response, we redesigned the navigation with more focused entry points, simplified content hierarchies, and clearer pathways between sections. These decisions helped create a more intuitive and guided experience, something that would have been difficult to achieve through a conventional, assumption-based design process.

The most defining decision was treating recruitment not as a transactional system, but as a holistic experience. Instead of designing only for job applications, we designed for the emotional and operational journey of everyone involved.This meant creating transparency for candidates, efficiency for recruiters, and clarity for hiring managers within the same ecosystem. That shift in perspective shaped every design decision and allowed the platform to move beyond functionality into a more human-centered and scalable experience.

One of the most challenging moments was balancing the expectations of multiple stakeholders while protecting the simplicity of the user experience. Different teams had different priorities, and many of them were equally valid.The defining shift was learning to use research as a common language. Instead of relying on opinions, we grounded decisions in user insights and testing results. This not only reduced conflict but also strengthened trust in the design process across teams.

One significant moment came during our testing of the application flow. Initially, we believed a more compact and flexible structure would make the process faster. However, user testing showed that candidates needed clearer guidance and stronger visibility into what was expected at each step.This insight led us to redesign the experience into a step by step guided flow with clearer progress tracking and contextual support. It was a strong reminder that efficiency does not always mean simplicity; sometimes clarity matters more.

The platform was designed as a long-term internal asset, not just a project. By bringing recruitment operations in-house and reducing dependency on external providers, it established a more sustainable, controllable, and adaptable recruitment ecosystem for Akbank.Looking ahead, we see strong potential for deeper AI integration, more personalized candidate journeys, and smarter recruiter tools. Because the architecture is modular and scalable, the system can continue evolving with organizational needs while preserving its consistency and user-centered foundation.

For many people, especially those at the beginning of their careers, recruitment can feel uncertain and intimidating. We wanted to shift that feeling into something more guided, transparent, and supportive.By combining clear communication, personalized CV tools, application tracking, and direct recruiter messaging, the platform creates a more human and connected experience. The CV builder not only supports applications within Akbank but also helps candidates prepare themselves for their broader career journey. This way, the platform becomes not just a recruitment tool, but a companion in the early stages of professional life.

The Explore and Blog sections were designed to extend the platform beyond recruitment into cultural storytelling. Through our research, we learned that candidates wanted to understand not only the job itself but also the people, values, and working environment behind it.This situation shaped both the editorial tone and the visual direction. Before logging in, the platform places more emphasis on real photos from the Akbank environment to meet real Akbank employees and create a relatable first impression. Once on the platform, illustration-focused components become more visible, guiding users practically and gradually introducing them to Akbank's internal visual language without disrupting the onboarding flow.

This was one of the most complex aspects of the project. Candidates and recruiters have fundamentally different goals, frequencies of use, and expectations.We approached this by designing distinct but connected experiences. Candidate interfaces focused on clarity, guidance, and emotional reassurance, while recruiter interfaces prioritized efficiency, data visibility, and operational speed. The challenge was maintaining consistency across both experiences while allowing each to feel purpose-built. This balance became one of the platform’s strongest design principles.