Dynamic Profiles

Freelancer profile redesign that surfaced the right signals at the right time

Problem

When hiring on Upwork, freelancers’ profiles are the primary way clients evaluate their relevant skills and experience. They can view their profiles through search or their proposal manager, which is where they review all the proposals (i.e., applications) submitted for their job. In both cases, the profile is displayed as a slider to help clients view more profiles quickly. The slider design made it difficult for clients to find freelancers’ relevant experience. This led to a 40% fill rate for high-value jobs (jobs with $1K+ budgets), leaving clients with unfilled jobs and qualified freelancers without a job.

My work

Redesigned the freelancer profile (slider and full page) for both search and proposal surfaces. Updated all sections, information architecture, and page navigation.
Partnered with UXR and ran a moderated concept test with 13 participants (Upwork clients) to identify important profile signals and validate design direction.
Ran three qualitative tests with three different versions of the proposal slider and one test for the search freelancer slider. I synthesized the data and provided a readout with design recommendations for each test.

Results

Created a freelancer profile experience across search and proposal managers that allowed clients to evaluate and identify qualified freelancers faster.
The search profile test drove a +5.5% increase in 28-day freelancer earnings and estimated adjusted annual freelancer lifetime earnings of $7.7M. The experience was launched globally in July 2025 (Article).

Old freelancer profile slider

Concept A — cover letter, client feedback, and work history stacked in one column beside a fixed summary rail