OccuSearch

How I shipped it

I led research → IA → flows → UI kit → prototype → QA with PM/Eng/QA.


Research & Discovery

I started by reviewing user feedback and migration scenarios to pinpoint where applicants lost confidence or dropped off. These findings shaped the core design priorities and revealed how the process needed to guide users more intuitively.

Information Architecture

I co-designed the IA with product and engineering to reduce friction and create a predictable flow.
Through progressive disclosure, I ensured information surfaced only when relevant — keeping users focused, reducing overwhelm, and improving task completion rates.

Product Integration (stakeholder ask → product pattern)

I consolidated multiple stakeholder requests into a single Tools Hub. By grouping essential calculators like Points, Visa Fees, Funds, and VEVO above the fold, I created a first-mile experience that was faster, consistent, and easier to navigate.

Content & Trust

I refined the microcopy to make every action purposeful and clear. To strengthen credibility, I added contextual Source and Last Updated details near decision points so users could rely on the accuracy of the data presented.

Collaboration

I worked closely with engineering, QA, and content teams to align on data cadence, test edge cases, and ensure stable behavior across empty, offline, and error states before launch.

Design Decisions

1) Home as a self‑serve tools hub (first‑mile design)

Users often bounced to agents or external websites for routine checks, increasing friction and delaying their first meaningful action.

To solve this, I transformed a stakeholder request for in-app calculators into an above-the-fold Tools Hub - a focused entry point featuring equal cards, verb-first labels, and shortcuts for Search, Recents, and Bookmarks so returning users could pick up instantly.

This denser home layout carried risk, but I mitigated it by grouping tools into one block, keeping labels concise, and moving promotions below the fold.

The result was a faster, more predictable first-mile experience that encouraged repeated use.

2) Occupation detail IA for focus, built for ANZSCO ⇄ CRICOS parity

Official migration sources tend to overload users with information, and most applicants don’t understand ANZSCO codes.

I collaborated with PM, engineering, and QA to design a more approachable information architecture that surfaces what matters first.

Search now prioritizes titles before codes to build confidence.

On the detail page, we introduced scrollable tabs (Eligibility, EOI statistics, Labour insights, and more) to keep content organized. Within State eligibility, users see state chips upfront; tapping expands the relevant rules instead of overwhelming them with long tables.

The same structure scales seamlessly across CRICOS courses, creating a natural link between course → occupation. This parity not only reduced relearning for users but also made the IA reusable for future modules.

The trade-off was one extra tap for depth, but it paid off with clarity, consistency, and faster development cycles validated through QA and engineering.

3) Funds = two calculators, one plan (coachmark → living costs → merged view)

Users often mixed up what they must show (visa requirements) with what they will actually spend (living costs). This caused repeated confusion and rework during planning.

To fix this, I introduced a non-blocking coachmark after the visa funds estimate that invites users to explore living costs.

The living cost journey follows a six-step flow — City → Area → Accommodation → Transport → Food → Utilities — each showing realistic ranges with a running monthly total.

At the end, a merged summary view compares the Funds to show (visa) against 12-month living costs, giving users a first-year outlay estimate with contextual badges such as Meets guidance or Below by A$X.

The trade-off was managing more states, but I mitigated it by limiting how often the coachmark appears, prefetching assets for speed, and using a unified comparison card to prevent users from conflating numbers.
The result was a smoother, more informative planning flow that balanced accuracy with usability.

One app, every answer.

OccuSearch delivers a guided, all-in-one experience that replaces multiple disconnected tools. Users can search occupations in plain language, see visa requirements and state demand in context, and use built-in tools like the Visa Fee Estimator, Fund Calculator, Points Test Calculator, and VEVO Check, without leaving the app.

Real-time updates ensure accuracy, while the design focuses on clarity, speed, and trust, helping users make decisions without cognitive overload.

Outcome

Post‑launch (2022–2023): 4.5★+ rating, 88% task completion on guided flows, and fewer drop‑offs. Feedback called out simplicity, accuracy, and speed vs the old process.
Definition: Task completion = a user finished a guided flow (e.g., Points, Fees, Funds, VEVO) from first step to result screen.

Credits & attribution

• Design: Solo Product Designer (me).

• Stakeholder input: Calculators were a business requirement; I shaped them into the first‑mile Tools hub (placement, grouping, labels, interaction patterns).

• Information architecture: Co‑designed with PM/Engineering/QA to reflect data, policy rules, and technical constraints; I led the interaction model, flows, and on‑screen copy.

• Data freshness & content ops: Engineering/content teams managed update cadence and validations.
  
  
  

This work was created at a previous employer. Content is adapted for portfolio use; sensitive details are modified to respect confidentiality.