ParrotPrep.ai

Designing and documenting a complete product refresh for an AI-powered interview prep startup.

My work with ParrotPrep is ongoing, so this page is still under construction! The case study below outlines my work in the first half of my internship, and will be updated at its completion.

OVERVIEW

ParrotPrep is an AI-powered mock interview app designed to help junior job-seekers access customized interview prep.

As a recently-launched startup, ParrotPrep looks to establish itself in the sea of rapidly growing AI ventures, balancing stand-out style with product musts in its accelerated timeline.

As the lead product design intern, I constructed the design infrastructure for my team from scratch and completed a UI overhaul on both its website and web app.

Timeline

Oct 2024 - Present

Team

2 developers
1 growth marketing intern

Role

Product design intern

Tools

Figma

Disciplines

UI/UX design Design systems

※ This project has two phases, as seen in the timeline below. The current case study covers the first phase!

Landing page refresh

Web app UI refresh

Oct

Nov

Dec

Present

CONTEXT

What is the ask?

ParrotPrep aims to be the premier interview preparation tool on the market, but in order to do that, it must first capture the eyes – and hearts – of its target demographic. Its base function is to take user input and provide a personalized mock interview experience with its AI-powered agent Polly. (say hi to Polly!)

Starting October, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside a lean team (two developers and one marketing intern) to build a brand identity and connect with user needs in our MVP. As the lead product design intern, I worked closely with my team to address the following question:

How might we unite the visual and functional needs of our users to make the ParrotPrep MVP stand out, attract, and work?

This is what ParrotPrep looked like before.

PREVIEW OF THE FINAL SOLUTION

And this is how far we've come.

DISCOVERY

Background research

As a start-up with limited resources, user-centric data collection methodologies were out of reach in the early stages of my design process.

Instead, I turned my attention to competitor research to measure the existing AI interview preparation (IP) market. These were the key questions I kept in mind ↴

01 / What do we need to fit in?

Determining the minimum product offerings that allow our product to compete in the market, as well as the design language to cement our legitimacy.

02 / What do we need to stand out?

Understanding the gaps in the market with regard to brand, tone, and image, to target underserved demographics with a uniquely tailored product.

KEY INSIGHTS / MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT

Beyond a functioning interview flow, there are a number of features that competitors share. These are the fundamentals that my team and I agreed to prioritize in redesigning our product.

PHASE 1. The Landing Page

Based on our competitors, we selected the following basic elements to integrate in our landing page redesign.

Hero section with unique value proposition, calls-to-action (CTAs), and metrics
Testimonials, numbers, and other ethos-markers to establish credibility
Simplified onboarding showcase
Feature showcase

Incorporating these core elements establishes our credibility in the IP app niche, while adding our own spin highlights our unique positioning.

PHASE 2. The Product

Spoilers!

Accessibility!
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Starting a new interview should be an accessible button across the majority of screens
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Improving the information available to the user through cards, post-interview reports, and more.

KEY INSIGHTS / BRANDING + DESIGN SYSTEM

Now to address standing out.

There are two questions that I had at the core of my design philosophy throughout this project. (1) What is it that I want to communicate? (2) How can I communicate that effectively?
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Internally, we had a comp title (link to comp title explanation) for ourselves: the Duolingo of interview preparation. What does that mean?

Well, it means that as students and recent grads, we recognized an opening in the market for an IP app catered towards that demographic: students, junior job-seekers, dorm-room resume warriors who sought digestible, accessible, and entertaining resources for their professional development.

Q: So how can I communicate that?

A: The branding!

Our visual identity is still a work in progress, but check out what we’re cooking below. Oh, plus an 8-point grid system to simplify design-to-dev pass-off.

As a designer communicating directly with the devs, it was crucial to prioritize communication in this project.
All design decisions were aligned with the base visual language we defined early on, with variables and styles syncing the screens on the UX-level.

IDEATION

Oh, the places we've been!

Take a look at the process for developing our brand new landing page, from my sketches to my mid-fidelity screens.

THE FINAL SOLUTION

A fresh face for ParrotPrep.ai.

Meet the first (of many) screens which merge the new visual identity of ParrotPrep with a seamless user-centered design process.

Our refreshed landing page aims to communicate how ParrotPrep can help you – the junior job-seeker, the student, and the in-between – in navigating this stage of your career trajectory.

At your own pace.

P.S. We made it mobile-friendly too →

NEXT STEPS

But wait, there's more!

I’m still working on this project with my lovely team over at ParrotPrep, and we’re now reimagining our core app functionalities, how they’re designed, and some peripheral features.
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Stay tuned to learn more about what we do next! In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at features (designed by yours truly).