A Slackbot Enhances the Employee Experience

CLIENT Non-profit technology organization

SERVICES Problem discovery and evaluation, Concept Creation, Prototype Creation, Product Development and Execution, Facilitation

TOOLS User research interviews, user story maps, user story facilitation, competitive research, research clusters, surveys

BACKGROUND The client wanted to solve an ambiguous problem area within their organization: why staff has such a hard time finding information throughout the company. Outdated content, incorrect information, lack of authority, and poor search results led many employees to spend an inordinate amount of time searching for information rather than focusing on their work. The client wanted to address the root cause of the problem rather than relying on a piece of software to fulfill all their needs.

PROBLEM DISCOVERY AND EVALUATION Since the problem area was large and ambiguous, I wanted make sure I was solving the right problem – as opposed to merely looking at the symptoms – so that I could create truly impactful solutions. I began by conducting research so that I could identify the root problem, define it, and outline a plan for addressing it in an iterative and emergent manner. I started by conducting user interviews throughout the company to understand users’ behaviors, motivations, and pain points and how the problem manifests itself. Once I gathered enough information, I created a problem statement that distilled all the information from my research into a concise statement that provides clarity and would help ground future work in this problem space. After validating this problem statement with research participants and stakeholders, I created user personas to communicate to teams and stakeholders information about end-users that illustrated why current solutions were insufficient, ways that the problem manifests, and the result of those pain points.

IDEATION Using key insights taken from user personas, I used exercises like Clustering and “How Might We…” to generate ideas based on validated user needs. These ideas were then ranked against impact, resources needed, as well as business value.

PROTOTYPING I created and tested several prototypes before moving forward with the prototype that aligned most with the organization’s needs and user behavior. Because of poor user experience on official company channels, many user research participants mentioned their gradual reliance on Slack, a messaging app, as means to share and also receive crucial organizational information. At the same time, the client’s IT team was leaning toward investing in Slack as more than just a messaging tool. This led to the idea of using a Slackbot to send automated official organization information employees. The Slackbot would act as a low-friction way for teams such as HR and the Service Desk to send information to specific groups. Given how employees indicated that it was becoming their preferred method of receiving information, Slack would also act as a method of reaching users “where they are.”

In order to test this theory, I decided to focus on new hires, given that they are the most information “needy” and several teams are mandated to ensure that new hires receive specific information in a timely manner. Because of organizational priorities and because previous prototypes had yielded valuable insights into this problem space, the client preferred to move ahead with an MVP, skipping the prototyping phase.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND EXECUTION I created a product requirements document to state the scope of the MVP in terms of users and features, the goal, and key success metrics. I created user story maps to link development tasks with features and behaviors and a product road map to communicate to leadership the development plan and prioritize features that could support wider user needs and wishes.

PROTOTYPE TESTING The client’s company All Hands event provided an opportunity for prototype testing for employees to search for and view information as well as for employees who would send out information via the Slackbot. Partcipatory Observation sessions provided key insights into what parts of the prototype addressed user needs and any existing gaps that were crucial for a successful MVP.

IMPACT After launching the Slackbot to a targeted group of new hires, I gathered data points based on metrics selected to indicate success. Because new hires are automatically opted-in to the Slackbot, I used “percentage of Opt-Outs” as a user retention data point. I also created a survey to capture user behavior that could not be measured automatedly and to gauge user attitudes toward the Slackbot. To measure user engagement, I asked users whether they took action when it was requested by a Slackbot message; 77% of users responded yes with 54% responding that it helped them acclimate to the client’s organization. The MVP results showed that the Slackbot was on the right track of closing the gap between how employees search for and consume information and how teams share information. I distilled the survey findings into key insights and next steps for further development for the client.