SPARK x Teecom
Background and Goals
TEECOM is a technology-consulting company; their motto is "We make technology work in buildings." They specialize in implementing technological assets, such as security systems, internet, etc., into offices, lecture halls, and in general - buildings. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, TEECOM has switched to a permanent remote workspace.
TEECOM has tried a number of things to increase employee engagement, such as weekly employee satisfaction surveys, as well as implementing the Slack integration called Donut to have two people meet and talk. However, research indicated that some co-workers felt Donut interactions were forced or even "awkward." We knew that we had to create something that felt natural, spontaneous, and authentic, similar to an in-person environment.
Design Research goals:
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What does the term "employee engagement" mean to remote workers?
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What are other companies doing with a remote work model? Is it working well or not? Why or why not? What do workers think of it?
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Is TEECOM doing too much to increase employee engagement?
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What do workers prioritize the most during work hours?
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How do we create online, spontaneous interactions that are not awkward nor forced?
How can our system accommodate for so many different types of people - and thus a variety of needs and desires?
Methods:
To carry out this research project, literature reviews, competitive analyses, 33 in-depth interviews with workers outside of TEECOM and TEECOM employees, and Qualitative and quantitative testing were utilized. To analyze the results, iterative qualitative coding as well as discussions and writing methods were followed.
Design System
Crucial Insights
The following three findings were critical in product development:
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Nearly all 33 interviewees noted that non-work related discussions, jokes, and conversations happened before meetings begin.
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Workers value productivity and efficiency the most, regardless of which industry they were in. This meant that our product could not be "live" (eg controlling an avatar during work hours).
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Co-worker bonding also primarily occurred during work hours, meaning that many were not willing to sacrifice after-hours to chat and bond - unlike traditional happy hours.
Other primary findings include how we identified 7 different archetypes - or user types - which resulted in a wide variety of needs and wants. Addressing these different needs/wants was part of our product goal.
Secondary findings validated the initial research results that TEECOM has. Such validated insights include how remote workers felt that spontaneous opportunities are "nice to have but are not a must." Additionally, TEECOM's workers felt apprehensive about Donut; it worked well when paired with somebody who has a common interest, but when it didn't, conversations felt forced, awkward, and even bred social-anxiety.
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User Flow:
Problem Impact:
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We tackled an issue that many others have tried, but for us, we solved it with extensive research - even consulting 30+ academic papers. This solution is loved by the remote workers who tested this product.
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This product solution fulfills the needs and desires of a variety of workers, ranging from HR, engineering, software development, and project managers.
Lastly this product accommodates for a diverse range of personalities: those who are introverts, workers who are married and have a family, new hires, and more.
Strategic Impact:
This journey has left a legacy with our client, TEECOM, who intends to continue to work on our prototype to bring it to fruition. It will not only be deployed in TEECOM but also for their potential clients.
Stakeholder Collaboration Impact:
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TEECOM has a high buy-in for UX, and they promote this buy-in with their potential clients. Check out their blogpost on our project!
“I like where this is headed. I like this is like the old watercooler chats. So we are getting together, we are getting ready to go into a meeting, and we have a chance to just chat it up a little bit before we start our meeting."
- Tester 2
"I don't ever join meetings early, just because I'm in work mode. So if I was, given that prompt of, ‘Oh, Spark is being used now.’ So I can join early and start talking with people, I would definitely choose that.”- Tester 4
Final Prototype: