DECATHLON— Reducing time-to-hire by 40% by redesigning recruitment as a decision system

Decathlon Mexico was growing rapidly, but its recruitment process couldn't keep up with demand. I led the design of an internal platform alongside a team of designers and developers; our goal was to transform the hiring process, moving from a fragmented, manual workflow to a centralized system.

We identified the core system failures by speaking with the internal team and some job applicants:

• No cultural filtering: Candidates were evaluated on skills, not alignment with Decathlon’s values
• Reactive hiring cycles: Roles were filled under urgency, leading to poor-fit hires and high turnover
• Fragmented infrastructure: 12 store inboxes, no ownership, no candidate database
• High operational cost: Managers spent excessive time on admin instead of the core business

To understand where the process was failing, we observed and mapped the existing manual recruitment workflow with participants, identifying points of confusion, delays, and dropouts throughout the process.

To understand where and why the experience was breaking, we combined the next methods:

• More than 45 interviews with candidates and recruiters to uncover real behaviors, not assumptions
• Sports retail benchmarking (Adidas, Innovasport, Martí) to analyze how brands attract culturally aligned talent
• Platform analysis (Indeed, LinkedIn) to identify scalable UX patterns in high-volume recruitment

Some user quotes told us:

Through research, we identified key behavioral segments across candidates and recruiters, revealing why a one-size-fits-all recruitment experience was failing.

A) Candidates

• Explorers: New to job hunting and seeking direction. They benefit from clear guidance and straightforward application experiences.
• Athletes: Motivated by culture and alignment with Decathlon values.They need role matching based on interests, not just experience
• Experienced Retail Candidates: Familiar with the job market and looking for efficiency and clarity. They benefit from strong search filters and transparent job information.

B) Recruiters

• Store Managers: Hiring under operational pressure and looking to fill roles quickly. They benefit from access to relevant, pre-qualified candidates.
• HR Recruiters: Focused on maintaining consistency and efficiency throughout the hiring process. They benefit from structured candidate information and effective tracking tools.

• Low-quality applicants

Many applicants did not align with the brand's culture, values, or role requirements, making it harder to identify suitable talent.

Solutions

• Personalized job recommendations based on skills + sports interests
• Interest-based onboarding (running, cycling, team sports)

• Candidates choose other brands

Culture influences decision-making, so we will make culture an integral part of the product

Solutions

• Employee stories
• Brand content
• Clear value proposition

• Seasonal hiring pressure

Hiring is cyclical and depends on the timing, so we design with speed and scalability in mind

Solutions

• One-click apply & pre-filled profiles
• Search and filter by role or location
• Clear job details with map context
• Real-time updates and job alerts

Candidates need a simple and transparent experience that helps them move confidently from job discovery to onboarding.

• Easy job search with filters, location-based browsing, and job alerts
• Clear job information, requirements, and map-based location details
• Streamlined application process with guided steps
• Application tracking and status updates for greater transparency
• Clear communication of next steps and hiring decisions
• Structured onboarding support for a smooth transition into the role

Result

Reduced drop-off, increased trust, and higher-quality applications

The app was designed to reflect Decathlon’s official brand identity, helping candidates identify with the company’s values. Let’s take a look at the main elements:

• Official Logotype 2021

• Typography

Reduced drop-off, increased trust, and higher-quality applications

• Color palette

Reduced drop-off, increased trust, and higher-quality applications

• Iconography

Using minimal symbols to reduce cognitive load and support faster recognition throughout the interface.

Analytics reviewed 3 months post-launch:

• 40% faster hiring. Time-to-hire has been reduced significantly across seasonal and standard hiring cycles.
• +30%Cultural fit improvement. Recruiter-rated cultural alignment score rose significantly. Early-stage mismatches dropped by 25%.
• +50%Recruiter capacity. Recruiters processed 50% more candidates with the same headcount. Zero bottlenecks during seasonal peaks post-launch.
• 100% centralized recruitment process. Email inboxes of 12 stores were replaced by a single platform

Ultimately, working without an established product framework pushed me to grow beyond design.

There was no predefined process, no clear responsibilities, and no common language among the teams. A large part of the work involved achieving alignment: serving as a bridge between Human Resources, Operations, and Engineering, and building trust in the process.

In that sense, the product wasn’t just the platform—it was also the way of working that we introduced.