Background

In 2018, ClearanceJobs—one of the most relevant career websites in the US—successfully revamped its Web App with Pixelmatters’ help and expertise. The platform became more intuitive, providing a new and enhanced user experience for all its three user personas: candidates, employers, and recruiters.

Riding on this success, in 2021 ClearanceJobs once again sought Pixelmatters to address a new challenge: providing candidates with a Mobile experience not only to meet the market's demands but also to improve their user experience as job seekers.

Challenge

ClearanceJobs' venture into Mobile was both groundbreaking and disruptive. Pixelmatters’ role was crucial in providing a specialized Mobile team that guided the process with expertise, ownership, and know-how.

The challenge? To develop a native Mobile App that harmonized the established Web experience with innovative Mobile capabilities.

Web-to-Mobile product strategy

Pixelmatters’ extensive experience and involvement in the Web App revamp played a pivotal role in shaping ClearanceJobs' strategic transition to Mobile.

One of the most important parts of the process involved analyzing which features to transition or tailor for Mobile. Unlike the Web App, which caters to various stakeholders, the Mobile version would target candidates to increase their attraction and engagement, shaping the entire product strategy.

Scaling up with SOLID principles

The goal was clear: a scalable, integrative Mobile platform. To achieve this, there was the need for a strong architectural foundation that could accommodate scalability and the seamless integration of third-party components and services. The application of SOLID principles was crucial as they provided a solid groundwork for a modular approach.

Optimized Mobile design approach

Staying true to best practices, Mobile-friendly flows were built for features that were initially thought of for a Web experience, ensuring a user-friendly and intuitive experience.

This strategy was a testament to the collaborative and iterative dynamic between Product and Design, which also meant subtle design updates instead of a major overhaul.

SwiftUI-powered UI approach

With SwiftUI, Pixelmatters crafted a UI strategy that captured the essence of ClearanceJobs' brand and, at the same time, ensured ease of use. This toolkit provided significant advantages, from simplifying code review to faster UI development, code legibility, component-driven development, and the possibility of creating custom, pixel-perfect UIs with seamless animations.

API legacy: Balancing Web and Mobile needs

When it came to the API system, the challenge lay in integrating what was originally built for the Web App into a Mobile landscape. There was a collaborative effort with ClearanceJobs to understand the nuances and operational intricacies of both platforms, leveraged on Pixelmatters’ insights and Mobile technical expertise.

This underscored the value of API versioning and teamwork in meeting the Mobile App's specific needs. Throughout this journey, the Engineering and Product teams worked closely together to address these challenges effectively.

Crafting a robust QA strategy

The need for a top-tier Mobile App demanded a rigorous QA strategy. Using QASE was pivotal since it allowed Pixelmatters to have a centralized framework for test planning, execution, and reporting. This ultimately bolstered test efficiency and elevated the standards of quality assurance.

Streamlining CI/CD with Bitrise

The development workflow was streamlined with Bitrise's CI/CD pipeline, encompassing tasks such as quick code validation via Codecov and smooth transitions to Firebase for QA. Release candidates also moved seamlessly to TestFlight for final testing before App Store launch.

Post-deployment, Sentry became the team’s eyes and ears. Its real-time error tracking made monitoring performance and stability straightforward, enabling swift issue identification and resolution.

Incorporating real-time messaging and alerts

Choosing the right tools to integrate into the Mobile App was pivotal to further elevate user experience and functionality. Incorporating OneSignal equipped the App with context-rich push notifications, ensuring users received timely and relevant alerts.

Meanwhile, Pusher was integrated to bring real-time live messaging to the table, fostering instant communication and heightening interactivity within the App.

Empowering decision-making with analytics

By harnessing advanced analytics, Pixelmatters and ClearanceJobs were able to make informed technical choices and catalyze cross-team collaboration. This data-led approach streamlined alignment and fostered impactful decision-making by triggering tailored events to support Business, Product, and Engineering teams

The result

With amazing teamwork, strategy, and execution, Pixelmatters leveraged its Mobile expertise to develop a high-quality Mobile App. This has elevated ClearanceJobs' ecosystem to a whole new level.

After the previous work done on the Web App, the introduction of an iOS App has enabled ClearanceJobs to enhance the user experience for their candidates and provide further support in their job-seeking journey.

Summing it up

In collaboration with Pixelmatters, ClearanceJobs transitioned into the Mobile landscape with an App designed for on-the-go job seekers, showing how important a native Mobile experience is in today's job search landscape.