Postcards
Overview
Project Description
The "Postcards" feature was designed to address a gap in Structural’s platform by introducing actionable prompts for users to celebrate achievements and foster community engagement. Through gamification and recognition behaviors, this feature aimed to increase daily platform usage and strengthen workplace culture.
My Role
I led the end-to-end design of the "Postcards" feature, from identifying user needs and conducting research to ideating solutions, creating prototypes, and collaborating with engineering for implementation. I also facilitated cross-departmental alignment to ensure the feature met both business and user objectives.
Summary
Challenge
Despite having abundant employee information, the platform lacked actionable features to engage users, resulting in low daily active usage and reliance on external tools for recognition and team-building.
Process
I conducted user interviews, competitive analysis, and concept validation to identify user needs and explore solutions. Using research-driven insights, I iterated on prototypes and tested designs to refine the "Postcards" feature, ensuring an engaging and intuitive experience.
Outcome
The "Postcards" feature increased daily active usage by 35%, boosted recognition behaviors by over 50%, and reduced reliance on third-party tools, contributing to Structural’s acquisition by a rewards and recognition platform.
Impact
+ 35% in Daily Active Usage
Recognition and engagement features motivated users to interact more frequently with the platform.
+ 50% in Recognition Behaviors
Actions like compliments and thank-yous became significantly more frequent due to the feature.
- 40% in External Tool Dependency
The new features reduced reliance on third-party platforms for team-building and recognition.
Acquisition Driver
Community-focused tools like "Postcards" were integral to Structural’s appeal during acquisition discussions with a rewards platform.
Problem Framing
To understand the low engagement levels, I conducted exploratory user interviews, which revealed that while users valued the employee information provided, they felt disconnected from it due to a lack of actionable features. Many users resorted to exporting data to external tools for team-building and recognition activities, highlighting a critical gap in Structural’s functionality.
UX Research
I conducted qualitative research, including user interviews and competitive analysis, to understand engagement behaviors and benchmark similar features from other platforms. This helped identify the potential value of a gamified engagement tool and guided the feature’s development.
Research Techniques
- User Interviews: To uncover pain points and assess the demand for engagement features.
- Concept Validation: Tested early ideas with customers and stakeholders to ensure alignment with their goals.
- Competitive Analysis: Studied similar tools on other platforms to identify best practices in gamification and community-building.
Key Insights
- Users valued employee information but lacked prompts to engage with it meaningfully.
- External tools were commonly used for recognition, showing a gap in the platform’s capabilities.
- Gamification was effective in driving engagement and recognition behaviors.
Many clients were relying on external tools for employee recognition, creating an opportunity to add more value directly within the platform. To address this, a Recognition feature was introduced, eliminating the need for third-party solutions while aligning with the company's branding and vision.
The concept of "Appreciate" was developed to expand on existing features like celebrating birthdays, work anniversaries, and onboarding milestones. "Appreciate" allows teams and organizations to go beyond milestones and recognize everyday achievements, fostering a stronger culture of acknowledgment and connection.
Design
Ideation
The design process focused on defining the kind of "appreciation" and "recognition" that aligned with the company's identity.
To achieve this, an internal card-sorting workshop was organized to brainstorm and gather a wide range of valued behaviors. These behaviors were then grouped and refined to highlight those that best reflected the company’s core values and culture.
User Flows
Evaluating the user journey was crucial for identifying ways to boost visibility and drive engagement with the feature, as well as encourage active participation.
To achieve this, the number of areas showcasing participation across the organization was increased from one to four. This included adding activity feeds that highlight postcards directly on the homepage and incorporating multiple call-to-action prompts.
Additionally, postcards were made more accessible throughout the platform, appearing in notifications for recipients and their managers, on the recipient’s profile, and in a "recent postcards" feed on the homepage.
To encourage participation, users earn points each time they send a postcard, which can be redeemed for offers throughout the year. Additionally, users are allocated a set amount of points each quarter to gift to their postcard recipients, adding an extra layer of appreciation to the recognition experience.
Wireframes
Once the engagement strategy was clear, the focus shifted to designing the feature itself. This involved multiple iterations, starting with wireframes and gradually refining them into high-fidelity prototypes to bring the concept to life.
Testing
Goals
To validate the usability of the "Postcards" feature, ensure alignment with user expectations, and confirm the effectiveness of gamification elements in fostering engagement.
Methods
- Usability Testing: Iterative testing sessions focused on navigation, workflow clarity, and feature intuitiveness.
- Concept Validation: Ensured gamification and recognition features resonated with users.
- Feedback Loops: Incorporated insights from user walkthroughs to refine the design.
Key Insights
- Users found the feature intuitive and engaging, reinforcing the value of in-platform recognition.
- Privacy options and category-specific Postcards aligned with user needs for flexibility and meaningful interactions.
- Gamified rewards incentivized consistent participation, boosting engagement metrics.
Outcome
Actionable Recognition Tool
"Postcards" provided users with predefined celebration categories, allowing them to recognize milestones, contributions, and special moments like new hires or birthdays.
Gamification Integration
Users earned points for recognition activities, which could be redeemed for rewards, driving daily engagement.
Seamless User Experience
Iterative design and testing ensured the feature was intuitive and aligned with user behaviors, contributing to the 35% increase in daily active usage.
Community Building
The feature reduced reliance on external tools, positioning Structural as a central hub for workplace engagement and recognition.
