Scaling a Global Talent Marketplace Platform
As a Lead Product Designer at Toptal, I worked on improving the platform that connects top-tier talent with companies worldwide.
My focus was to enhance how clients discover, evaluate, and match with talent—while improving internal workflows for managing and scaling the network.
Company
Toptal
Timeline
2016 — 2018
Role
Lead Product Designer
Focus
Talent Marketplace Platform
Toptal's platform supported a complex ecosystem requiring streamlined workflows.
The platform served multiple user types: clients hiring talent, designers/developers/product managers joining the network, and internal teams managing matchmaking and onboarding.
This created friction in both user experience and operational efficiency that needed to be addressed systematically.
Fragmented workflows
Across tools and communication channels
Inefficient talent matching
Manual processes slowing down connections
Heavy manual coordination
Reliance on internal knowledge and manual processes
Lack of clarity
Undefined talent and client needs structure
Understanding the ecosystem through research and mapping.
Journey Mapping
Mapped the end-to-end journey of talent and clients across the platform
Breakdown Identification
Identified breakdowns in onboarding, matching, and communication flows
Shared Understanding
Created journey maps, personas, and process diagrams for alignment
Design Talent Journey Map
Application through portfolio review stages
Design Matcher Persona
Matching talent to client needs
Client Dashboard
Job management and candidate review
Creating a more efficient, scalable talent marketplace.
Improving the Matching Experience
- Redefined how client needs are captured and translated into actionable requirements
- Improved how talent is surfaced and evaluated
- Simplified the process from job creation to candidate selection to interview to onboarding
Key Focus Areas
Clarity in workflows
Reducing ambiguity in job requirements and candidate selection
Speed of matching
Helping clients find the right talent faster
Better visibility
Surfacing relevant information across each stage
Cross-platform consistency
Aligning tools used across teams
Contributing across both strategy and execution.
Design Execution
Designed workflows, wireframes, and UI for key platform features
UX Artifacts
Created detailed personas, journey maps, and process flows
Stakeholder Partnership
Partnered with stakeholders to refine product direction
UX Thinking
Introduced more structured UX thinking into product decisions
Transforming disconnected tools into a cohesive experience.
Before
- Disconnected tools (email, Slack, manual tracking)
- Ambiguous job requirements
- Inefficient talent evaluation
- Heavy reliance on internal coordination
After (Improved Experience)
- Structured job definition and requirement capture
- Clear candidate evaluation flows
- Improved visibility into talent profiles and progress
- More streamlined end-to-end matching experience
Reducing friction across key workflows.
25+
Fields identified in multi-step onboarding and application flows
Multi-tool
Reduced reliance on manual coordination across Slack, email, and calls
Scheduling
Identified inefficiencies in scheduling, communication, and evaluation steps
Clarity
Improved clarity in job descriptions and candidate matching
Measurable improvements across product, operations, and strategy.
Product Impact
- Improved usability across talent matching workflows
- Increased clarity in how clients and talent interact
- Created scalable foundation for marketplace growth
Operational Impact
- Reduced friction in internal workflows
- Improved efficiency in matching talent to needs
- Enabled faster, more structured decision-making
Strategic Impact
- Strengthened platform ability to scale globally
- Improved alignment between product, design, and business
Next Project
SpotOn