How to Hire an
International Student

An interactive resource to help explain and encourage smaller businesses how to employ international students in the US.

Check out the resource in the form of a Figma Prototype.

 

 

 

I created this resource to empower international students and employers with information which is freely available on the internet in a very concise manner to provide a quick reference tool for someone trying to understand the process.

 


CONTEXT

As international students look for some work experience before concluding their educational journey in the US, they come across the fact that most of smaller employers don’t complete understand what it takes to hire an international student.

PROBLEMS

  • There’s pre-conceived notions of the process being too difficult and complicated.

  • Resources currently available are very much in-depth but don’t allow for a broad basic understanding without a big time commitment.


PROCESS

I started off with gathering information on the subject from variety of sources including multiple university websites, other existing resources on the subject, talking to international students who have had the experience, etc.

  • I gathered some information by reaching out to an immigration attorney.

  • I did have an understanding of the process myself by the virtue of looking into the space multiple times for personal needs.

  • I translated the information into a concise interactive resource by creating simple UI which enables understanding while providing context constantly.

 

I created the final prototypes in Figma and decided to keep it on Figma itself as I don’t have any resources and time to develop and deploy the solution in a standalone website. This does limit the responsiveness of the solution and is best accessed on a computer or a widescreen device.

 

Some UI considerations during my design process

While I did have an idea of how to start the resource and what options to provide, I soon realized the challenge of finding the right format for the information.

I wanted to keep important words accessible while also keeping the page least cluttered as possible. I wanted to give the users an “estimate” of how many steps will there be but also keeping it possible to expand.

Concluding Thoughts

Being a sensitive subject, in the resource, I include a disclaimer clearly stating I am publishing this information in good faith and for general information only. This does not provide legal advice. I am not making any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of the information. I am not liable for any decisions one makes based on the information.

Hopefully you find the resource helpful.