CV Maker

Researching new ways to help people land their dream jobs.

How did we help:
UX Research Visual Identity Product Design Design System Website Design & CMS
CV Maker Hero

SaaS

Amsterdam, Netherlands

None

11 — 50 employees

www.cvmaker.uk


The client

CV Maker is an online tool and resource platform that helps job applicants all over the world to level up their CVs or resumes. Designed for users with limited design knowledge, CV Maker offers a wide variety of templates and tips, increasing a candidate’s chances of securing their next job.

The challenge

CV Maker approached BB Agency to help them stand out from the crowd and create a more memorable brand experience. Initially, this meant a visual identity refresh and update — but after our extensive UX research and testing revealed some enormous opportunities for improvement in their product, we got to work on a building the totally new CV Maker, head-to-toe.

The solution

Synthesizing our customer research and usability data, we defined a series of key insights for CV Maker and recommendations for how to improve the overall user experience, the core functionality of the product, the pricing model and the brand look and feel.

We designed a new visual identity, CV Maker platform, website, CV templates, and a comprehensive design system for all touchpoints.

CV Maker logo
CV Maker logo
CV maker design elements with photo of a man smiling and hands typing on a laptop
CV Maker logo in circles of various colors
CV Maker CV example
CV Maker website detail
CV Maker posters mockups by BB Agency

Strategic brand development

Based on our customer research, data analysis, and user interviews we’ve defined our key personas. These personas proceeded to form the basis of the new identity. We knew that the brand needed to communicate to people of every race, ethnicity, age, socio-economic status, and national origin.

CV Maker’s visual identity has been completely transformed with a new typeface, colour palette, and illustration style to breathe life and personality into the brand.

We’ve considered both digital and print applications including social media, ads, posters, billboards, and CV templates; helping CV Maker to prepare for the next phase of its brand development.

CV maker design elements with photo of a woman smiling
CV Maker typography
CV Maker Twitter Tweet mockup by BB Agency
CV Maker primary colors
CV Maker Facebook page mockup by BB Agency
CV maker posters simulation by BB Agency
CV Maker pattern by BB Agency
CV Maker custom illustrations by BB Agency
CV Maker brand guidelines

Research and customer experience.

Customer Research
We carried out a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis based on data within customer’s CVs and follow-up interviews. Using this data, we created four user personas for CV Maker allowing us to better respond to the different challenges and goals of their typical customers. These personas proceeded to form the bedrock of both our strategic brand development and user experience design.

Usability Reporting
As well as understanding the customers on an emotional level, we collated and analysed extensive information about how people were using the website. This included retention and referral data, charting typical user flows, creating heatmaps of the most engaging areas of the site, and examining the stages of the process where users most often quit.

Key Insights
We defined a series of key insights for CV Maker and recommendations for how to improve the overall user experience, the core functionality of the product, the pricing model and the brand look and feel.

CV Maker personas
CV Maker user interview
CV Maker journey mapping
CV Maker Usability Research Findings and Recommendations by BB Agency
CV Maker user flow
CV Maker wireframes

The new CV Maker.

In a matter of months, we completely overhauled the resume building tool; modernising the experience, designing hundreds of templates and introducing a host of new features such as interactive previews, drag and drop interactivity, industry-specific phrase suggestions, and customizable blocks. Grammar checking and tone detection were added to aid non-native English speakers, and low-density templates were designed to help those with less work experience to fill the page more confidently.

We also expanded the CV Maker offer, adding a jobs board, application tracking, personal microsites and more.

CV Maker website shown on a laptop

Based on our research and user interviews, we’ve created an interactive CV builder that supports advanced features like grammar checks, and tone detection.

CV Maker mobile app mockup shown on a phone screen by BB Agency
CV Maker mobile app mockup shown on a phone screen by BB Agency
CV Maker website shown on a laptop
CV Maker web mockup by BB Agency
CV Maker web design elements

Bringing it all together.

The UX issues on the homepage have been addressed with a new layout, offering users a preview of the product before they commit.

We adapted CV maker’s pricing model to offer a free version as well as the premium subscription, to retain more customers and limit abandonment at the paywall.

On top of these enhancements, the visual identity has also been completely transformed with a new typeface, colour palette and illustration style to breathe life and personality into the brand.

CV maker website
CV Maker app mockup on a phone screen by BB Agency
CV maker design elements with photo of a woman looking at her phone
CV Maker animation
CV Maker web mockup by BB Agency
CV Maker top of the website mockup
CV Maker website shown on a desktop computer
CV Maker website
CV Maker animation
CV Maker website

Systemizing everything.

We created a comprehensive design system consisting of guidelines on photography, CV templates, cover letters, typography, colour usage, iconography, components and modules. This will allow CV maker team to maintain their visual identity across all platforms and touchpoints.

CV Maker web grid by BB Agency
CV Maker colors
CV Maker CVs templates examples
Wonde color palette and design elements

The Result.

Through a successful and trusting relationship with the CV Maker team, we were able to dramatically enhance both their brand and product to better meet the needs of job seekers everywhere.

In a time when standing out in the jobs market has never been so important, CV Maker has been redesigned to help democratize the process of building a beautiful resume. By removing some of the major cultural and technical barriers to this essential task, we aspired to create a level playing field for applicants from diverse backgrounds and with different accessibility needs.

The new CV Maker was launched on December 2021, and we look forward to updating the results here when performance data is available.

Our services

Branding

  • Identity development
  • Digital and print collateral
  • Brand guidelines

Discovery

  • Competitive benchmarking
  • Customer research and data analysis
  • User interviews and user personas
  • User flows and customer journey
  • Information architecture
  • Wireframes

Digital experience

  • Marketing Website
  • Digital product
  • Design system
  • Interactions and animations
  • Illustrations

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