Live interview days ask a lot of admissions teams.

Hundreds (and sometimes thousands!) of applicants and reviewers connect over a short period of time, with interviews happening simultaneously and important admissions decisions ahead. The technology powering those interviews should be one less thing to think about.

That’s why we’ve rebuilt Kira’s Live Interview platform from the ground up. Beginning in early October, the new experience has been rolling out gradually to clients, pairing a refreshed interface with significant improvements to speed, responsiveness, and capacity.

For applicants and reviewers, that means a smoother, more responsive experience. For admissions teams, it means a platform built to support even their busiest interview days.

Built for your busiest interview days

Some of the biggest improvements in the new Live Interview platform are ones you may never see. And that’s the point!

Kira regularly runs load tests that simulate high-volume live interview events, helping us understand how the platform performs when large numbers of applicants and reviewers participate simultaneously.

Testing of the rebuilt platform has demonstrated at least a 2.5x improvement in overall performance, with significant gains in speed, efficiency, and capacity.

For applicants and reviewers, these improvements translate to faster page loads, smoother station transitions, and a more responsive experience throughout their interviews.

More responsive by design

We’ve also modernized the technology powering the interface to make everyday interactions faster and more efficient.

By dramatically reducing unnecessary page rendering, the rebuilt platform delivers a smoother, more polished experience without changing the core interview workflow that applicants and reviewers are already familiar with.

We’ve also maintained WCAG 2.2 AA conformance for applicants, ensuring accessibility remains a priority as the platform evolves.

Additional improvements for applicants and reviewers

While performance was our primary focus, rebuilding Live Interviews also gave us the opportunity to introduce several smaller improvements for applicants and reviewers.

Background noise cancellation
Participants can now enable background noise cancellation in their microphone settings, helping reduce distracting sounds during an interview.

Editable reviewer notes
Reviewers can now edit previously saved notes about applicants during a circuit, giving them greater flexibility to refine their feedback.

A smoother Bonus Time experience
We’ve improved how Bonus Time behaves when reviewers switch between their interview and other browser tabs, and added a clearer warning when leaving Bonus Time with incomplete reviews.

More consistent applicant support
We've improved how applicants access our support resources during a live interview, making it easier to get help without disrupting their interview experience.

Scheduler improvements
Alongside the rebuilt platform, we’ve been making significant improvements to Scheduler, making it easier for admissions teams to build, navigate, and manage their live interview schedules.

Over the past four months, we've introduced several enhancements, including:

  • Faster, easier navigation: A refreshed circuit list with improved search, filtering, and pagination makes it easier to find specific circuits, participants, and interview dates.
  • More flexible scheduling: Admins can now edit circuit details after participants have been scheduled, manage applicant retakes more easily, and access past and upcoming circuits in one place.
  • Clearer scheduling conflicts: More detailed error messages help admins identify and resolve overlapping participant schedules without needing additional support.
  • A more intuitive experience: Redesigned circuit cards, simplified CSV options, and improved actions make everyday scheduling tasks easier.

And we're not done yet! Coming soon, admins will be able to duplicate circuits in bulk, making it even easier to build and manage complex interview schedules.

What’s next?

Enhanced integrity insights

We’re expanding the applicant activity captured during Live Interviews to provide admissions teams with greater visibility into potential integrity concerns.

These additional insights will begin surfacing in the new Admin Platform over the coming months, helping admissions teams make more informed decisions when reviewing applicant activity.

A stronger foundation for the future

Rebuilding Live Interviews is an important investment in the long-term performance, scalability, and flexibility of Kira’s platform.

With a modernized technical foundation in place, we’re better equipped to support increasingly complex interview events and continue delivering meaningful improvements for applicants, reviewers, and admissions teams.

The new Live Interview platform will finish rolling out to all clients by the end of November 2026. We’re excited for everyone to experience the improvements!