Senior Staff Service Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Staff Service Designer

Company: Gusto, Inc.

Location: Denver, CO; San Francisco, CA; New York, NY; Austin, TX; Chicago, IL; Toronto, ON, CAN - Remote; United States - Remote

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Service Design / Operations Strategy

Date Posted: 2026-06-02T21:01:33

Experience Level: Senior Staff (8+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid / Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the design and optimization of complex, cross-functional customer journeys that rely on the coordinated efforts of people, systems, and AI, ensuring a coherent and resilient service experience.

• Develop and implement AI-assisted service design workflows and tools to proactively identify and address service implications, including failure modes and customer escalation paths, early in the product development lifecycle.

• Enable adjacent practitioners, such as product designers and operations managers, to effectively apply service design methodologies through reusable assets, guidance, and training, fostering a distributed practice of service excellence.

• Foster cross-journey coordination and organizational learning by establishing shared patterns and operating assumptions, thereby enhancing the perception of Gusto as a unified service and improving how the organization learns from service performance data.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Staff Service Designer, indicating a significant level of experience and strategic influence. The emphasis on "AI-native design organization" and "building with AI, not just designing around it" suggests a forward-thinking approach where AI is a core component of service delivery and design processes, requiring candidates to not only understand service design principles but also possess a strong aptitude for integrating and leveraging AI tools in practical, operational contexts.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Architect Complex Customer Journeys: Lead the end-to-end design and improvement of cross-cutting customer journeys where success hinges on seamless coordination between human teams, technological systems, and AI capabilities; identify and map current-state operations, define future-state service experiences, and outline the necessary operational capabilities for sustainable delivery.

• Develop AI-Enabled Service Design Tools: Create and prototype AI-assisted workflows and tools that empower product and operational teams to proactively consider service implications during the planning and development phases, including contingency planning for AI failures, defining escalation protocols, and establishing clear customer pathways.

• Enable Distributed Service Design Practice: Facilitate the adoption of service design methodologies across various teams by developing reusable frameworks, guidance documents, training modules, and providing direct support to product designers, product operations managers, and process improvement analysts.

• Drive Cross-Journey Coordination and Learning: Establish and promote common patterns, operating principles, and shared understanding across different customer journeys to ensure a cohesive customer experience, identify recurring failure patterns, and refine organizational learning mechanisms for continuous service improvement.

• Integrate Operational Realities into Design: Collaborate closely with frontline and back-office operational teams to deeply understand existing processes, constraints, and challenges, ensuring that operational realities are effectively integrated into service and experience design strategies.

• Shape AI's Role in Service Delivery: Design for the specific service implications of AI, considering how AI errors, uncertainty, and human-AI collaboration impact the customer experience and operational workflows, and how to maintain customer agency throughout these interactions.

• Champion Operational Sustainability: Go beyond initial design to focus on the long-term sustainability of services by considering the necessary organizational capabilities, stewardship models, and learning loops required for teams to successfully deliver and evolve services over time.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic service design, hands-on AI tooling development, and enablement. The emphasis on "operational sustainability" and "designing for the service implications of AI" indicates a need for a designer who can think holistically about the entire service ecosystem, not just the customer-facing interface. This role requires a strong understanding of how business operations, technology, and AI converge to deliver a seamless customer experience.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in service design, with a significant portion dedicated to working within technology organizations alongside product management, engineering, customer experience (CX), and operational teams.

• Proven track record of successfully influencing product roadmaps, operational strategies, or investment decisions through compelling insights, clear articulation of trade-offs, and strong judgment.

• Demonstrated experience in making complex service ecosystems understandable and actionable through the creation of maps, models, frameworks, or other visual representations that facilitate collaborative discussion and build-up.

• Experience designing or operating services where AI, automation, or algorithmic systems significantly shaped service delivery, including their interaction with human teams and customer-facing interfaces. Candidates without direct AI experience must demonstrate robust judgment regarding technology's impact on service delivery and organizational behavior.

• Hands-on experience working directly with frontline and back-office operational teams, incorporating their insights and realities into service and experience design initiatives.

• A solid understanding of how services are sustained over time through organizational capabilities such as training programs, defined workflows, clear ownership models, robust support structures, performance measurement, and continuous improvement processes.

• Adjacent experience in fields such as user research, data analytics, systems design, business operations, or human-in-the-loop services is highly beneficial.

Required Skills:

• Advanced Service Design: Mastery of service design principles, methodologies, and tools, including journey mapping, service blueprinting, stakeholder analysis, and persona development.

