Kami, Redesigning the Employer Brand for Engineering Talent
- Skylir
- Jun 9, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 5
Eight-week group project focused on repositioning Kami’s employer brand through culture-driven storytelling, digital campaigns, and careers page redesign.
Client Overview
Kami is a fast-growing EdTech startup that provides an online document annotation tool used in over 180 countries. Despite its scale, the company struggles to attract top-tier software engineers due to low employer brand visibility and limited perception in the tech hiring market.
Challenge
Kami was competing in a saturated tech labour market without a clear value proposition to candidates. The employer brand was underdeveloped, the careers page lacked compelling UX, and digital recruitment efforts were inconsistent across platforms.
Key Issues Identified:
Low discoverability among engineers seeking roles in high-growth startups
Weak articulation of employee experience, mission, and career pathways
Fragmented use of digital channels for recruitment marketing
Limited differentiation from other tech employers in New Zealand
The Objective
To reposition Kami as an employer of choice for software engineers by developing a targeted, engaging, and scalable digital recruitment strategy supported by human-centred design principles.
My Role
Project Lead and UX Strategist — overseeing stakeholder engagement, research synthesis, creative direction, and the delivery of strategic prototypes.
Team: 5 cross-functional members (UI/UX, visual design, marketing strategy)
Duration: 2 months
Approach & Methodology
1. Discovery & Insight
Conducted qualitative interviews with Kami executives and employees to uncover internal culture strengths
Surveyed 50+ software engineering students to identify motivators and decision drivers
Benchmarked leading employer brands (e.g. Duolingo, Google, Khan Academy) for strategic inspiration
2. Problem Framing
We redefined the challenge from “getting more applicants” to building trust and desirability as an employer brand:
“How might Kami communicate its culture and purpose to attract aligned talent in a competitive market?”
3. Strategy Development
Our core strategy focused on three pillars:
Visibility: Increase awareness through platform-specific campaigns (TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram)
Authenticity: Showcase employee voices and lived culture through short-form media and vlogs
UX Innovation: Redesign the careers page to surface relevant information more intuitively
Solutions
Careers Page Redesign
Introduced a “Spotlight” job filter feature and “My Kami Experience” story hub to humanise roles
Designed a prototype focused on simplicity, clarity, and culture-driven UX
Social Recruitment Campaign
Created a series of platform-optimised assets (IG, TikTok, LinkedIn) featuring employee vlogs, behind-the-scenes content, and mascot storytelling
Established a visual playbook leveraging Kami’s brand identity with stronger hierarchy and recognisability
Mascot-Led Brand Awareness
Proposed integrating the underused mascot (Shiba Inu) into campaigns and merchandise
Inspired by Duolingo’s success, we positioned the mascot as a friendly symbol of Kami’s culture
Strategic Impact
Short-Term Value
Executives praised the prototypes and content strategy for aligning with Kami’s values and practical needs
Designed assets were positioned for near-term rollout with minimal resource overhead
Long-Term Value
Created a modular recruitment communication framework to scale across future campaigns
Strengthened internal understanding of employer branding as a talent acquisition asset
Enabled better alignment between company purpose and candidate expectations
Next Steps & Roadmap
Reflections
This project sharpened my ability to bridge design thinking with business outcomes. As a consultant-designer, I led the team through ambiguity, clarified strategic priorities, and delivered actionable solutions with clear ROI potential. Despite being remote, I maintained strong team collaboration and stakeholder engagement throughout.
