SECTOR:
B2C | SaaS | Freelance Marketplace | AI Integration
ROLE:
UX/UI & Brand Designer (solo)
DURATION:
2.5 weeks (Sprint format)
YEAR:
2025
About.
FreeFlow is a solo UX case study of an AI-powered freelance platform that helps international freelancers find meaningful job opportunities tailored to their skills, work style, and career goals.
The platform offers three key features:
Three Search Modes based on AI.
Customizable filters with full transparency.
Legal & tax guidance for cross-border freelancers.
I led the full end-to-end process — from user research to final UI and brand design.
My goal was to build an experience that feels intuitive, emotionally supportive, and adaptable — especially for users facing uncertainty in new work environments.
Freelancers don’t just need jobs — they need clarity, relevance, and the feeling of being truly understood.
Research & insights.
It’s so hard to know which client to trust — and even harder to find work that actually fits my skills. Everything just feels like noise.
This is what I heard repeatedly during early interviews.
To design a product that truly supports freelancers, I started with deep immersion — not assumptions. My goal was to understand how freelancers search, what overwhelms them, and what kind of support they're missing.
Research Approach
I used a mixed-method UX research strategy to uncover pain points, patterns, and trust barriers across the freelance journey:
Surveys to identify common frustrations.
1:1 interviews to explore emotional struggles and trust issues and expectations.
UX teardown of competing platforms to map onboarding friction and platform logic.
These recurring pain points formed the foundation for deeper analysis, helping to extract key insights that shaped the design strategy.
Key Findings
These insights were echoed in both surveys and 1:1 interviews, highlighting trust and clarity as primary UX challenges.
Additional Insights
Trust and clarity consistently emerged as top unmet needs for freelancers using remote job platforms.
Trust is often broken by impersonal, generic platforms.
Platform audit confirming the need for both desktop and mobile versions — based on competitor offerings.
There’s demand for explained recommendations, not just endless lists.
Many freelancers want reassurance, not just results.
From Insights to Structure
Turning empathy into action through analytical UX methods.
To translate research insights into clear design decisions, I applied a set of targeted UX tools that helped define priorities, navigation, and structure.
These tools bridged the gap between what users feel — and what the platform should do.
Strategic Design Tools Used
1) User Persona & Journey Mapping
→ to uncover emotional triggers and identify key decision points in the freelance job search process.
I don't want hundreds of offers. I want one that actually fits and feels real.
Her Pain Points:
Feels overwhelmed by chaotic job boards.
Worries about project trust and payment reliability.
Wastes time filtering irrelevant listings.
Feels uncertain about legal/tax implications.
Struggles to compare and evaluate job options.
Her Needs & Motivations:
Clear, logic-based job recommendations she can trust.
Smart filters that feel "made for her".
Guidance with legal /tax setup for international work.
A platform that feels calm, safe, and aligned with her skills, goals and pace.
Anna represents a typical freelancer navigating a global market with emotional and structural friction. She wants to feel safe, understood, and respected — not just hired.
This persona was based on interview data and recurring behavioral patterns.
2) Affinity Diagramming
→ to group patterns around trust, search fatigue, and the need for clear logic behind recommendations.
3) MoSCoW Prioritization
→ to define which features were essential for MVP, and which could be added later.
4) SWOT Analysis
→ to assess market position and identify platform differentiation opportunities.
5) Card Sorting
→ to structure navigation and feature grouping in a way that aligns with how freelancers mentally organize tasks and goals.
These methods helped translate qualitative research into an actionable architecture — one that balances freedom, structure, and clarity.
From Strategy to Core Flow
Turning prioritized features into one focused, AI-driven user journey.
After clustering insights and defining MVP priorities through Affinity Mapping and MoSCoW analysis, I designed the main user flow for FreeFlow — an AI-powered job recommendation path.
While the platform also offers manual search and matching-based filtering, this flow represents the core user experience, designed to reduce overwhelm and increase trust.
Result.
Based on user pain points, research findings, and structured feature prioritization, I designed a focused core solution that reduces overwhelm and builds trust during job search.
This dual approach lets users choose how much guidance they want while always understanding how results are shaped.
Visual System & Branding
The visual identity of FreeFlow was shaped by the emotional state of the user.
Freelancers facing chaotic platforms, unclear filters, and trust issues need a space that feels calm and supportive — not noisy or salesy. The color system is soft and neutral, creating a sense of clarity and psychological comfort.
Typography prioritizes readability, and all components follow a clear hierarchy with generous spacing. The brand tone is friendly, mature, and empathetic — designed to feel like a steady companion, not a loud marketplace.
Final Screens and Prototype
Based on user interviews and competitor research, it became clear that freelancers frequently switch between devices — browsing jobs on the go and managing applications in focused desktop sessions.
To support this behavior, I designed both a responsive web platform for full control and a mobile app for fast access, communication, and tracking.
The final prototype brings together everything defined through user research, prioritization, and interaction logic. It reflects a calm, intelligent interface that guides users through the job search process — with AI-driven suggestions, real-time filtering feedback, and lightweight interactions.
Key features visible here include:
– AI clever filtering - quick smart suggestion powered by AI.
– AI Match PRO - advanced matching tailored to the user's full profile.
– Manual Filtering, including Job relating filters section and Client relating filters section.
The UI structure aims to feel intuitive and non-intrusive — respecting the user’s pace and preferred level of autonomy.
Testing & Iteration
To validate the direction of the user flow, I conducted a moderated 1:1 usability test with a real freelance professional. I observed how they interacted with the prototype in real time, focusing on the job search flow.
Key insights from the session:
Job cards felt overloaded with too much information at first glance.
→ I iterated by stripping the cards down to only the most essential data, moving details to the job description page.
Job search flow felt intuitive and self-guided
→ The user was able to complete the main path without help, confirming the strength of the chosen structure.
Changes made after testing:
Simplified job cards for better scanability
Emphasized core job-seeking flow as the platform’s central experience
Added clear CTA and reduced clutter in the AI suggestions screen
This session confirmed that focusing on one core flow — AI-powered job suggestions — was the right UX decision, both in terms of UX and user emotional experience.
Next Steps
Building on the initial user flow and core AI recommendations, the next phase of FreeFlow would focus on deeping trust and long-term value for cross-border freelancers.
Planned future enhancements include:
Localized onboarding guidance
Tailor the onboarding flow based on user's location and legal context, making setup feel more relevant and reassuring.
Legal & Tax Resource Hub
Provide region-specific content and tools that help freelancers navigate complex compliance questions.
Expert access
Offer on-demand consultations with verified professionals in cross-border legal and tax fields.
Community and mentorship Layer
Create a support space for freelancers to share experience, ask questions, and grow through connection.
Takeaways
Empathy guided e every design decision — not just research. As someone who’s lived the experience of a relocating freelancer, I knew that emotional safety is just as important as clean UX. I didn’t just follow the data — I asked myself:
“What would make me feel calm, in control, and welcome here?”
That question shaped every decision — from flow to tone to layout spacing.
Testimonial.
I tested the platform and it felt smooth and intuitive. The interface guided me without ever forcing me — I could clearly see what was happening and why.
Fabian Homburg
UX/UI | Graphic Designer
