01
One app with a fork, not two apps
GainedOne sign-in, one payment flow, one kit for 111 screens.
CostThe first screen asks a question before showing any value.
Case study 03 — Client work at Metafic
Crew hiring for people who live at sea, from both sides of the deck.
iSail: seafarers apply with a CV built around their documents, and recruiters run their hiring from the same app. Designed end to end, for both.
111Screens: 57 seafarer, 54 recruiter
2Roles, one app
7CV sections, built around documents
4Statuses on every application
The problem
01 — Why a job board fails here
A seafarer’s CV isn’t a CV. It’s a stack of documents with expiry dates.
- Crew hiring runs on a Seaman’s Book, CDC, STCW courses, passport and visa, and sea service by vessel.
- A generic job board flattens all of it into a résumé nobody can screen.
Source: BIMCO and ICS, Seafarer Workforce Report, June 2026
Who it’s for
02 — Two users
The same vacancy, seen from opposite ends.
The seafarerBetween contracts
Wants the next contract for their rank and ship type, without re-typing their documents every time.
The recruiterCrewing agency
Needs a shortlist of compliant candidates for a ship that sails on a fixed date.
One app, two sides
03 — The fork
The first screen asks one question, and the app splits in two.
- Both sides share sign-in, plans, payments and one component kit.
Sign-up for seafarers is three short steps, not one long form.
Find and apply
04 — The seafarer
From a search to applied in a few taps, in the industry’s own terms.
- Filter by field, ship type, salary, position level and duration; sort by relevance, start date or date posted.
Up close
05 — Four decisions
Four parts carry the trust on both sides, so they got the most work.
A — Job facts
Decide before you read
Salary, duration, location and start date sit above the description, as four icons.
B — Apply
The CV already did the work
Apply offers the last CV with the date it was used; a video CV is optional, not a gate.
C — Status
No application goes silent
Every card says where it stands, in words and colour: Applied, Viewed, Shortlisted, Not Selected.
D — The recruiter
Two decisions, each closed out
A candidate’s CV ends in Reject or Connect. Reject asks first; Connect confirms the request went out.
The maritime CV
06 — Seven sections
Seven sections, built around the documents a recruiter checks first.
- Each section saves on its own, so a long profile gets built in short sittings.
After applying
07 — Nothing sits in a void
Every application carries a status, and the recruiter sees its own side of it.
The recruiter
08 — A pipeline in a pocket
Post, review, decide: a hiring pipeline on a phone, not a back office.
- Each listing shows its state: Open with its application count, In progress, or Hired.
Plans and advertising
09 — Paid reach
Both sides subscribe; recruiters can buy reach, and see what it bought.
Edge states
10 — The screens nobody screenshots
Every error names what failed, at the field; every big decision asks first.
The system
11 — Colour and status
A chart-room palette: one deep teal for anything you can act on, and soft status colours.
Colour
- Harbour #3E606F · actions, headers
- Deep Ink #193441 · text
- Sea Sage #91AA9D · illustration
- Kelp #D1DBBD · tint
- Slate #6C7674 · secondary text
- White #FFFFFF · cards
Status — seafarer · recruiter
- #9BCB85 · Shortlisted · Contacted, Hired
- #94DCF3 · Viewed · To be reviewed, Open
- #F5B967 · Applied · Rejected, In progress
- #FF6A6A · Not Selected
Trade-offs
12 — Four calls
Four calls, and what each one cost.
02
Apply in one screen
GainedThe most repeated action takes seconds.
CostA thin profile can still apply; screening moves to the recruiter.
03
“Not Selected”, not “Rejected”
GainedA gentler word for the person receiving it.
CostTwo vocabularies for one decision, to keep in sync.
04
Deactivate before delete
GainedA seafarer away for months can come back to their profile.
CostOne more screen before a permanent delete.
What I’d do differently
13 — The second pass
What the second pass would fix.
One state modelDefine the application states once and map both sides’ words onto them: the recruiter’s Rejected is amber while the seafarer’s Not Selected is red.
Inherited fieldsQuestion every field from the old crew forms. Eye and hair colour don’t belong in a hiring profile.
A copy pass“Oppurtunity”, “emploee”, “Fogot Password?” and “Internation Airport” all reached the final screens.
Real plan copyEvery plan lists “Voice messages anywhere” as placeholder. Plans sell on their differences, so write them first.
Next — 04