Overview
The Corporate Directory and Org Structure Front-end and Admin project aimed to streamline the way organizations manage and access their employee information, ensuring a seamless user experience for both employees and administrators.
Role
Design Lead, User Research, Interaction, Visual Design
October 2023 and ongoing
Project Goals:
- Create a user-friendly platform for both employees, people leaders and super admins.
- Promote a culture of collaboration
- Improve communication among employees.
Conducting the research
When conducting the user research on the existing corporate directory, it became evident that there were several pain points affecting both the user experience and the administrative efficiency. The most significant of these issues was the noticeable disconnect between the profile views and organizational views within the directory. Users frequently reported difficulties in navigating between their individual profiles and the broader organizational structure, leading to confusion and a decrease in productivity. Additionally, system administrators faced challenges with the separate system they were required to use for managing these profiles and organizational views. This separation not only complicated the administrative processes but also increased the likelihood of inconsistencies and errors in the data management. These findings highlight critical areas for improvement in the design and functionality of the corporate directory, emphasizing the need for a more integrated and user-friendly system that can streamline both user navigation and administrative tasks.
The team's research encompassed:
- Understanding the user goals and needs
- Uncovering pain points with the existing user journey from employee, people leaders and super admin perpectives.
From here the team developed personas for each of the major user groups—new and existing employees, people leaders/managers, and super admins—this was essential for creating a corporate directory that is intuitive, efficient, and meets the diverse needs of its users by addressing their unique goals, challenges, and interactions with the system.
Key Insights:
- Admins currently have to access 3 separate systems to manage employees and orgs – while there are 2 systems – one for contractors and partners and one for salaried employees the interfaces are disconnected and leave users confused
- Users often need to revisit an org or profile and they must go through the entire journey to find those users or orgs again
Validating the designs
The heart of the project was the Employee Directory, which we designed with a focus on user-friendliness and accessibility. A smart search suggestions feature will give users a helping hand while they type in a name or org to help guide them to the information needed more quickly. Saved user search histories within the experience will guide users to find the individuals and orgs they are visited for and revisit them quickly when needed without having to repeat the entire journey. We implemented a clean and organized layout with easy-to-navigate sections for each employee's profile with a direct path to reach out via email, chat or phone. The directory allowed employees to find colleagues quickly, view org charts, and access contact information effortlessly.
For administrators, we developed a powerful yet intuitive admin experience. It provided comprehensive control over the organization's structure, employee data, and permissions that could be accessed from either the admin dashboard or seamlessly from a profile of individuals or orgs that they are managers of. Administrators could easily manage roles, departments, and reporting structures, all within one user-friendly interface. No matter what platform a user’s or orgs profile is tied to the front-end experience to manage them is consistent which provides the user with a seamless experience.
Developing the designs
The team created high-fidelity prototypes in Figma with detailed annotations for developers of interactive elements. As design leader, upon completion of the validated designs handed off I continued to meet with the IT team to ensure the deliverables matched the intent of each of the UX and UI of the designs.
Outcome
The corporate directory, while still under development, has already received positive feedback throughout the design validation process, particularly from employees and managers who appreciate the simplified process for finding and reaching out to colleagues. Managers, in particular, are excited about the seamless experience the directory promises for all contractors, employees, and partners, highlighting the effectiveness of the research-driven approach in meeting user needs.
- The new search functionality in the corporate directory is top-notch. I can find exactly who I'm looking for in seconds, thanks to the smart filters and suggestions.
- I appreciate the directory's mobile compatibility. Being able to look up contacts on-the-go without any hassle has made a big difference in how efficiently I can work from anywhere.
- I was pleasantly surprised by how intuitive the directory interface is. Finding contact details is now quicker than ever, making it easier to connect with colleagues across different departments.