Overview
My Role
Design & Strategy (Intern) - Independent Consultant
Project Type
Organizational Design
User Experience Research
Duration
10 weeks
Year
2022
Read the full case study here
STEAMPUNK
During this graduate field assignment, I had the privilege of working under the guidance of a Design Management faculty member, focusing on the real-world application of design management theory. Throughout my internship, I created a decision-making framework that addressed unmet needs and friction points, encouraged innovative solutions, and enhanced collaboration among various organizational departments. This experience deepened my understanding of design's vital role in driving meaningful change within an organization.
Recommendations
Centralized Onboarding Platform: It is recommended that a centralized platform be developed to streamline onboarding and standardize Design Intelligence® (DI). By focusing on customer experience, Agile methods, and our technical expertise, we ensure fast, high-quality product delivery.
Design Intelligence® (DI) guides how we define, create, and deliver human-centered solutions, based on a deep understanding of user needs.
Introduction
About the Client
STEAMPUNK, a Northern Virginia-based startup, specializes in government contracting with a focus on innovative, design-driven solutions. STEAMPUNK tackles critical challenges and drives transformative change for Federal clients through a human-centered approach and startup culture, delivering impactful, user-focused results. We develop and deliver, driving game-changing mission impacts and exceptional user experiences.
Our Goals
To deliver an extremely fast, high-quality product by integrating Agile process management, DevSecOps tools and techniques, and a Human-Centered Design approach.
The Challenge
How might the Steampunk Design & Strategy team effectively onboard new hires (Designers and Developers) and integrate them into projects using the Salesforce Content Management system while consistently incorporating Design Intelligence (DI) and Human-Centered Design (HCD) throughout the process?
Problem Definition
Initial Challenge
STEAMPUNK faced several key issues:
Lack of Clarity: Unclear roles, structures, and processes led to inefficiencies and a porous organizational culture.
Training Gaps: There was an noticeable gap in the training process of new hires, impacting their alignment with the organization’s design-led mission.
To achieve STEAMPUNK’s goal of becoming a design-led organization, it was crucial to establish a clear and defined operational model to refine methods and procedures.
The Solution
Centralized Onboarding Platform: Proposed a centralized platform to streamline onboarding and standardize Design Intelligence® (DI), ensuring fast, high-quality delivery through a focus on customer experience and Agile methods. This platform is essential for new hires, especially UI/UX designers, service designers, developers, and project managers, to align with brand standards and integrate seamlessly into processes. As the company expands and matures, this will help maintain consistency, improve collaboration, and streamline operations, ensuring that all teams work effectively within a unified framework.
Research & Discovery
Secondary Research
As an independent consultant, I explored existing inefficiencies and the impact of organizational structures on overall business success. This secondary research involved:
Understanding STEAMPUNK: Examined the company’s mission, culture, and integration of Design Intelligence, as well as its design and strategy practices.
DevSecOps: Investigated how DevSecOps tools and techniques are utilized within the organization.
Round 1: Areas of Research
Interconnected Components: Identified key elements that are essential for a seamless onboarding process. This included understanding the complexities of integrating new hires effectively and addressing critical questions for primary interviews with design teams.
Mission and Culture: Analyzed the core mission and organizational culture of STEAMPUNK.
Design Intelligence: Assessed how DI is currently applied and its role in the company.
Design & Strategy: Evaluated the existing design and strategic approaches.
DevSecOps: Reviewed the implementation and impact of DevSecOps tools and practices.
Primary Research
Conducted interviews with various stakeholders to gather detailed insights into the onboarding process and organizational dynamics. This research was crucial in:
Uncovering Challenges: Identifying specific issues faced by new hires and existing team members.
Understanding Needs: Gaining a comprehensive view of the needs and expectations from the onboarding process.
Artifacts Developed
Empathy Map: Captured the experiences and needs of the design team to better understand their perspectives.
Stakeholder Map: Visualized key stakeholders and their interactions to highlight the network of influences within the organization.
SWOT Analysis: Analyzed strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to the current onboarding processes and organizational structure.
Affinitizing Map: Organized insights from interviews into categories to identify patterns and issues.
User Journey Maps: Mapped current and future states of the onboarding experience.
Analysis & Advice
Understanding the Problem
Utilized various artifacts to analyze and address the core issues:
People Strategy Model: Mapped organizational design issues to pinpoint gaps and inefficiencies.
Triple Constraint Model: Assessed both current and future state onboarding processes to identify constraints and opportunities for improvement.
Pros + Cons Chart: Evaluated the impact of existing processes on STEAMPUNK’s operations, employees, and products.
Root Cause Analysis: Used the Five Whys technique to identify underlying causes of onboarding challenges.
ROI of Employee Onboarding Chart: Demonstrated the value of improving onboarding processes.
The 4 C’s of Onboarding: Outlined essential elements for effective onboarding.
User Journey Maps: Mapped the future state of the revamped onboarding experience.
Key Findings
Extended Onboarding: Identified the need to extend the onboarding period to better integrate new hires.
Integration of Design Intelligence: Addressed challenges related to incorporating Design Intelligence into training and daily operations.
Resource Utilization: Highlighted the effectiveness of existing resources and suggested improvements to better support the onboarding process.
User Journey Map: Current State
Implementation & Impact
Recommendations
Revised SOPs: Recommended updates to standard operating procedures to clarify roles and processes.
Centralized Onboarding Platform: Suggested the development of a centralized platform to streamline onboarding and training.
Workshops: Proposed workshops to enhance understanding and application of Design Intelligence among new hires and middle management.
User Journey Map: Future State
Outcome
The proposed recommendations aimed to enhance organizational efficiency, improve the onboarding experience for new hires, and better align STEAMPUNK’s processes with its design-led goals.
Results & Reflections
Implementation of Recommendations
The proposed solutions were designed to address the key challenges identified throughout the project. By implementing the revised SOPs and centralized onboarding platform, STEAMPUNK aimed to:
Streamline Processes: Improve clarity and consistency in onboarding new hires.
Enhance Integration: Facilitate smoother integration of Design Intelligence into daily operations and project execution.
Boost Efficiency: Address training gaps and foster a more cohesive organizational culture.
Impact
Improved Onboarding Experience: New hires would benefit from a more structured and comprehensive onboarding process, leading to better alignment with STEAMPUNK’s mission and practices.
Enhanced Organizational Cohesion: A clearer operational model would support a more integrated and efficient workflow, reducing friction and improving overall performance.
Stronger Design Intelligence Integration: By embedding Design Intelligence into training and processes, STEAMPUNK could achieve its goal of becoming a truly design-led organization.
Conclusion
Key Learnings
This project provided valuable insights into the complexities of organizational design and the importance of aligning processes with strategic goals. The experience underscored the significance of a well-defined operational model and effective onboarding in achieving business objectives. The iterative process of discovery, analysis, and solution development demonstrated the power of a human-centered approach in addressing organizational challenges.
Conclusion
The organizational design project at STEAMPUNK exemplifies the impact of thoughtful UX research and strategic design in solving complex business problems. By addressing key issues and implementing targeted recommendations, I was able to contribute to a more efficient and cohesive organizational structure. This case study highlights my ability to apply design management theories in a real-world context, leveraging my professional experience to deliver meaningful solutions.