CASE STUDY
Young Digital
work culture survey
Role: Lead UX/UI Designer | Time: December 2019
A work place cultural survey. Please login with your credentials.
Company E-mail
ex: johndoe@youngdigitals.com
Role
ex: Sales Manager
In this case study, I explore my collaboration with Young Digitals for my final assessment in IronHack. Here, I detail the process of how we tackled a less fun task: filing up company survey, which admittedly I'm not fond of either - into a more palatable and slightly enjoyable experience for users.
Getting to Know the Client
Young Digitals is a consulting company with an emphasis on emotional intelligence, team dynamics, and value-based leadership. Their unique approach combines digital technology with human-centered principles to deliver groundbreaking solutions.
Client Interview Process
The interview was done via Google Meet and was carefully planned to cover essential aspects of the project, without becoming repetitive or off-topic.
The Key themes were
- 1
Understanding the Target Audience:
Who would use our product? What were their needs and preferences?
- 2
Product Expectations:
What were the key metrics and functionalities that mattered the most?
- 3
Challenges & Solutions:
How did we navigate and overcome the developmental challenges?
- 4
Risk Mitigation:
What were the potential risks, and how could they be managed?
- 5
Defining Success:
What would be the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?
Insights and Discoveries
User Group Identification
We pinpointed employees in banks and IT companies as our primary user group, leading to a product that resonated with their unique needs.
Design Freedom
With no strict design guidelines, creativity was encouraged, yet alignment with the company's branding was essential.
Product's Purpose
The goal was to enhance organizational understanding and promote a healthy company culture.
Expectations & Challenges
Young Digitals expected a visually pleasing, intuitive product, but there was a need for clarity on the concept and strategy.
Conclusion: Through the interview, we established a mutual understanding of our goals and the path to achieve them. The discussions were insightful to help we understand the product's development, focusing on creating a user-centric experience that mirrored the values of Young Digitals.
Understanding the Status Quo
Young Digital had already laid the groundwork with a clickable prototype as our starting point. This prototype was segmented into four critical components, each playing a distinct role in understanding personal and organizational values and practices. Here's a closer look at the current state of each part:
Login Page
Users, restricted to specific organizations, enter their name, organization, and job position to access the survey.
Values (Personal & Organizational
Both personal and organizational value sections asks users to rank their current and ideal values through a set of questions.
Practices
This part prompts users to distribute 100 points for each statement, ranking them by importance, reflecting alignment with their values.
Results
In the final section, users rank statements from most to least important, summarizing their value orientation and practices.
The most obvious issue in the Status Quo was the repetition of the same questions for both personal and organizational values. This redundancy could potentially cause confusion and dissatisfaction among users. The task ahead was to address this aspect while enhancing the overall user experience.
Unpacking User Feedback
Design Thinking & Usability Testing
We adopted a hands-on approach in our design thinking phase. Our objective was to get to know the users’ unfiltered journey through the product, with a focus on pain points and expectations. We provided an environment where users could freely navigate the product without any preconceived endpoints. Two pivotal aspects stood out:
- 1
Learning Curve
We observed the ease (or lack thereof) with which users grasped the product's flow.
- 2
Time to Completion
We measured how long it took users to complete the survey, from start to finish.
Usability Test Insights
We adopted a hands-on approach in our design thinking phase. Our objective was to witness the users' unfiltered journey through the product, with a keen eye on pain points and expectations. We provided an environment where users could freely navigate the product without any preconceived endpoints. Two pivotal aspects stood out:
The Length of the Survey:
User Quote:
"Answering the same question twice felt like a waste of time. It was frustrating."
Observation:
Repetition in the first and second parts led to user frustration, highlighting the need for streamlining.
Complex Language:
User Quote:
"I had to read some questions multiple times to understand what was being asked. It's too complicated."
Observation:
Complexity in wording hindered understanding and user-friendliness.
Completion Time:
User Quote:
"It took me almost half an hour to finish this. I almost gave up halfway through."
Observation:
The survey was time-consuming, far exceeding the targeted 8-minute completion time.
Result Presentation:
User Quote:
"I don't get what this graph means. It's too hard to understand."
Observation:
The result page’s graphic was not user-friendly, causing confusion.
Empathy Map
An empathy map was created based on user feedback and observations, revealing common feelings of confusion and boredom.
Conclusion: The user testing phase painted a vivid picture of the real-world experience of our product, unveiling both strengths and weaknesses. These insights became the foundational bricks for diagnosing the core problems.
Defining the Problem Statement
Through meticulous user testing, we not only got acquainted with our users but also unearthed the cracks within our product. The symptoms were unmistakable: a disorienting user interface, puzzling questions, redundancy in content, and an obfuscated presentation of results. What had begun as mere friction points had escalated into tangible barriers that impeded the user experience.
