Redesigning an
AI resume builder
for Independent Use

Repositioning AI from primary interface to contextual assistant
within a structured workflow.

Repositioning AI from primary interface to contextual assistant within a structured workflow.

01. Project Overview

Project Summary

Recovery Jobs' AI resume builder was meant to empower patients in addiction treatment centers to create professional resumes.

But 90% of users couldn’t complete them without professional facilitation. When the company desided to offer the product directly to consumers, this became an existential problem.

Impact

  • Usability success increased from 10% → 85%

  • Reduced facilitator dependency

  • Enabled scalable B2C launch

Platform

B2C Desktop Web Platform +

B2C Mobile Web App

Role

Lead Product Designer
(End-to-End UX)

Scope

0 to handoff 3 weeks

02. Defining the problem

Nearly 90% of users could not complete the process independently

The original resume builder was designed for use inside treatment centers, with trained facilitators guiding each session. It was built as a friendly, compassionate chatbot experience.

When the company prepared to launch a direct-to-user app, I ran usability tests and field observations in treatment centers.

Cognitive Load Under Open-Ended AI Interaction -

  • Hold your entire work history in working memory while deciding what to write next

  • Make sense of a new kind of interface with no visible structure, progress, or orientation

  • Navigate an open-ended conversation with AI technology

Cognitive Load Under Open-Ended AI Interaction -

  • Hold your entire work history in working memory while deciding what to write next

  • Make sense of a new kind of interface with no visible structure, progress, or orientation

  • Navigate an open-ended conversation with AI technology

03. Design Strategy

Follow familier design patterns

What We Considered -

  • Fully guided step-by-step wizard (rejected: reduced flexibility)

  • Pure chatbot interface (existing; caused overload)

  • Hybrid structured + AI sidecar (chosen)

clear navogation

All section of the resume are available by buttons and by clicking on the relevant section.

Reduced cognetive load

Clear instructions with recovery-informed language.

Instant feedback

A real-time preview of the updated resume is always in view, making progress tangible.

Progressive Disclosure

Each section opened into a focused workspace:

Intentional Field order

  • AI guidance and examples on the right/top

  • Structured fields on the left/bottom

Ai assistance in context

AI assistance is always present, but unintrusive.

Progressive Disclosure

Each section opened into a focused workspace:

Intentional Field order

The professional summary generation unlocked only after resume completion, so AI could assist based all available information.

section-sepecific guidence

Tailored specifically to the needs of individuals in recovery.

Important note on Context-Aware AI Integration

The AI was intentionally trained to provide context-aware guidance around recovery-specific challenges, such as explaining employment gaps, using compassionate and non-judgmental language, and gently reframing modest or fragmented experience into credible professional accomplishments.

04. Review and Impact

Project Summary

This project reshaped how I think about AI design -

AI is not a silver bullet, nor is it inherently intuitive. It required robust research, realistic constraints, and careful consideration of context and users. Without a familiar structure, it becomes a cognitive burden.

If I revisited this project today, I’d invest earlier in longitudinal testing across multiple recovery centers.
But the core principle remains:
Design for the human nervous system first.

Usability success:

10% → 85%

User independence:

Over 90% of users now complete resumes independently.

Program scalability:

Centers no longer bottleneck on facilitation

rEAD NEXT-

rEAD NEXT-

0-1 facility floor managment

Digitized compliance workflows for enterprise food manufacturers under strict regulatory oversight

Business Model

B2B

Platform

Tablet, Desktop

Impact

Digitized compliance workflows without breaking legacy habits.

Onboarding flow overhaul

Redesigning Otrafy’s Onboarding for Frictionless Adoption

Business Model

B2B

Platform

Desktop Web App

Impact

Reduced onboarding time from months to days