• AI Integration & Prototyping: Proven ability to integrate AI into design workflows, prototype AI-assisted experiences, and understand the operational implications of AI-driven services. This includes generating and refining prompts for AI tools to achieve desired outcomes.

• Systems Thinking: Capacity to analyze and design complex, interconnected systems, understanding how different components (people, processes, technology, AI) interact and influence one another.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Exceptional ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams (Product, Engineering, Data, Operations, Marketing, CX) to drive alignment and achieve shared goals.

• Strategic Influence & Communication: Skill in influencing stakeholders at all levels, including leadership, by creating clarity, articulating trade-offs, and communicating complex concepts and recommendations effectively without relying on jargon.

• Operational Acumen: Deep understanding of operational realities, business processes, and the challenges faced by frontline and back-office teams, translating these insights into practical design solutions.

• AI Fluency (Integrator Level): Demonstrated ability to use AI tools regularly and effectively as part of the design process, including synthesizing inputs, exploring failure modes, modeling service behaviors, and contributing to team capability by sharing methods and building reusable workflows.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with specific AI tools such as Claude, Claude Code, or similar agentic workflows.

• Proficiency in prompt engineering and developing prompt-based approaches for structured analysis.

• Experience in UX design, product operations, or process improvement analysis.

• Familiarity with data analysis and interpretation to inform design decisions.

• Experience in organizational change management or distributed practice enablement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "AI Fluency: Integrator" level requirement is critical. This means candidates are expected to not only use AI but to actively build and share reusable AI-driven workflows and tools, demonstrating a proactive approach to leveraging AI for team efficiency and capability building. The emphasis on "judgment" and "discernment" when evaluating AI outputs is also a key differentiator.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Service Design Case Studies: Comprehensive documentation of at least 2-3 significant service design projects, showcasing the entire design lifecycle from problem definition to implementation and impact measurement.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration Examples: Evidence of successful collaboration with product, engineering, and operations teams, detailing how alignment was achieved and how collective efforts led to successful outcomes.

• AI Integration Demonstrations: Specific examples or case studies illustrating how AI tools were leveraged in the design process, including prototyping, workflow development, or analysis of AI-driven service implications. This should highlight the candidate's ability to use AI as a practical design tool.

• Operational Impact & Sustainability: Projects that demonstrate a clear understanding and application of operational realities, with a focus on designing for service sustainability, efficiency, and long-term viability. Metrics demonstrating impact on customer experience, operational efficiency, or business outcomes are essential.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Examples of detailed workflow diagrams, service blueprints, or process maps that illustrate current-state processes, identify pain points, and propose optimized future-state workflows, clearly showing the flow of information and tasks across people, systems, and AI.

• AI-Assisted Workflow Prototyping: Documentation of how AI was used to prototype and test new service workflows, including prompt engineering strategies, iterative refinement of AI outputs, and the resulting improvements in efficiency or user experience.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Case studies that include methodologies for measuring service performance, journey health, and the impact of design interventions, with clear presentation of key performance indicators (KPIs) and analysis of results.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio should strongly emphasize projects that involve complex, multi-stakeholder environments and demonstrate a tangible impact on operational efficiency and customer experience. The inclusion of AI in design and operational processes is a non-negotiable aspect that must be clearly showcased. Candidates should be prepared to discuss the "how" and "why" behind their AI integrations and their impact.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Denver, CO & most remote locations: $173,000 - $215,000 per year

• San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; New York, NY: $203,000 - $253,000 per year

Benefits:

• Competitive Base Pay

• Health Insurance

• 401(k) Plan

• Equity (RSUs) - Restricted Stock Units, offering ownership in Gusto's success.

Working Hours:

• 40 hours per week, standard full-time employment.

• Hybrid work arrangement implies structured in-office days, with flexibility for remote work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary ranges provided are explicit and vary significantly by location, reflecting Gusto's understanding of regional market rates. The inclusion of equity (RSUs) is a key component of their compensation strategy, aligning employee success with company growth. The mention of a "Total Rewards philosophy" suggests a holistic approach to employee compensation and benefits beyond base salary.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology (SaaS - Software as a Service), focused on Payroll, Benefits, and HR for Small Businesses.

Company Size: Gusto supports over 500,000 small businesses, indicating a significant scale and impact within the SMB market. The internal team size is substantial, with Design alone comprising over 80 individuals, and this role adding to a growing foundational team.

Founded: Gusto was founded to address the complexities small businesses face with administrative tasks, demonstrating a deep-rooted mission to empower entrepreneurs.

