Designmatch
DesignMatch – Building the Future of Creative Collaboration connects world-class designers with startups and companies through a curated matching platform focused on quality, trust, and efficiency. The platform streamlines hiring by combining data-driven talent assessment, automated onboarding, and end-to-end project management — helping teams find the right designer in days, not weeks.
Originally launched as a design-talent marketplace, DesignMatch evolved into a full ecosystem that empowers both clients and creatives to collaborate seamlessly and scale high-impact design projects worldwide.
Key Features
- Smart Matching Engine – AI-assisted designer–client pairing based on skills, style, and project goals.
- Talent Profiles – Rich, portfolio-driven designer profiles showcasing verified experience and outcomes.
- Project Workspaces – Integrated communication and asset-sharing tools to keep design workflows organized.
- Milestone Management – Transparent deliverables, timelines, and payment tracking for every project.
- Community & Growth – Access to design resources, mentorship, and career development opportunities.
As Head of Product & Design at DesignMatch, I led the brand, UX/UI design, and end-to-end customer journey — from onboarding flows to product positioning — helping establish DesignMatch as a trusted marketplace for design talent and creative partnerships.
Challenge
DesignMatch aimed to streamline the designer–client hiring process by reducing friction and bias in early-stage evaluations. The biggest bottleneck wasn’t finding talent — it was the interview stage. Startups and agencies spent days scheduling and conducting first calls, while designers struggled to stand out through static portfolios alone.
The key challenges were:
- Time-Consuming Screening – Manual scheduling and repetitive interviews slowed down hiring decisions.
- Lack of Personality Insight – Portfolios and resumes failed to capture communication style, confidence, and culture fit.
- Inefficient Matching Process – Without richer candidate data, clients often needed multiple calls to find the right designer.
To address this, the team explored incorporating asynchronous video interviews directly into each designer’s profile — creating a more human, faster, and insight-driven way to match creatives with clients.
Deliverables
To address these challenges, I designed and led the creation of a seamless, asynchronous hiring experience within DesignMatch, including:
- Video Profiles – Integrated asynchronous video interviews into designer profiles, allowing clients to assess communication style, clarity, and personality instantly.
- Interview Dashboard – Built an internal tool for clients to browse, shortlist, and compare candidates based on both portfolio and recorded responses.
- Automated Prompts – Designed a question system that automatically adapts to each role or project category, ensuring relevant and fair evaluation.
- Candidate Insights – Introduced playback analytics to help identify standout designers and reduce manual screening time.
- End-to-End Flow Redesign – Reimagined the onboarding journey for both clients and designers to incorporate async video seamlessly without adding friction.
- Brand & Visual System – Refreshed the platform’s visual language to align with a more human, approachable, and professional tone.
- Trust Layer Enhancements – Improved credibility through verified profile badges, interview confirmations, and transparent review systems.
- Performance Optimization – Collaborated with engineering to optimize video upload, compression, and playback across browsers
Results
“Working with Lucas was an absolute game-changer for DesignMatch. He played a key role in bringing our vision to life, from concept to execution, and his ability to translate complex ideas into clear, user-centered design made a huge impact on the success of our project. Beyond his exceptional design skills, Lucas brought energy, strategy, and leadership to the process. He truly became a core part of the DesignMatch team and was instrumental in shaping the product experience our users love today."
Conclusion
DesignMatch showcases how thoughtful UX and product strategy can transform complex hiring workflows into frictionless, human-centered experiences. By integrating asynchronous video interviews and redesigning the end-to-end hiring flow, the platform reduced time-to-hire, improved match quality, and built stronger trust between clients and designers. This project highlights the impact of combining user empathy with scalable systems — creating a hiring process that feels as personal as it is efficient.
