Role
Product Designer
Context
Internship
Timeline
June 2025 - August 2025
Project Overview #1
Employer Job "Promotions" creation flow
Background + Goal
Handshake was preparing to launch a beta program that let employers pay to promote their jobs across the platform.
This would make promoted jobs appear as Promoted, aiming to increase visibility and engagement.
Ideation Part 2: Presenting Value
I worked on finalizing the design of the creation flow for these promotions.
We simplified the experience into three clear steps:
Select job
Select promotion start date
Preview and schedule
Key Design Decisions
This “lightweight” project involved several meaningful trade-offs.
Blank-state vs table:
We had to decide between starting with a blank search bar or showing a table of all jobs. The team chose the table view, since it gave employers better control and aligned with existing patterns in the product.
Modal vs. full-page:
A modal would have been faster and felt lightweight. But we knew promotions might grow in complexity (by adding features such as audience targeting, budget tiers, etc). We went with a full-page flow to future-proof the design.
Outcome
The flow shipped as part of the beta and is continuing to evolve. 🥳
This project wrapped up near the end of my internship, but it gave me valuable experience seeing how a simple feature can involve careful trade-offs.
I learned from working closely with my mentor how to make design choices that consider both current usability and long-term scalability.
Project Overview #2
Exploring the visual identity for Handshake as a sender
Background + Problem
Students were confused by Handshake’s boosted job messages.
Students believed they were getting 1:1 messages from employers, only to realize they weren’t.
Employers, meanwhile, received awkward “thanks for reaching out!” replies from students for messages they hadn’t actually written.
Early Explorations (Before I Joined)
The design team explored whether Handshake itself could act as the “sender”, instead of employers.
The team tested three authorship directions:
Handshake, [Company Name]
Olivia at Handshake (AI persona)
Handshake insights ✨
Results showed a slight edge for Olivia because students "trusted it more". The AI persona direction also hinted at potential opportunities for future personality and brand-building.
Side-by-side mockups of three different authorship tests.
My Contribution
I led the visual identity exploration for how an AI sender could look and feel in Handshake.
The AI-generated messaging needed to feel trustworthy but not human-written. I scoped how other products represented AI and proposed variations that existed within Handshake's design library.
From there, I experimented widely, pulling brand assets from Handshake onboarding, borrowing cues from our emerging HandshakeAI product, using sparkles/emojis, and even reviving a deprecated “ghost” character.
Grid of visual explorations featuring existing assets, emojis, AI-generated gradients, and other styles.
Design Decisions
These were promising directions but we ran into a cross-team challenge of how far to push.
After several design studios and critiques, we had several design-appropriate, engineering-ready options. The real challenge was strategic, should we:
Go slow and steady?
Start with “Handshake Insights” using the existing logo, building user trust gradually.
Go bold?
Fully launch Olivia as a new sender identity and iterate based on live feedback.
Outcome + Learnings
The team chose the incremental path, a valuable lesson in timing and alignment. 🔎
While my explorations are on pause, I learned how to scope and define visual identity in a space with few existing patterns, and how to bring structure to ambiguity when multiple teams have different instincts.
Project Overview #3
Intern Hackathon · Launchpad
Context + Opportunity
During a 48-hour intern hackathon, I explored how Handshake’s newest initiative could provide unique value to non-university affiliated Gen Z.
Handshake has recently expanded beyond college students, which created a unique challenge: new non-university affiliated users might not know how to present themselves to employers or prepare for the job search.
I wanted to focus on this because opening the platform put Handshake in an exciting position to offer something truly unique to new users.
Hackathon presentation slide showing Handshake opening to non-college users and opportunities to support job readiness for non-university affiliated users.
Idea + Solution
I designed Launchpad, a tool that gives non-university affiliated users insight into what makes a successful applicant.
Using our existing design system and data we already had via student work experience, coursework, and employer job requirements, Launchpad shows users typical skills, soft skills, and related job titles.
Impact + Goal
Launchpad helps both job-seekers and employers, and was awarded as a hackathon runner-up. 🏆
This tool ensures non-college users understand what employers expect, helping them highlight relevant skills while giving employers a clearer picture of qualified candidates.
I’m proud that this work was recognized in the hackathon, validating that it was both valuable and innovative!
Contact me: jusmas@umich.edu