Team Structure:

• Design Team: A large, cross-functional group of over 80 professionals focused on building understanding and empathy for Gusto's users. The team is collaborative, values quality and craft, and works closely with Product, Engineering, Data, and Marketing.

• Service Design Team: This specific team is foundational, growing from two to three members. It has strong executive support and is at the forefront of a major shift towards AI-enabled service experiences.

• Reporting Structure: While not explicitly detailed, senior roles within such organizations typically report up through Design leadership, with potential dotted-line reporting or close collaboration with Product Management and Operations leads.

Methodology:

• AI-Native Design: Gusto is actively building an AI-native design organization, integrating AI into daily workflows for rapid prototyping, shortening feedback loops, and shipping quality user experiences.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: A strong emphasis is placed on working closely with Product, Engineering, Data, and Marketing teams to design, build, and ship impactful experiences.

• Data-Driven Insights: The team aims to build understanding and empathy for users, suggesting a reliance on user research, analytics, and performance data to inform design decisions.

• Process Optimization: The role itself is centered around optimizing workflows and service delivery, indicating a culture that values efficiency and continuous improvement.

Company Website: https://gusto.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Gusto's commitment to being an "AI-native design organization" is a significant cultural differentiator. This isn't just about using AI tools, but about fundamentally rethinking how design and service delivery operate in an AI-first world. This implies a dynamic, experimental, and forward-leaning culture.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Staff Service Designer. This level signifies a highly experienced individual contributor capable of leading complex initiatives, influencing strategy, and mentoring others. The focus is on driving significant impact through design excellence and operational integration, particularly in the emerging domain of AI-enabled services.

Reporting Structure: The role likely reports to a Director or VP of Design/Service Design. Close collaboration with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, and Heads of Operations will be integral.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of Gusto's service delivery, particularly as AI becomes more integrated. By improving cross-functional coordination and designing resilient AI-assisted workflows, this role will enhance customer satisfaction, reduce operational costs, and support Gusto's mission to grow the small business economy.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization in AI-Driven Service Design: Become a leading expert at Gusto and within the industry in designing and implementing services that leverage AI, shaping the future of how companies like Gusto operate.

• Leadership in Emerging Practices: Take on a key role in defining and scaling AI-native design practices across the organization, potentially leading initiatives or mentoring junior designers in this new paradigm.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to high-level strategic discussions regarding product development, operational efficiency, and the integration of AI into Gusto's core offerings, impacting the company's direction.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop strong relationships and influence across Product, Engineering, and Operations, leading to potential opportunities in broader program management or strategic operational roles.

• Mentorship and Team Building: As the service design team grows, there will be opportunities to mentor new team members and contribute to building a robust and innovative design practice.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior Staff" title suggests a path toward principal-level contributions or specialized technical leadership within the service design domain, especially concerning AI integration. The opportunity to shape "AI-native design organization" practices is a significant growth avenue.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Gusto operates with a hybrid work model. Employees based in Denver, San Francisco, and New York are expected to work from the office approximately 2-3 days per week. This suggests a blend of focused individual work and collaborative in-office sessions.

Office Location(s): Physical office spaces are available in Denver, San Francisco, and New York City. The San Francisco office expectations cover both the San Francisco and San Jose metro areas.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model is designed to foster collaboration and team connection on designated office days, while allowing for focused work remotely.

• Operations Tools & Technology: Employees will have access to Gusto's standard technology stack and any specialized tools required for service design and AI prototyping.

• Cross-Functional Interaction: The hybrid model facilitates in-person interactions with colleagues from Product, Engineering, Data, and Operations, crucial for understanding and designing complex service ecosystems.

• Remote Work: For approved remote locations (including Toronto, ON, CAN and United States - Remote), a secure, reliable internet connection is mandatory, ensuring consistent participation regardless of physical location.

Work Schedule: Standard 40-hour work week, with the hybrid arrangement allowing for a mix of in-office and remote work days. The focus is on delivering results within this framework, with flexibility inherent in the remote/hybrid structure.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model aims to balance the benefits of in-person collaboration with the flexibility of remote work, a common approach for roles requiring both deep focus and team synergy. The requirement for a reliable internet connection for remote employees underscores the reliance on digital tools for seamless operation.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will assess your resume and cover letter for alignment with the core requirements, particularly experience in service design, AI integration, and operational context.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Deeper dive into your experience, focusing on your approach to complex service design challenges, your understanding of AI's role in service delivery, and your ability to influence stakeholders. Expect questions about your portfolio.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A dedicated session where you will present 1-3 key projects from your portfolio. This is an opportunity to showcase your process, impact, and how you've tackled complex problems, especially those involving AI and operational realities.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with peers and stakeholders from Product, Engineering, and Operations to assess your collaborative style, ability to build relationships, and understanding of their perspectives.

