Case Study · 04
Join Riverside Fire
A recruitment platform for the next generation of Riverside firefighters — video-first storytelling, a streamlined application funnel, and a modern employer brand for a 130-year-old department.
+3.1×
Application Starts
vs. previous recruitment cycle
+68%
Mobile Application Completion
< 8 min
Time-to-Apply
From landing to submission
−54%
Cost Per Qualified Applicant
§ Challenge
The problem
Fire departments across California compete for a shrinking pool of qualified applicants. The old recruitment site felt like a PDF: intimidating, dense, and mobile-hostile. The department needed a brand that matched the pride of the job and a funnel that respected applicants' time.
§ Approach
What we did
We built the entire site around a single call to action — start your application — and let real firefighters tell their own story on video. Every page answers one question in the applicant's head: 'What's the pay?', 'What's the schedule?', 'Am I qualified?'. The visual identity is confident, warm, and deliberately un-corporate.
§ Process
From discovery to launch.
- 01
Applicant interviews
One-on-ones with 12 recent recruits.
- 02
Funnel mapping
Eliminated 6 steps from the application flow.
- 03
Brand refresh
New wordmark, warmer palette, editorial photography.
- 04
Video production
Directed 8 recruit-led story pieces.
- 05
Launch
Rolled out with a paid social campaign across Meta + TikTok.
§ Stack
Built with
- Next.js 14
- React
- Tailwind CSS
- Sanity CMS
- Mux (video)
- Vercel
§ Accessibility
Built for everyone.
Captioned every video, keyboard-only application flow, and screen-reader-tested form validation.