Sova Product Showcase: Project templates, clearer candidate messaging and accessibility improvements

The latest release brings project templates, a simpler way to message candidates from the platform, and accessibility improvements across the candidate and assessor experience.

This release focuses on three updates that improve control, clarity and usability across the platform:

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- Project templates give teams one approved setup to build projects from, with the option to lock the parts that must stay consistent.
- Candidate messaging now follows a simpler flow, with clearer selection and language handling.
- Accessibility improvements move the platform very close to full **WCAG 2.2AA** compliance.

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Project templates: build once, lock what matters

Project templates live in the **content area**, under the **project templates** tab. Template authors create and manage them there, and project builders use the templates available in their account.

Two roles shape the workflow

The release introduces two roles:

- Template author: creates the template, locks what needs to stay fixed, and chooses which accounts can use it.
- Project builder using template: creates projects from templates available in the required account.

This structure keeps control in the right place. Template authors decide what stays consistent, while project builders can move quickly with confidence that the project setup matches what they need.

How templates work

Template authors:

1. Go to the content area.
2. Select "create new template".
3. Give the template a clear name.
4. Choose the owner, either client or account level.
5. Select the languages the template should support.
6. Build the template just like a modern project, using the side menu for phases, activities, project information, messages and reports.

Locking gives control

Templates use **padlock icons** to show what stays fixed and what stays editable.

- Unlocked items stay editable.
- Locked items cannot be edited or removed, although project builders can still see them.

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Template authors can lock down the elements that must remain consistent, such as:

- assessments
- scoring
- candidate communications

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They can also leave other parts open if the team needs flexibility.

A useful detail: locking an activity does not automatically lock its settings or the information before and after it. Those parts need separate locking if they also need to stay fixed.

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Publishing, sharing and version control

When a template is ready, the publish checks work much like the checks on a modern project. If anything remains incomplete, the platform shows a notification that lists what still needs adding.

After publishing, template authors can add a description. That description gives project builders guidance on how to use the template and what they can change.

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Templates also show useful information on the right side of the screen, including:

- what the template contains
- which languages it supports
- which activities and reports it includes
- what remains locked and what stays editable

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Template authors then share the template with the accounts where it needs to appear.

Templates also support a clear versioning model:

- a published version
- a draft version

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Changes stay in the draught until republishing. If the template changes, existing projects built from it remain untouched. Only future projects use the updated version.

When a setup no longer serves its purpose, the template can be **deactivated** so nobody can build from it going forward.

What project builders see

Project builders using template follow a simple flow:

1. Choose the account.
2. Select a template from the list available.
3. Adjust anything left unlocked.
4. Enter the project name.
5. Change the time zone if needed.
6. Publish.

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Every project also keeps an **audit trail** that records where it comes from. The project details page shows who created it and which template they used.

One important safeguard: a project built from a template cannot be duplicated. The template stays the single source of truth.

Helpful template FAQs

Can existing projects still duplicate if they were created before templates?

Yes. The duplication restriction applies only to projects built from templates.

Can different templates exist for different roles, such as graduates and experienced hires?

Yes. There is no limit on the number of templates.

Can a project builder add languages that the template author did not include?  

No. The languages need to exist in the template first.

Can templates be copied? 

Yes. Templates can be copied, and the copy can support further changes where required.

Can a template update affect live projects?

No. Updating a template does not change projects already built from it.

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Candidate messaging: simpler, clearer and harder to get wrong

The release also rebuilds how candidate messaging works in both modern and classic projects.

The new flow focuses on clarity and control.

What changes

Messaging still starts in the candidates tab. From there:

- check the boxes next to the candidates to select them
- use "select all" to include everyone in the project at once
- combine selection with filters to narrow the group
- review exactly who receives the message before sending

The platform now supports selection across the whole project, not just per page.

Message options

Once the selection is ready, the platform offers three message types:

- send or resend the candidate invitation
- send candidate reports
- create a custom message from scratch

Candidate invitations and reports pull through the information set at the template level. Adjustments made for a specific message do not change the saved template.

Language handling

The new flow also shows the languages candidates need. That helps with projects that span different languages or different countries.

If a candidate’s language does not appear in the available set, the candidate receives the message in the project’s default language.

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Accessibility improvements: closer to WCAG 2.2AA compliance

The latest release brings a major round of accessibility work across the **candidate and assessor experience** in modern projects.

The improvements cover:

- keyboard navigation
- clearer labels for screen readers
- minimum size of buttons and controls

The platform now sits very close to full **WCAG 2.2AA** compliance, with a target of full compliance by the end of the year.

Accessibility and reasonable adjustments are different

Accessibility and reasonable adjustments are not the same thing.

- The accessibility toolbar supports any candidate who wants to adjust the way the page looks or behaves.
- Reasonable adjustments or special accommodations, such as additional time, need to come through separately and ahead of time.

Clear candidate information helps make that distinction obvious.

What the accessibility toolbar offers

The accessibility toolbar sits natively in the platform, which means it works consistently across the candidate and assessor journey.

Candidates can:

- zoom up to 200%
- switch colours
- control text and background colours separately
- use spacing controls

The settings carry forward into activities, so candidates do not need to set them up again.

The toolbar does not require disclosure, and candidates can reset their settings at any time.

What comes next

The platform team also shares what sits ahead:

- functionality to create content such as interviews, role plays and group exercises for assessment centres
- a major rebuild of project pages
- stronger visibility and interpretation of data and insights
- more visual dashboarding
- admin improvements such as select all functionality, phase views and statuses

Feature requests continue to feed into these improvements, with logging, prioritisation and grouping all part of the process.

Summary

This release focuses on three strong themes:

- less time building
- less time checking
- more time focused on what matters

Project templates bring control and consistency. Candidate messaging brings clarity. Accessibility improvements bring the platform much closer to WCAG 2.2AA compliance.

For teams that manage repeated projects, similar recruitment campaigns or multi-user workflows, this release places the right controls in the right place.

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