Rapid Prototyping of a Recruitment-Focused Software For a French SaaS Startup

How banking on AI-driven rapid prototyping instead of the traditional approach enabled a French startup to validate their business idea in 4 days instead of several weeks and cut down the cost of developing a product demo by 60%.

Industry:
Technology

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AI Development

UX and Design

SaaS Development

Business challenge

“Take your time” doesn’t apply to testing business ideas. If companies aim to get ahead of competitors, they need to test their hypotheses fast. And the timeframe for “fast” has shrunk over the past years. Back in the pre-GenAI era, it was fine to spend up to 8 weeks working on the wireframes, low-fidelity prototypes, and then high-fidelity ones. In 2025, with all AI capabilities available, even two weeks is a luxury. 

For our client, a French SaaS startup, speed to proof could make or break their fundraising efforts. They had an idea of an applicant tracking system (ATS) with the workflows tailored to French labor laws, local data regulations, equal opportunity compliance, etc.

A solid product demo was a must-have to achieve two goals in one go:  

  1. Validate the idea’s viability
  2. Get a tangible asset to “show, not tell” investors to win their financial support

To make it happen, the client needed a software partner well-versed in AI-driven SDLC practices who could deliver a clickable prototype of a future product ASAP. That’s when *instinctools entered the picture.  

Solution

One of the practices our teams lean on to speed up the development process is rapid prototyping with workflow automation platforms. For this project, we used n8n, where software engineers can orchestrate complex workflows with a visual workflow builder instead of hard-coding.

Beyond ease of use, n8n stood out for being:

  • Open-source. With full control over the data, it’s easier for the team to ensure air-tight safety of sensitive information.
  • Scalable. n8n is useful for more than prototypes, as the platform can seamlessly handle up to 220 workflow executions per second.
  • Secure. It’s a SOC 2 audited software with strong access control, debugging, and monitoring mechanisms out of the box.
  • Budget-friendly. With the self-hostable approach, the tool is free to use if you run it on your cloud or hardware.

We started with backend prototyping to ensure the product demo checks all functionality and compliance boxes from the get-go:

  • Integration with Pôle Emploi (French national employment agency), where all job openings have to be posted
  • Integration with the URSSAF portal to submit the DPAE (Déclaration Préalable à l’Embauche) directly without separate logging into the system
  • Integration with local payroll and HRIS vendors, such as Cegid, ADP France, and PayFit, for hitch-free compliance audits and downstream processing
  • Alignment with CNIL (Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés), as it enforces French-specific laws on data privacy, such as a 24-month limit for storing the candidates’ CVs

With all the integrations wired up, our UX/UI designers created a clickable product demo. Here’s an example of a drag-and-drop interface that lets HR managers select an applicant’s hard skills.

A user interface in French for adding and categorizing skills. On the left, selectable skill tags like AWS, Python, Java, and Docker. On the right, skills are sorted into “Niveau de base,” “Niveau avancé,” and “Niveau expert” with colored tags.

Four days after the start of the cooperation, the client had a working demo in hand. Not only did it prove the idea to be valid, it also became the centerpiece of their administrative, technical, and financial materials for investor pitches. Within six months, they raised €1 million to accelerate the next stage of development. 

Multiplier effect

Alongside startups in need of financial support from investors, rapid prototyping is a game-changer for established companies wanting to test their hypotheses faster. Earlier, business ideas used to pile up in the backlog, waiting for the team to catch up. 

With AI-powered rapid prototyping, idea verification becomes far less resource-intensive. Development teams no longer need weeks to create a high-fidelity, clickable product prototype – several days are enough. Testing the viability of new features takes even less time and can be done within hours. 

Six hands, each wearing differently colored sleeves, work together to connect four white puzzle pieces over a black tablet on a white table, symbolizing teamwork and collaboration.

Business value

  • Solid product demo ready in 4 days
  • – 60% in the product prototype development cost
  • Prototype features can be reused for full-scale product development
Related capabilities

Do you have a similar project idea?

Anna Vasilevskaya
Anna Vasilevskaya Account Executive

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