Redesigning Recruitment as Intent-First Conversations

a UK-based recruitment SaaS platform serving staffing agencies across Europe with $4.5M ARR. As conversational AI and MCP Apps emerged as the next evolution in software interfaces, the leadership team recognized an opportunity to pioneer a new approach to recruitment technology—one built around natural conversation rather than traditional navigation.

The existing platform worked well but was built in the traditional paradigm of apps users "visit and navigate." Their team identified friction points that could benefit from conversational redesign: recruiters spending 15+ clicks to find candidates, job seekers facing 68% abandonment on multi-page application flows, and employers struggling to articulate complex hiring needs through rigid filters. The question was: how could they reimagine recruitment as intent-first conversations while maintaining the depth and power of their existing platform?

With help of the Ghost Team Intent-Based conversation framework they explored conversational design using . Through a 2-day workshop, they discovered 147 user intents across recruiters, job seekers, and employers. Using a 4-Weight Prioritization Matrix, they identified 6 high-value intents for exploration.

For each intent, Ghost Team designed MCP tool specifications using the Tool Design Canvas and created conversational UI prototypes.

The outcome was a comprehensive design system showing how users could accomplish goals through natural conversation—"Find React developers in Amsterdam with 5+ years experience"—with rich, interactive components surfacing contextually. This gave the client a clear roadmap for how conversational interfaces could transform recruitment workflows. They now have a clear vision and technical roadmap for how conversational AI can differentiate their platform, positioning them as innovators in recruitment technology as MCP Apps adoption grows across the industry.