Building an AI interview coach from 0–1 combining psychology and mentorship
Professionals often prepare for interviews alone, relying on generic advice and limited feedback. Partnering with the founders of nSpire.ai, I helped design a mobile platform that combined AI-powered interview coaching with human mentorship to make career transitions more accessible and confidence-driven.
Note: This case study covers the original mobile MVP developed during my engagement. The product has since evolved into a web platform.
Role
Founding Product Designer
Duration
10 months
Team
2 Founders ● AI Engineer ● Full-stack Engineer
OUTCOMES AT A GLANCE
MVP
Investor-ready product prototype
AI experience
Defined the AI coaching experience and interview prep journey
End-to-End
Led product discovery through high-fidelity prototype
Research
User interviews, competitor analysis and AI exploration
The lack of meaningful feedback for job seekers
THE CHALLENGE
The founders wanted to explore whether AI could make interview preparation more accessible while keeping human mentorship at the centre of the experience.
The challenge wasnt just designing an app but also finding out how AI could assist users without replacing the value of human guidance.
Understanding where job seekers struggled the most.
RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
USER INTERVIEWS
Interviewed professionals preparing for career changes to find pain points around interview prep, self confidence, and resume building.
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
Reviewd platforms including linkedin, mentorship services to find gaps in current career support experiences.
AI & PSYCHOLOGY
Explored how AI could encourage learning and read human behaviours, while maintaining trust and transparency.
Exploring 3 directions
OPPORTUNITIES
01. AI Interview coaching (chosen)
Provide immediate and structured feedback without waiting for a mentor.
02. AI resume builder
Improve resume using AI recommendations
03. Human Mentorship (chosen)
Rather than replacing a mentor, acts as a secondary experience, connecting users with experienced professionals for advice.
SOLUTION
Designed guided interview simulations that help users practice questions while recieving immediate AI feedback.
AI Interview practice
Designed guided interview simulations that helped users practice questions while receiving AI feedback: vocal modulation, filler words, speech consistency, body language etc.
Mentor matching
Created a directory and experience for connecting job seekers with trusted mentors once they were ready for personalised support.
Visual system
Developed a modern, approachable visual language, balancing professionalism with accessibility.
AI & Human Psychology
Designing confidence, not just conversions.
Rather than treating AI as a lone feature, we wanted to incorporate psychology and how it could improve motivation, learning and confidence.
We designed around 4 principles:
Intelligence
Provide personalised, data-driven feedback.
Convenience
Allow users to practice whenever, anytime, without relying on another person.
Connectivity
Bridge AI coaching with mentor matching
Immersion
Create a realistic simulation that prepares users for real-world conversations.
*test design
REFLECTION
What would I do differently? I think the most important lesson from this project was validating ideas early.
We clearly became ambitious with our concepts and invested significant effort refining this experience before testing assumptions with users.
Since then, I've learned and adopted a more iterative approach by using lightweight prototypes, early usability testing, validating ideas and research before investing in heavy UI.
This project would be the one I would say fundamentally changed how I approach product design. Being the only designer on such a large project really allowed me to step back and review.
OUTCOME
The project resulted in a high-fidelity mobile MVP that helped communicate the product vision to stakeholders and investors while establishing the foundations for future development.
Impact