• Staff/Leadership Interview: A final interview, likely with a senior leader, to assess strategic thinking, cultural fit, and overall leadership potential within the organization.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: Clearly articulate the "why" behind your projects – the problems you solved, the user needs you addressed, and the business outcomes achieved. Quantify impact with metrics whenever possible (e.g., improved efficiency by X%, reduced customer escalations by Y%, increased adoption by Z%).

• Showcase Your Process: Detail your methodology, from research and ideation to prototyping, testing, and implementation. For AI-related projects, explain your approach to prompt engineering, AI output evaluation, and integration into workflows.

• Highlight Collaboration: Demonstrate how you partnered with various teams, how you navigated differing opinions, and how you leveraged diverse expertise to achieve successful outcomes.

• Address Operational Realities: For each case study, explain how you incorporated operational constraints, worked with frontline teams, and designed for sustainability and scalability.

• AI Integration Clarity: Be explicit about how AI was used in your projects. Did you use it for research synthesis, content generation, workflow optimization, or to model AI-specific service behaviors? Explain the tools and your strategic use of them.

• Storytelling: Frame your projects as compelling narratives. What was the challenge? What was your role and approach? What was the outcome? What did you learn?

Challenge Preparation:

• Service Design Challenge: Be prepared for a hypothetical scenario where you'll need to diagnose a service problem, map out a complex journey, or propose an AI-assisted solution. Focus on your structured thinking, problem-solving approach, and ability to articulate your recommendations clearly.

• AI Prompting Exercise: You might be asked to craft prompts for specific service design tasks or to critique AI-generated outputs for a given scenario, demonstrating your understanding of AI capabilities and limitations.

• Operational Scenario: You may be presented with an operational challenge and asked to propose design interventions that consider both customer experience and operational feasibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI fluency means candidates should be ready to discuss their practical experience using AI tools in a professional context, not just theoretical knowledge. The portfolio review is a critical component, so candidates should meticulously prepare case studies that highlight their ability to bridge service design, AI, and operational realities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• AI Platforms: Experience with AI tools such as Claude, Claude Code, or similar agentic workflows is highly beneficial. This includes comfort in building and experimenting with AI-enabled ways of working, prompt engineering, and evaluating AI outputs.

• Design & Prototyping Software: Proficiency in standard design tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, or similar, for creating wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes.

• Service Design Tools: Familiarity with tools for journey mapping, service blueprinting, and process visualization (e.g., Miro, Mural, Lucidchart, or specialized service design software).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Tools: Ability to interpret data from analytics platforms to inform design decisions and measure impact. Experience with tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel, or internal BI dashboards is valuable.

• Customer Feedback Platforms: Experience leveraging insights from customer feedback tools, surveys, and user research repositories.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: While not a primary focus, an understanding of how CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) interact with customer journeys and operational processes is helpful.

• Workflow Automation Tools: Familiarity with how workflows are automated within a SaaS environment, even if not directly configuring them.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Claude and agentic workflows signifies a strong focus on generative AI and AI agents as core components of the design and operational toolkit. Candidates should highlight their practical experience with these types of tools and their ability to develop reusable AI-driven workflows.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Mission-Driven: A strong commitment to Gusto's mission of growing the small business economy, with a passion for empowering entrepreneurs.

• Customer-Centricity: Deep empathy for users, focusing on building understanding and delivering experiences that genuinely make a difference in their lives.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Openness to working across functions, sharing knowledge, and operating without rigid swim lanes. Valuing diverse perspectives and collective problem-solving.

• Craftsmanship & Quality: A dedication to high-quality design and execution, balanced with pragmatism and the ability to iterate quickly.

• Innovation & AI Fluency: A forward-leaning approach to embracing new technologies, particularly AI, and integrating them into daily work to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

• Operational Excellence: A focus on designing for sustainable, efficient, and resilient service delivery that considers the realities of business operations.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless collaboration with Product, Engineering, Data, and Operations teams is expected, fostering a shared sense of ownership and problem-solving.

• Process Review & Feedback: An open culture that encourages constructive feedback, iterative refinement, and continuous learning from both successes and failures.

