Placemeet – Design sprint
A networking feature designed to make online job matchmaking as natural and effective as in-person events.
🧭 Context
Placemeet is a French startup focused on creating virtual events that replicate the feel of physical gatherings. The platform allows users to move between thematic rooms, attend workshops, and participate in conferences, just like they would at a real event.
For this project, we designed a “Job Dating” feature: a speed-networking experience that connects job seekers and recruiters in timed, one-on-one sessions.
👩💻 My Role
I worked as the UX/UI Designer on this feature, initially collaborating with the two co-founders. Later, I worked in pair design with Élodie, an intern, during the prototyping phase. As we were fully remote, we used Miro for collaboration and planning.
🎯 The Goal
Our long-term goal for this feature was ambitious but clear:
Ensure that at least 25% of participants secure a second meeting following a job dating session, in events with up to 500 attendees.
🏃♀️ Design Sprint Process
We based our approach on Jake Knapp’s Design Sprint framework (spoiler: it took longer than five days!). Here’s how we tackled it:
1. Mapping & Sprint Questions
We defined our long-term goal and sprint questions, then created a challenge map to identify key pain points and pick the most critical one to solve.
2. “How Might We” Questions
We generated a wide range of HMWs, categorised them, and voted on the most impactful ones to inform ideation.
3. Inspiration & Competitive AnalysisInspiring solutions
We researched similar platforms and collected UI/UX patterns that inspired us or solved comparable problems.
4. Crazy 8’s
We sketched 8 rapid ideas in 8 minutes, focusing on different ways to improve the experience.
5. Solution Sketching
Each one of us refined one solution in detail. We then presented and voted on the best ideas, focusing on feasibility and alignment with our long-term goal.
6. Storyboarding
We built a detailed storyboard of the user experience, focusing on both participants and speakers.
🔧 Use Cases
We defined use cases for:
- Participants: Job seekers registering, inputting preferences, joining timed video sessions, and reviewing matches.
- Speakers/Recruiters: Setting up sessions, reviewing candidates, and receiving match suggestions.
- Organisers: Setting up events, managing ticketing, defining matchmaking criteria, and overseeing session flow via a dashboard.
🧪 Prototyping & Usability Testing
Using our storyboards, we developed a Figma prototype.
We tested the prototype with 7 users, conducting remote, moderated usability sessions via Placemeet.
- We created the interview script and aligned it with our sprint hypotheses.
- Élodie and I took turns conducting interviews and note-taking.
🔍 Key Findings & Iteration
- Improved screen layout: Users needed better visual structure and guidance through the job dating process.
- Refined sequence of steps: Reordered screens for a more intuitive flow.
- Added examples and tooltips: Helped reduce friction and confusion, especially around the matchmaking criteria.
We logged all findings in Notion, clearly highlighting takeaways for team visibility and future reference.
📈 Outcome
User response was overwhelmingly positive, some even volunteered to become beta testers once the feature is live. While it hasn’t been developed yet, we were optimistic about its future.
💡 Reflections
- What worked well: The sprint format helped us align quickly on goals and user needs, even in a remote setting.
- What could be improved: With more time, we would’ve liked to explore organiser-specific needs further and test with a larger, more diverse sample of users.