The following is a step by step overview of my work as an independent contractor for Chicago startup Five To Nine.
Five To Nine creates an HR software tool that builds community amongst employees at medium sized (300 -100 people) companies. To increase user engagement with the platform, I executed research that was used to deliver a new on-boarding system, as well as features that enhanced user feedback, content creation, and participation.
Below I will walk you through the proposal, research, analysis, design, prototyping, testing, and final deliverables. You can navigate to the main sections with menu on the left. Enjoy.
- David
THE CLIENT
FIVE TO NINE
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B2B software that aids HR Departments in developing company culture
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Helps employees build relationships in the workplace
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Uses data from feedback to help companies improve workplace culture
*The original design of Five To Nine's software. A simple feed of events wih RSVP cabability and a forum
ADVOCATING FOR THE USERS
MY ROLE
I was the User Advocate making sure that every step of the design process remained focused on our users' interests.
THE PLATFORM WAS NOT CONNECTING WITH USERS
THE PROBLEM
Five To Nine was not generating meaningful engagement. The goal was to provide more user-centered solutions to increase engagement.
EVENTS FEED
Initially, Five To Nine only offered an events calendar and messaging service.
Q&A
Five To Nine also offered a rudimentary forum, however it was not usable for all users.
SURVEYS. INTERVIEWS. OBSERVATIONS.
RESEARCH
Users were interviewed to find their pain points and what features brought them joy. It was key to understand what elements created community and interaction.
SPEAKING WITH USERS
SURVEYS & INTERVIEWS
It was important to understand things like:
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What is workplace culture to you?
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What drives you interact or engage with one another within the workplace?
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Why does your company want to build interaction and community?
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Who drives interaction in your workplace?
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In what ways does your company culture not meet your needs?
*companies whose employees were interviewed or surveyed
AFFINITY MAPPING & ANALYSIS
RESEARCH RESULTS
The map below modeled questions about workplace culture like:
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Why and how people engage with each other at work
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Who leads it
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What incentivizes them.
*this image maps out words and ideas about how employees are motivated, what benefits they receive from being motivated or engaged, and what obstacles prevent them from engagement
RESEARCH ANALYSIS
INSIGHTS
People interact better when they feel driven to a shared purpose
People engage more when they feel empowered
People are incentivized through outreach
People engage more when they feel rewarded or acknowledged
RESEARCH ANALYSIS
MARKET RESEARCH
The findings were supported by market research.
30%
79%
#1
30% of respondents who reported having a friend at work were 7x more likely to be engaged at their jobs - Gallup
79% of people who quit their jobs cite ‘lack of appreciation’ as their reason for leaving - O.C. Tanner
Recognition is the #1 factor employees say inspires them to produce great work. Nothing else comes close— higher pay, promotion, autonomy or training - Forbes
DESIGN PRICIPLES
Based on the research, the new designs needed to find ways to:
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Empower any employee to contribute and participate in company culture
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Bridge levels of leadership to foster open lines of communication and connection
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Build trust by enhancing transparency with feedback
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Drive motivation through rewards and acknowledgements
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Align and energize employees by incorporating mission and value driven qualities
BRAINSTORMING. WIREFRAMING. PROTOTYPING.
DESIGNING
Brainstorming new features that incorporated the above Design Principles
*some images of the brainstorming/ wireframing process, so many more post-its and whiteboards than these pictures show
REFINING & CREATING SPECIFICITY
DESIGN DIRECTION
1. They needed a new on-boarding process
2. They also wanted to add areas for feedback which included
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casual feedback (liking a post)
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in-depth feedback (private messages and comments)
3. They wanted the ability for users to become content creators to empower them.
USER TESTING
Prototypes went through A/B Testing and user feedback
The new design kept the feed but aimed to make the cards more dynamic and capable of conveying more information.
Different Iterations of Posts on the Feed in Five To Nine
FINAL DESIGNS
The final design incorporated several solutions that would increase engagement, and understanding with users. All of the solutions worked together within a newly designed card that could be used as a template by Five To Nine.
FINAL DESIGNS
The final design also included a brand new on-boarding tutorial.
The card on the right is a breakdown for the design of the tooltips used in the on-boarding.
REDESIGNED ONBOARDING
The new on-boarding tutorial was designed to walk employees step-by-step through the new features added.
FINAL DESIGNS
The nav bar was redesigned to incorporate the new features and separate feeds to improve interaction and navigation.
FINAL DESIGNS
A new sitemap was laid out to provide better organization of ew and existing features.
Conclusion
This project succeeded in putting forth several new features. It was a great experience in conducting research, creating on-boarding, and creating a platform that overall creates deeper engagement in the workplace.
This design was a great experience for me. The power of design to me is in the ability to understand people on their level.That that connection can be used to enhance real-world person to person interactions is, to me, a beautiful thing.
