Background
We all know that stress is inevitable at work. While more employers are investing in employees' well-being, perks like snack bars and gyms don't address the problem itself. Through my research and interviews with 134 employed Americans, I found that communication is the biggest source of stress across occupations and industries. The communication gap at work is personal, generational, and hierarchical.
Goals
To prevent stress from accumulating, my goal is to bridge the communicational gap through a smoother onboarding process, authentic team bonding experience, open communication channels, and efficient stress management strategies
Meet Ollie!
Ollie is not only the captain's parrot but also your first friend at the office. Ollie helps new employees transition smoothly, feel comfortable around their colleagues, and de-escalate stressful situations before they brew.
Onboarding
One of the immediate obstacles a new hire faces is the onboarding process - stacks of forms to fill out, documents to provide, and training to complete. Ollie's all-in-one interactive onboarding checklist saves users from the chaos. No more scattered paperwork, flooded inbox, or anxiety on your first day.
No more paper stacks, flooded inbox, and freaking out. Onboard with confidence since day 1.
Meeting the team
Another major stressor for new employees is meeting their colleagues and making a good first impression. In this section, users can learn more about their teammates through their profiles before meeting, then schedule casual meetups to establish and solidify the connection. If conflicts arise in the future, both parties can approach it with more empathy by going back to the profiles and the moment they first met.
Starting off on the right foot with your colleagues drastically reduces the chance for future conflicts.
A "bonded" icon appears next to the colleague after the scheduled hangout has taken place.
Open Communication
After addressing the initial stress from onboarding and meeting new people, it's time to tackle the ongoing stress from communication. With the playful and accessible design, users can now connect informally and with peace of mind on matters that don't require the formality of an email.
A gamified reward system encourages good performance and positive work culture.
This platform is the happy medium between emails and online messengers, perfect for asking for support and feedback. No more drafting emails for things that should be casual and organic.
Managing Stress
Some stress is just more complicated. That’s why Ollie also helps users log and identify patterns in their stress in confidence. With stress journals and reports in hand, users can spot where their stress came from and take appropriate actions
Logging stress, like journal therapy, helps users reflect and analyze their issues. These logs are then used to create monthly reports to identify stress patterns.
Behind the Scenes
Analyzing the Problem
Workplace stress comes in all shapes and forms. To pinpoint the most universal and daunting stress, I surveyed 134 employed Americans and visited various office sites such as Hasbro and W.W. Grainger. Through qualitative research, I found that the three main categories of stress were environment, workload, and communication. Interestingly, communication was the most universally concerning stressor across age, occupation, and seniority.
User persona of Ollie's main target audience - a newly hired young professional
Narrowing the Scope
Ollie is designed to evolve with its users, and its features vary based on users' seniority. However, I am introducing the product from the perspective of a young professional transitioning from school to the workplace.
I am targeting the demographic because millennials are not only the largest generation yet, but also make up a significant portion of the workforce. Their unique position makes a great entry point for storytelling purposes and demonstrates how Ollie can be fully utilized.
Constructing Step by Step
After identifying the problem and entry point, I used user journey mapping to identify touchpoints and position the product. This step was crucial for a product with a strong emphasis on empathy. I then used the design opportunities to create user flow and wireframes.
How Does it Flow?
Ask me about market research, user testing, and more. I wrote a whole book on this!