Case Study  ·  Dubai, UAE

Redesigning the Casting Ecosystem

UX / UI Design
Mobile App
Talent Platform
Dubai
Nominated Mobile Trends Awards
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Context & Role
Client
MMG TalentMMG Talent is a premier casting agency in the Middle East, connecting talents with leading brands across fashion, luxury, and media.
My Role
Sole UX/UI Designer3 month Design Sprint · design process from discovery to delivery · full dev support
Scope
End-to-end product designResearch & strategy
00

Initial Brief

MMG initially approached us to design a mobile application that would translate their existing web-based recruitment flow into a mobile experience, aiming for faster applications and better responsiveness.

01

Discovery through Design Sprint

Instead of immediately translating the existing web flow into a mobile interface, we started with a design sprint where I focused on gaining a deep understanding of the entire recruitment process end-to-end-from the initial client brief to final project completion and settlements.

Research & Analysis Activities

  • End-to-end process mapping across digital and offline touchpoints
  • Analysis of the current web flow and subscription model
  • Market and competitor research, identifying strengths and weaknesses
  • In-depth interviews with talents, leading to the creation of user personas
  • Interviews with internal bookers to understand operational challenges and internal needs
Business
Expectations
Talent
Needs
Internal Bookers
Pain Points
02

The Strategic Pivot

The sprint revealed that many of the issues attributed to the lack of a mobile app were in fact rooted in how the application process itself was structured and communicated - regardless of platform.
At this point, the project shifted from "designing a mobile app" to "redesigning the application experience as a system".

Brief

Design a mobile version of the existing web recruitment flow

Scope

Redesign the entire casting ecosystem, mobile-first

03 - Challenge vs Solution

Shaping the solution

Based on our findings, I designed a frictionless, modular system tailored to specific user needs while drastically reducing administrative debt for the business.

Example 01

Streamlining onboarding via progressive disclosure

Pain point

Long, complex registration flow caused high drop-off rates and poor-quality profile assets.

Solution
  • Staged profile creation - split the flow into “Core Essentials” (mandatory for entry) and an “Extended Profile” (optional/later).
  • Contextual guidance - added real-time tooltips and simplified image upload constraints to ensure high-quality profile assets from day one.
Example 02

Intelligence-driven job board (intentional friction)

Pain point

Users applied for roles they didn’t fit, and profile data quickly became outdated, leading to heavy manual vetting for bookers.

Solution

I designed a job board that gamifies profile completion and enforces data accuracy.

  • Visual gap analysis - each role displays a clear checklist. A red “X” shows a mismatch, while a question mark highlights missing profile data required for the job.
  • In-flow updates & intentional friction - by explicitly showing why a talent doesn’t qualify yet, we motivate them to update specific data points directly while applying, eliminating the need for a separate “settings hunt.”
The solution in action · tap to enlarge
Find jobs - job board with open roles
Job board - filtered role listings
Role checklist - green checks and question marks for missing data
Role requirements and eligibility criteria
Role mismatch - red X and ‘you cannot apply’ update prompt
The Product in Motion
Casting Search

Talent discovery - real interaction, no prototype

Example 03

Centralized job management hub

Pain point

Fragmented application tracking led to missed auditions, scheduling overlaps, and user anxiety.

Solution
  • Unified workflow - organized jobs into clear categories-Invites, Active Applications, and Completed-with a standardized 5-step status tracker.
  • Action-oriented UI - introduced explicit “Next Step” indicators, clearly distinguishing between “User Action Required” and “Pending Feedback.”
  • Pragmatic centralization - instead of forcing users out of their ingrained WhatsApp habits, I moved only the transactional data (call sheets, locations, exact requirements, statuses) into the app. The app became the definitive “System of Record,” while WhatsApp was retained strictly as a fallback contact option-drastically reducing the bookers’ administrative load without fighting local culture.
  • Conflict prevention - integrated a smart calendar view that automatically highlights scheduling overlaps, preventing talent from overcommitting.
  • Proactive engagement - implemented a real-time notification system to alert users of critical status changes and upcoming deadlines.
The solution in action · tap to enlarge
Status tracker - Applied, Shortlisted, Casting, Selected, Settlement
Application status - shortlisted, view shortlisted talents
Casting details with add-to-calendar and location
Selected - confirm attendance
Settlement - payment details and confirmation
Example 04

Contextual upsell strategy & profile gamification

Pain point

The business needed to increase Premium subscription conversion without damaging the core user experience or feeling overly aggressive.

Solution

Integrated logical upgrade prompts naturally throughout the user journey.

  • Shortlist transparency (the hook) - on the job screen, an indicator shows how many other talents are shortlisted. Clicking it leads to a Premium prompt, leveraging natural curiosity.
  • Profile strength & frictionless booking - introduced a “Profile Strength” meter to encourage data completion. Tied to this ecosystem is a seamless in-app booking flow for professional photo/video sessions (a Premium perk), making the value immediately tangible.
  • Asset expansion - redesigned the media portfolio to naturally display constraints and offer instant Premium upgrades to “Unlock Unlimited Media” exactly when the user is highly motivated to add more content.
The solution in action · tap to enlarge
Job status - ‘Want to see shortlisted talents?’ Upgrade hook
Premium upsell woven into the job flow
Profile with strength meter, tags, socials and photo portfolio
Media portfolio with instant Premium upgrade prompt
Premium prompt - Upgrade to see shortlisted talents (Choose plan / Stay on free)
04 - The impact

Casting that works - for talent, bookers and the business alike.

A fragmented, WhatsApp-driven process became one structured platform: faster applications, fewer mismatches, and a booking flow the whole agency can trust.

Fixing the ecosystem

What changed, for everyone

1
For users · Talents

Removed major blockers to deliver a seamless end-to-end experience, making both finding new opportunities and managing daily work effortlessly smooth.

2
For business · Bookers

Drastically reduced manual vetting. We moved operations out of chaotic WhatsApp threads into a structured system with upfront eligibility checks.

3
For revenue

Drove organic growth by embedding Premium upsells directly into natural workflows, framing them as success tools rather than forced paywalls.

05

Lessons learned

This project reinforced the importance of the discovery phase in challenging initial stakeholder assumptions. If I had simply executed the original brief (translating the web flow to mobile), we would have built a faster, more accessible version of a fundamentally flawed process. By taking a step back to analyze the distinct needs of our personas and the real-world operational workflows of the bookers, I was able to design a holistic product that solved root-cause business problems, not just surface-level UI issues.

Live now

MMG Talent is live.

A shipped product, working in the real world - available across the Middle East and in the UK.

Mobile Trends Awards Nominated · 2025 Mobile Trends Awards
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