Toffee

Work+ Project Portal

Visit Work+ Project Portal website
  • Product
  • Web
  • UI/UX

An ASU department needed its own internal hiring platform. Supervisors create projects, and students apply to work on them. Toffee Design Studio storyboarded, designed, and built Work+ from scratch.

Work+ Project Portal

Client

Arizona State University

Timeline

Started June 22, 2026 · In testing

Scope

Software Development · UX Design · Education

The Challenge

An ASU department was running Work+ on another platform — more expensive than it needed to be, and hard to navigate. The team was not satisfied with the flow or the experience. They needed their own internal hiring platform: supervisors creating projects from the department, and students applying to work on them.

  • Too expensive

    The previous portal cost more than this kind of department hiring called for.

  • Hard to navigate

    The path through the product did not match how the team actually worked.

  • The experience fell short

    UX issues in the old flow left the team unsatisfied with the portal day to day.

For Students

Work+ is a hiring platform and an educational one. Students with an ASU email apply to projects that line up with their studies and gain industry experience inside their own university. Each project shows the time commitment, the pay, the deadline, and the supervisor posting it.

  • Students

    Apply to projects aligned with their studies and build experience on campus.

  • Supervisors

    Create projects from their department and see who has applied.

  • ASU access

    Students, supervisors, and admins sign in with an ASU email.

For Students
For Students

For the Department

Supervisors and admins share one place to follow projects and applications. The dashboard shows who is in the portal, which projects are live, and where each application stands. Opening an application brings up the student's answers, education, experience, and resume, so the department can shortlist, follow up, or move on.

For the Department
For the Department

Process

An initial meeting made the pain points clear. Toffee storyboarded a low-fidelity flow, turned it into a prototype for the next meeting with the department head, and built a working web application with test data. An AI-supported workflow helped the team move faster while keeping the quality of the product intact. The portal is now in usability testing with the internal team.

  • Initial meeting

    The department walked through what was failing in the previous portal.

  • Low-fidelity

    Storyboards mapped how supervisors post work and how students apply.

  • Prototype

    A prototype reviewed in the next meeting with the department head.

  • Build

    A functional web application, loaded with test data for the team to try.

  • Usability testing

    The internal team is using the portal while the project is still underway.

The Result

Work+ is ongoing. It started on June 22, 2026, and is in testing with the department's internal team. The platform was built from scratch using ASU brand guidelines, for students, supervisors, and admins.

  • In testing

    Started June 22, 2026, and currently in usability testing with the internal team.

  • Built from scratch

    Designed and developed for this department, following ASU brand guidelines.

  • ASU only

    Access is limited to students and staff with an ASU email.

  • Hiring and learning

    Students apply to department projects and gain experience on campus.

The Result