• Knowledge Sharing: A commitment to sharing best practices, learnings, and reusable tools, particularly in the context of AI-driven design, to elevate the capabilities of the entire organization.

• Experimentation: A willingness to experiment with new approaches, tools, and technologies (especially AI) to discover more effective ways of working and delivering value.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "AI-native design organization" is not just a technical descriptor but a core cultural value. This implies a team that is comfortable experimenting, learning, and pushing the boundaries of how design and operations can be enhanced by AI.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity and Incomplete Data: Moving forward with design initiatives when ownership is unclear, data is incomplete, or problems span multiple domains requires strong judgment and proactive problem-solving.

• Influencing Without Direct Authority: Gaining buy-in and driving change across different teams and leadership levels without formal authority requires exceptional communication, strategic framing, and relationship-building skills.

• Designing for AI's Dynamic Nature: Keeping pace with the rapid evolution of AI technology and its implications for service delivery, ensuring designs remain relevant and effective as AI capabilities change.

• Integrating AI into Existing Operational Realities: Balancing the potential of AI with the practical constraints and existing processes of frontline and back-office operations to create solutions that are both innovative and sustainable.

• Bridging the Gap Between Design and Operational Sustainability: Ensuring that designed experiences are not only user-friendly but also operationally viable and maintainable in the long term, requiring a deep understanding of business systems.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI-driven service design, becoming a go-to resource for AI integration strategies and best practices within Gusto and potentially the broader industry.

• Industry Conferences & Certifications: Opportunities to attend relevant conferences (e.g., service design, AI in business, CX) and pursue certifications to stay at the forefront of industry trends.

• Mentorship & Leadership Development: Gain experience mentoring junior designers, leading project initiatives, and contributing to the strategic direction of the service design practice.

• Exposure to Cutting-Edge AI Applications: Work with internal teams and potentially external partners to explore and implement novel AI applications in service delivery and design.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Enhance understanding of product management, engineering processes, and operational dynamics through close collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the need for resilience, adaptability, and strong interpersonal skills, especially in influencing stakeholders and managing complex, evolving technological landscapes like AI. The growth opportunities are heavily geared towards specialization in AI and strategic leadership within a rapidly advancing field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to influence a product roadmap using service design insights without direct authority. How did you frame the problem and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your stakeholder management, data-driven persuasion, and understanding of trade-offs.)

• "Walk us through a complex customer journey you've designed or optimized. What were the key handoffs between people, systems, and AI, and how did you ensure coherence?" (Be prepared to detail your process, artifacts, and the specific challenges of integrating AI.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you see AI fundamentally changing the role of a service designer? What skills do you believe are most critical for success in an AI-native design organization like Gusto?" (Show your understanding of AI's impact and how you've adapted your skills.)

• "Describe your experience working with operational teams (frontline or back-office). How do you incorporate their realities into your design process?" (Highlight your empathy and practical approach to operational constraints.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, follow a clear story arc: Problem -> Your Role/Approach -> Solution (especially AI integration) -> Impact/Results -> Learnings.

• Visualize Your Process: Use your artifacts (maps, blueprints, prototypes) to illustrate your thinking and methodology. For AI projects, clearly show how AI was used and what outputs were generated.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, present metrics that demonstrate the success of your interventions (e.g., efficiency gains, customer satisfaction improvements, cost reductions).

• Explain AI Integration Clearly: Be precise about how you used AI, what tools you employed, and the specific value it added. Discuss both the benefits and any limitations or challenges encountered.

• Engage Your Audience: Be prepared to answer questions and facilitate a discussion about your work, showing enthusiasm and a deep understanding of your contributions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to discuss their practical experience with AI tools and how they have integrated AI into their design and operational thinking. The expectation is for "Integrator" level fluency, meaning practical application and contribution to team capability, not just theoretical knowledge.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Staff Service Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Gusto's careers page.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your resume and portfolio to highlight your most relevant experience in complex service design, AI integration, cross-functional collaboration, and operational problem-solving. Ensure your portfolio clearly demonstrates your "AI Integrator" level fluency.

• Resume Optimization: Clearly articulate your 8+ years of experience, focusing on achievements in influencing decisions, designing for operational realities, and working with AI. Use keywords from the job description naturally.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your experience using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), especially for scenarios involving AI, complex journeys, and stakeholder influence. Prepare to present your portfolio case studies with a strong emphasis on process, impact, and AI integration.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research Gusto's mission, values, products, and their stated commitment to being an "AI-native design organization." Understand their customer base (small businesses) and the challenges they face.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with Gusto, Inc. before making application decisions.