Problem Breakdown
Uninviting User Interface
Lost and confused users signaled the failure of our current interface to guide or please.
Cryptic Questions and Responses
Complexity in language emerged as a significant barrier, slowing users down.
Déjà Vu in Organizational Values
Repetition in content escalated into a significant pain point.
Incomprehensible Survey Results:
Instead of insights, the results page bred confusion.
The Critical Question: Our Path Forward
Our challenge now lay in transforming these insights into actionable solutions. The question at the forefront was:
“How might we craft a product that resonates with our users, embodying an interface that not only engages but simplifies? How can we convey information in a manner that is both concise and enjoyable, turning the process into a seamless and rewarding journey?”
Understanding the User
Meet our Persona: Linda Najwa
Linda Najwa, an experienced logistic analyst, was faced with the task of completing a values assessment questionnaire provided by her company's HR department. This exercise presented her with several challenges and opportunities.
Pain Points
- Time-Consuming: Linda found it difficult to stay focused and committed to the survey as it took her a long time to complete.
- Unclear ROI: The absence of clear benefits or incentives made the process feel unrewarding.
- Confusing Questions: The survey's layout and redundant questions confused her and made her question the purpose.
Goals
- Efficiency: Linda needed a quick and intuitive questionnaire that wouldn't consume her valuable time.
- Clarity: The survey should be self-explanatory, guiding her through the questions without any confusion.
User Journey Map:
Problems
- Understanding the Purpose: Unclear about the survey's aim.
- Question Clarity: Confused by the wording and redundancy.
- Complex System: Struggled with the point system and understanding the graph.
Opportunities
- User Guidance: Offer clear onboarding and progress tracking.
- Survey Incentives: Encourage completion with rewards.
- Improved Interaction: Simplify ranking and results display.
Possible Solutions
Identifying challenges and pain points is only part of our journey towards improving the user experience. Based on our insights from user testing and understanding Linda's persona, we propose a series of strategic solutions that aim to enhance engagement, clarity, and overall usability of our survey.
Onboarding
CHALLENGE:
Users unclear about the survey's purpose.
CHALLENGE:
Implement an informative onboarding process to minimize confusion, explaining the survey objectives, data collection, and usage. This will enhance user understanding and willingness to participate.
Combining Parts 1 and 2
CHALLENGE:
Redundancy in parts 1 and 2 of the survey.
CHALLENGE:
Merge both sections to reduce repetitiveness, streamlining the survey, and decreasing the completion time.
5-Level Agreement Scale
CHALLENGE:
User frustration with the 100 point system in part 3.
CHALLENGE:
Replace this system with a 5-degree agreement scale to simplify the response process, reducing user frustration and enhancing participation rates.
Adding a Back Button
CHALLENGE:
Difficult navigation between survey questions.
CHALLENGE:
Implement user-friendly navigation and clear instructions, making the survey easier to traverse and understand.
Rephrasing Questions
CHALLENGE:
Complexity of questions from Schwartz's Value Survey (SVS).
CHALLENGE:
Introduce a rephrasing assistant for simplifying questions without altering their scientific validity, improving comprehension and engagement.
Integrating a Progress Bar
CHALLENGE:
Lack of insight into survey progress.
CHALLENGE:
Include a progress indicator to help users gauge the length and their progression, promoting engagement and enhancing the completion rate.
Incorporating a Help Assistant
CHALLENGE:
Queries and uncertainties during the survey.
CHALLENGE:
Create a help section including FAQs and a glossary to guide users through the survey, enhancing accuracy and efficiency.
Improving Data Visualization
CHALLENGE:
Confusing graph on the result page.
CHALLENGE:
Redesign the graph with clear labels, colors, and simplified information, and offer alternative visualization options like tables or charts to ensure users can quickly interpret the results.
These targeted solutions are designed to address the specific problems identified in our analysis. By systematically addressing each issue, we can create a more engaging, concise, and user-friendly survey experience, ultimately leading to more valuable feedback and a deeper understanding of our users. By embracing user-centric design principles, we align our strategies with the real needs of our audience, paving the way for a more successful product.
Mid-fidelity Prototyping
After careful examination of the insights gathered from user tests and aligning them with our client's expectations, we embarked on the journey of crafting mid-fidelity prototypes. Our goal was to translate our conceptual solutions into tangible designs, aiming for a balance between user needs and the client's business objectives.
Layout and Structure
We crafted wireframes that represented the skeleton of the user interface, focusing on the placement of elements, navigation, and overall user flow.
