Being part of the 2019 vision, all intranet applications were going through a revamping phase. The candidate onboarding application was being migrated to deliver a better user experience without deviating from the process mandated by the Ethics and Compliance team. The solution provided a better screen layout and a simplified process flow.
Role
UX Consultant
Type
Intranet / Internal App
Focus
Onboarding UX
Project Goal of Revamp
What We Were Solving For
Establish the effectiveness of the current application through heuristics
Identify key potential benefits the application would bring for new joiners
Create an engaging and accessible user interface design
Validate the design approach by conducting user testing
Allow flexibility for seamless localization
Responsibilities
My Role
Design Strategy
Led user research, collaborated with business to define UX activities, and managed a team of UX Analysts and Designers.
Plan, conduct, and summarise user research including UX recommendations.
Branding
Governing the branding and design activities.
Define and enforce standards and consistency across design solutions.
Execution
Information Architecture, User Research, User Persona, Wireframes and Usability Testing.
Leadership
Coach and mentor team members.
Communicating progress and presenting research outcomes and design solutions to the leadership team.
Methodology
Our Approach
Requirement analysis, analysing current applications, and defining the Information Architecture and Interface Design Standard through research methods such as task analysis, user interviews, feedback, heuristic analysis, and localisation analysis. The scope also includes data analysis and recommendations for conceptual designs to improve overall user experience, fix usability concerns, and make visual changes based on the UX interaction specification.
Process Analysis
Existing Approach
Pre Study Design
Workshop with Product owners, Development, Business teams along with UX experts.
Focus Group study with the product and Business teams.
Captured high level issues.
Research
User Interviews, Task Analysis, Task Listing and IA.
Localisation Analysis, Market Research.
Conceptual Wireframes.
Usability testing (Remote).
Iterate the wireframes.
Pain Points
Key Challenges
Business
Application rolled out in 2011 — enhancements and customisation done on top of this version.
Lot of pre-joining forms to be completed by the candidate.
Nearly 400 fields to be filled in by the candidate.
Customisation and effort required even for minimal changes.
Application is not compatible in all devices — not a Responsive Web Design.
Users
Process of Onboarding was unclear — candidates needed to contact recruiter for status updates.
BGV Status was not provided, users had to call and check for updates.
Third Party intervention made users navigate to a new window, breaking the sense of belonging to the application.
Document upload had no provision to delete, no multiple uploads, and Zip files were not accepted.
POC/HR connect was slow — calls and emails were not reaching on time.
Discovery
Current State Assessment
The initial state of discussion happened with the Business Analyst covering technical as well as functional requirements. As we probed further, we discovered a backend team that directly answered candidate queries — which helped us understand user pain points.
With the help of collected information, we requested a collateral workshop (Experience Strategy Workshop) involving Business Analysts, Product Owners, Technical Architects, and UX Experts familiar with internal systems. This helped us understand the system process and limitations before engaging users to identify their needs.
User / Business Insights
A total of 22 users had been interviewed for the purpose of this study, at various levels of the organisation.
The purpose of the study was restricted within the Chennai region for one-on-one interviews.
Webex / Remote interviews were conducted with 10 users at national level, as the application launch was planned at India level.
Based on the identified process along with the pain points of the candidate from the Journey map, we provided a holistic solution addressing the needs of both the candidate and the business. Being an internal application, we were not supposed to change the process, but we were able to streamline it to help users.
Avoid redundant field entries.
Linear approach — the user can view, edit, and upload details at one screen using a wizard approach.
Able to merge third-party and internal applications into a single UI, making the user feel part of the organisation.
Helps user to estimate the time of completion.
Usability Testing
Design Validation — UT
Various Levels in Organisation
Freshers
First Time Joiners
Rejoins Organisation
Usability Testing Questions
Various tasks were prepared for different users to understand if all flows were clearly captured in the application.
Self Introduction: How was your onboarding experience with regard to the application you used for onboarding within the organisation?
Scenario 1
We came up with a revamp of the application and would like to get your insights on the same with regard to whether the need/expectations were captured correctly. Technically — an Expectancy Test to see if we matched the mental model of the candidate.
Scenario 2
Requested the users to navigate and help upload the BGV related documents. Technically — a Performance Test to validate navigation.
Problem → Solution
Challenges & Solutions Offered
#
Major Challenges
How Did We Overcome
1
Too many fields to be filled by the candidate
Provided auto-populate feature where fields were repeating due to compliance mandates. All redundant non-compliance fields were removed.
2
Contact Time — Relevant team connect
Provided on-screen support that helps the candidate self-answer frequently repeated questions. In specific cases, users can drop an email to the respective team with a copy to their personal email.
3
Third-Party application / Status to Candidate
A holistic linear solution with the help of Wizards, that helps/showcases the user where they currently are along with how much % of onboarding documents have been submitted.
Benefits Delivered
Other General Solutions
1
Ease the process of acclimating and welcoming the new employee.
2
New hire can accept / reject the offer and digitally sign the letters.
3
Enable pre-joining paperwork before DOJ and avoid rush on the day of joining.
4
Automates the BGV process in parallel before DOJ.
5
Generates onboarding pass for new hires.
6
Assists the onboarding team with employee ID creation and asset distribution for everyone.
