PROJECT OVERVIEW
About this project: Onboard Mobile App
Prompt: “What will the new hire orientation and onboarding experience look like in the new hybrid work model?”
Solution: The team created a hi-fidelity prototype of an onboarding mobile application that centralized all of the important information surrounding onboarding without needing access to a company-issued laptop or a company email.
Timeline: The team had 4 days to work on a solution for the hackathon.
My Role: As the Lead Product Designer and Project Lead, my role was to research, iterate, and create the best user experience possible for the new-hire onboarding process. Before getting started with the hi-fidelity prototype, I delegated responsibilities across the rest of the team for the duration of the hackathon.
Team: 5 IT Associates
Tools: Miro, Figma
KPIs:
Create a one-stop-shop for users to find onboarding information without needing a company-issued laptop or email
Decrease the number of emails sent to new-hires
Reduce the number of missed onboarding events
Result: We won 1st place across 3 categories: Best Idea, Best Presentation, and Peoples’ Choice, and we were praised by several senior managers & directors across the IT department.
** I designed all of the screens in the prototype during the hackathon, except for the “In-Office Work” landing screen and the screens for the “Virtual 3D Tour”.** This project has been completely revamped by myself after the hackathon and I removed all company-related branding and sensitive data. Pictures and illustrations are copyright free (using free Figma community downloads and Unsplash).Design problem
How might we clarify the onboarding process for new hires and help new hires stay organized in a hybrid work environment?
Design solution
The team created a prototype of a mobile application that gives new hires a centralized location to see upcoming onboarding events, find important contacts, and get help with setting up their company-issued laptop prior to receiving a laptop. The goal of the app is to be the go-to platform for new hires to find answers to onboarding questions on their personal device using their personal email.
Above: A GIF showing the login flow for Onboard app prototype.
Research & key insights
Our team surveyed 5 new-hire IT associates to learn understand their pain points during the onboarding process for the company. The key findings were:
It was hard for new hires to keep track of what onboarding events were scheduled because they received multiple emails through their personal email rather than having access to their company-issued laptop, email, and Outlook calendar.
New hires did not know when their company-issued laptops would arrive nor how to use the company’s VPN.
New hires did not know how to elect benefits, and HR was unclear by what date they had to elect benefits.
Brainstorming
After identifying the main pain points, we brainstormed ideas and categorized them as to how we’d organize the information in the app by using Miro.
Above: A screenshot of the brainstorming we did as a team using Miro.
Key task flows
See Ryan’s journey as an example:
Task flow 1: Keep track of onboarding events
Above: A GIF showing the task flow of using the Onboarding Checklist and Calendar.
Ryan can sign into Onboard using his personal email or LinkedIn.
In the app, Ryan can keep track of onboarding events through an interactive onboarding checklist and events calendar.
The events calendar allows Ryan to find and use the appropriate Webex links for virtual onboarding events.
Ryan can also select a different day of the week above the calendar to see the scheduled events.
Task flow 2: Find out what to expect when working from the office
Above: A GIF showing the task flow of learning what to expect when working from the office and using the 3D office tour feature in the prototype.
Ryan can also use the app to find information about his office, including parking, virtual office tour, office floor plans, weekly cafeteria menu, and return-to-office policies.
Above: A display of the 2 main task flows of keeping track of onboarding events and learning what to expect when working from the office in the prototype.
Revisiting KPIs:
Create a one-stop-shop for users to find onboarding information without needing a company-issued laptop or email. If this concept was developed, all new hires would be able to access onboarding information without needing access to their company-issued laptop or email.
Decrease the number of emails sent to new-hires. If this concept was developed, there would be less than 5 emails sent to personal emails (related to creating an account) . New hires would be able to view onboarding information within the app and have the option to set up push notifications.
Reduce the number of missed onboarding events. If this concept was developed, leadership could measure this by tracking the number of participants that attend the events against the number of participants invited.
My rules of thumb throughout the project as a team member and leader:
Be proactive. Don’t be shy about asking questions, and have regular check-ins with the team to ensure everyone's on the same page.
Offer help to others when they need it.
Listen and consider everyone’s ideas. Everyone brings a different, valid perspective to the table.
Reflect on the team's progress and collaboration methods on a daily basis.
Reflection
I followed the rules of thumb when I was leading this project and have found that these rules are valuable to follow individually, and as a team member. Although we won first place overall and created a smooth demo, I understand the importance of validation. We were not able to get our prototype in front of users before submission due to time constraints. If I could improve this project, I would want to interview more users, create personas for different user groups, and have users test the prototype focusing on the core features and use cases. From there, I would iterate on the design where necessary.