Randstad Talents
2022
What if temporary work felt like levelling up?
Randstad wanted to rethink the experience of its young temporary workers: simpler job search, skills that get recognised, and a reason to stay loyal to Randstad between missions. For a Digital Campus Paris competition, our team of five proposed a web platform for them, along with the communication around it.
Problem area
Three frictions between missions
Young people often see temp work as a way to build a career, not a stopgap. Before any design work, the team interviewed three of them face to face, aged 22 to 27: a digital project manager, a temp worker and a mechanics student. All three already applied online and saw the agency as something to avoid. What they missed came after they clicked “apply”.
From those interviews, the team built two personas: Margaux, 22, who wants to follow her applications in real time, and Alexandre, 25, who wants his skills recognised so his agency puts him forward. A journey map from first visit to the end of a mission showed where the waiting and doubt sat: after applying, and after a mission ended.
Problem 1
Applications they couldn’t track once sent.
“Was it read? Was it rejected? And if so, why?” — Candice, 25
Problem 2
Profiles that ask a lot and give little back.
“I had trouble applying when they asked for too much information.” — Louis, 27
Problem 3
Repeated trips to the agency.
“Today we could do everything from home, so I don’t see why I’d go to the agency.” — Victor, 22
Design decision 01
A reward system young people already know
With my design partner, I benchmarked reward systems from brands popular with young people: Foursquare’s badges, Airbnb’s Superhost and Uber’s driver tiers. Each one rewards repeated good behaviour in a way users can see, which is what our temp workers were missing: a profile that gives something back.
We built ours on the same logic, in two layers: levels earned through hours worked, and soft-skill badges earned through employer endorsements. The pattern was already familiar to the people it was for. Its limit was just as clear: levels and badges only mean something if Randstad ties them to real benefits and keeps them alive. Design could propose the mechanic; sustaining it was a strategy decision, and we didn’t take it further.
Design decision 02
Randstad’s DNA, made younger
With my design partner, I built the Randstad Talents identity on Randstad’s own palette: its navy, blue, azure, red and yellow. We made it younger through type, pairing DIN Condensed for headings with Inter for text instead of Randstad’s Graphik. I created the logo the team kept, from the Randstad symbol itself, and drew the icon set for the levels and soft skills, such as a rocket for Responsive.
Design decision 03
Three frictions, answered in the screens
The team turned the journey into eleven high-fidelity desktop screens, from sign-up to the documents page. My design partner led the interfaces, and I joined him to finish them once the logo and icons were done. Gamification stays light: a level and badges next to the name, points on each mission, and skills the employer confirms after it. Most screens work on the three frictions from the interviews.
Retrospective
Selected for the whole system
Our solution was selected for its integrated approach, tying the interface to the communication around it. What we delivered was a concept, not a built product: a personalised dashboard and a gamification layer meant to keep workers engaged between missions.
View the presentation slides online.
