Rapport | Employee Engagement Platform

Rapport is an Employee Engagement Platform initially servicing 3 companies with a net worth of 2 Billion and 20,000+ employees.

Outline

We needed to redesign and optimise the UX for the 3 primary clients using Rapport’s existing technology stack.

Their product strategy was to white-label the system and break into an extremely competitive, but growing market.

Deliverables

Analyse and review limitations and user bottle-necks in existing platform.
In-depth competitor research and analysis to identify industry trends approaches and existing unique selling points.
Combine online user reviews with existing user behavioural data and qualitative feedback to define desired outcomes. Profile multi-user stories, define existing and ideal user experience and match with optimal configuration.
Prototype several core screens, the variations based on different “go-to-market” strategies. A/B test the agreed upon approach with existing Rapport users for feedback and assumption realignment.
Create a high fidelity prototype with a full set of optimal features and options. Separately, create an MVP design for the developers to start building for initial user testing.

Platform Audit

The client was aware that the platform could be improved but was unsure how to define or properly collect the information. We implemented a number of UX tools to conduct an audit.

  • User data analytics
  • Heat maps/click rates/recordings
  • 1:1, group & online surveys
  • User flow audit & red routes
  • Accessibility and responsive test
  • Usability: legibility, hierarchy, info architecture
  • Competitor reviews
rapport current portal 1

Competitors

We analysed each platform’s unique approach by comparing features with user needs. Extrapolating from this, we identified 2 key categories and currently untapped markets for Rapport.
Competitor 1

The “Big Boys

First mover advantage; offers a full range of features. They matched their user objectives directly with their categories and offer a very high level of user customisation.

Competitor 2

The “Up & Comers

These have conservative feature sets and less customisation but take advantage of offering pre-built specialised systems that encourage agility.

The big change in 2017 is millennials entering the workforce and with them, their values:
  • Personal Accountability
  • Peer Relationships
  • Managing “Sideways”
  • Peer Recognition
  • Work / Life Balance
  • Transparency

Key Users

There were 4 user types for Rapport each with different habits and expectations. We found that the most common issues of executive leadership were: accountability, consistency, and effectiveness. 
Managers
Managers / Supervisors

A high-frequency user.
They view localised information and need to see trends and goals associated with their position.

HR
Human Resources

Medium Frequency user.
They need to see warnings, alerts and flagged issues quickly as well as onboarding and offboarding survey results.

Executives
CEO / Executives

Low-frequency user.
They need top-level comparisons, and company-wide trends and match performance with industry standards.

Employees
Employees / Contractors

Varied frequency of use.
They want to see management being accountable and transparent, hyper-localised use.

Product Strategy

Rapport wanted to launch a new engagement portal that competed with big players but had the disadvantage of being late to market.

The “Big Boy’s” abundance was their weakness, resulting in user needs being overlooked due to bloat.

Rapport Pyramid

We would focus on the first 3 tiers of the human needs pyramid; allowing the initial launch to be achievable and effective.

Initial Designs

The biggest challenge was curating information per use case and creating UI that was simple and personal. 

Design Goals

  • Group information based on individual user objectives
  • Filter irrelevant information
  • Reveal previously obscure trends or threats in the company
  • Tailor and customise each user experience
  • Show tangible outcomes to the users
Rapport wires 2

Internal Design revisions

After conducting several stakeholder workshops and discussions I developed some high-fidelity prototypes for user testing. Using InvisionApp allowed us to begin a rapid iterative process for several days.

Complexity matching frequency

For the frequent uses of the interface, we allowed greater customisation and filtering, whereas simple was the key for infrequent users. 

We also began exploring white-labelling; one of the client’s key requirements. 

External Design Revisions

After conducting user testing and A/B testing via InvisionApp, we finally narrowed down an optimal design. We found a balance that accommodated each use case.

The final revision needed to incorporate the new branding, reduction of features for MVP and adjustments to match Microsoft Power BI.

Minimum Viable Product

The final design for Rapport was very successful. The rate of use for existing customers increased by 90%.

The metrics for employee engagement continue to be tracked but look very promising.

Rapport-UI-3.1
Rapport UI 4.1

Final Outcome

The final platform not only showed tangible outcomes but encouraged people to create an emotional connection to the data and understand their employee’s stories.
“Of all the designers I’ve worked with, Michael was the first who, not only craft beautiful designs, but craft them with the intended target audience in mind – design without compromising user experience.”

Clement Wu – Prime8

Let's see if we click 👉

We have experience at every level and stage. Talk to us about strapping a rocket to your roadmap.

Cyber man 1