Context
freeC is a Southeast Asian HR and job-matching platform, competing in a crowded mobile-first market across Vietnam. The app connects job seekers with employers, with a business model dependent on user volume — which made onboarding conversion a critical metric.
I joined as Lead Product Designer and was given wide scope: improve the product, build the team, and move the numbers. Within 6 months I was promoted to Design Manager.
Problem
Drop-off during mobile onboarding was high and poorly understood. The existing flow had been built quickly and never systematically reviewed. Users were abandoning before completing profile setup, which meant they never reached the core value of the product — job matches.
The product team had intuitions about why users left, but no data to validate them. I started by refusing to touch the design until we understood the problem.
Process
Funnel analysis
I worked with the data team to map the onboarding funnel step by step. We identified that 61% of drop-off happened at two specific steps: the work experience form and the resume upload screen. Neither screen had been designed with mobile constraints in mind — both required inputs that were painful on a small touchscreen.
User interviews
I ran 14 user interviews with recent drop-offs, recruiting through the app's support channel. The pattern was clear: users didn't object to providing their information — they objected to providing it right now, without understanding what they'd get in return. The product was asking for effort before demonstrating value.
Redesign principles
From the research I pulled three design principles for the new onboarding: value first (show what the product does before asking for data), progressive commitment (ask for less upfront, more as users engage), and mobile-native inputs (replace text-heavy forms with tappable selections wherever possible).
Prototyping and testing
I built three prototype concepts in Figma, tested them with 8 users each, and iterated based on the findings. The winning approach showed personalised job matches after the user entered just their job category and location — turning the match list into a motivator for completing the full profile.
Building the team
In parallel, I hired and onboarded three junior designers, built a design review process, and created a basic component library to bring consistency across the product. This wasn't separate from the onboarding project — it was how we had the capacity to run it properly.
Outcome
The redesigned onboarding launched and conversion improved by 11.2% in the first 3 months. The progressive disclosure approach reduced the time-to-first-match for new users, which had a secondary positive effect on early engagement metrics.
I was promoted from Lead Product Designer to Design Manager six months into my tenure. By the end of the engagement, the design team had grown from 1 to 4 and we had a functioning design system and review cadence in place.
Learnings
Data and research are different things. The funnel analysis told me where people left. The interviews told me why. I needed both — neither alone would have been enough to design the right solution.
Asking for effort before showing value is a tax. Every field in an onboarding form is a micro-commitment. The product was charging the tax before the user knew what they were paying for.
Team building is product work. The only reason we could run this project properly was because I was building the design team at the same time. A solo designer couldn't have done the research, testing, and redesign at the pace the business needed.