Content Organization
We ensured that content was logically organized and presented to eliminate confusion and enhance user comprehension. This included combining the personal and organizational values sections to reduce redundancy and provide a more streamlined experience.
Interaction Design
We began to explore how users would interact with the product, outlining the basic functionality such as the drag-and-drop ranking system and the incorporation of a progress bar.
The mid-fidelity prototyping stage was instrumental in transforming our insights and possible solutions into concrete designs. It allowed us to test our ideas, iterate based on real feedback, and establish a strong foundation for the next phase.
Visuals
The visual design plays a crucial role in connecting with the user and communicating the brand's personality. Our design choices were guided by attributes that reflect the brand's essence and our users' expectations.
Credit: https://www.pexels.com/
Brand Attributes: Trustworthy, safe, friendly, engaging
Credit: https://www.pexels.com/
Color Palette
Primary Color
SUN KISS ORANGE
F56532
F7845B
F9A384
FBC1AD
FDE0D6
USAGES
Used for main actions, buttons, and highlights to grab the user's attention.
Secondary Color
RADIANT YELLOW
E1B11D
EDD077
F3E0A5
F9EFD2
TRUST BLUE
089DC
6BC4D9
9CD8E6
CEEBF2
USAGES
These provided supplementary contrast and were used for secondary elements and background accents.
Grey colors
100603
403835
706A68
9F9C9A
CFCDCD
FCFCFC
USAGES
Utilized for text, borders, and subtle background shades, allowing for a neutral balance within the design.
Screens
The careful design of each screen was vital to create a smooth and engaging user experience. By incorporating user feedback and focusing on the goals identified in the earlier stages of the project, we were able to design screens that were both aesthetically appealing and functional.
A work place cultural survey. Please login with your credentials.
Company E-mail
fillingex: johndoe@youngdigitals.comlindanajwa@trustybank.com
Role
fillingex: Sales ManagerLogistic Analyst
Hi, Linda,
Welcome to the culture explorer. This survey is designed to help you find out what your personal vaules and those of your organization are.
There is no right or wrong, just follow your guts feelings. The survey takes approx. 20 min. When you're finished you'll be able to compare yourself with the culture of your organization. Your personal results stay strictly anonymous, only aggregated values will be shown to others. Enjoy!
On-Boarding
The addition of a vector illustration on the login screen created a more welcoming and engaging user experience. This visual touch resonated with the brand attributes and set a positive tone. Furthermore, we incorporated onboarding screens to provide users with greater clarity and insight into the survey's purpose and expectations. This helped ease the users into the process and set clear expectations.
That people do what I say/the organisation says
Use the 10-point scale in which 1 indicates that the values is not important for you, 4 indicates that the values is important, and 8 indicates that the value is of supreme importance for you.
Personal Values
... is currently fulfilled
Ideal values
Organisational Values
... is currently fulfilled
Ideal values
Values
By integrating personal and organizational values into a single section, we were able to streamline the compliance process, resulting in faster completion times. This approach eliminated redundancy and made the survey more efficient. Additionally, we made all relevant information transparent and readily available to users, which facilitated their navigation of the survey and helped them answer the questions more thoughtfully.
Dominant Characteristics: Rank the statements by dragging and drooping.
How is it now
How is it now
Rank these statement from what you think most important to the less imporant
Practices
By implementing drag-and-drop functionality, we introduced a gamification element that proved more intuitive and user-friendly than point distribution. This interaction allowed users to prioritize and organize their responses quickly and enjoyably. Additionally, users could simply click on statements, and the next available field would automatically populate, further enhancing the usability.
VALUES STRUCTURE
- Employees and organisation
- You and your organisation
- You and your peers
On the side, you’ll find value orientation grouped in four broad dimensions. The bars show importance and current degree of satisfaction for the selected group as well as the mean importance for the reference group.
Your evaluation
You are not satisfied when it comes to Openness to Change. You want to have more opportunities for self-direction, stimulation, and hedonism. We can help with that!
The organization meets the employees’ expectations regarding Openness to Change pretty well, i.e. it provides enough opportunities for self-direction, stimulation, and hedonism.
Thank you for your participation!
Self-enhancement
Conservation
Openness to change
Self-transcendence
Result Page
To present the survey results, we opted for a spider web visualization that utilized dots to denote continuity between data points. This unique visualization helped users quickly grasp the connections and relationships between various aspects of their responses. Additionally, we included highlights of the results to enhance user comprehension and provide them with meaningful insights into their values and practices.
In two weeks, our team moved from initial ideation to a refined product design. The overwhelmingly positive feedback during our final presentation to the Young Digital team marked a significant achievement for us. Their decision to offer our designs into production was a true testament to the project's success.
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