The content of this case study was presented at ProductTank NYC with the previous approval of my employer.
The VP of Product asked me to come up with a “killer recognition experience that solidifies our How to Win”. The new experience blew the vertical’s usage targets THREEFOLD. The company’s performance bonus was very generous that year. 🤑
TL’DR
- Officevibe (an HR-Tech app) wanted to boost the usage of its 1-on-1s and goals features.
- I suggested increasing the value for employees. Up until now, they mostly answered their weekly survey and didn’t even know there was more to Officevibe. Receiving a positive message would bring them inside the app, where they would be exposed to the Performance features.
- Tripled usage of the Performance Management vertical’s MAU
- Employee conversion rate boost from 13% to 51%.
- Became one of the top differentiator and main reason for customer renewal
It all started because our usage numbers were low…
We were adding features for managers to use with their teams, but it was not sticking. The large majority of our user base was signing up for the Engagement surveys and had no idea they could also jot down their 1-on-1 agendas or track their team goals.
How do we bring employees inside the app?
The low hanging fruit was to force the bulk of our userbase into the app. Most employees answer their survey from an email reminder and once completed there would be a button to bring them to the app. The UX team suggested to add an automatic forward upon completion of the Engagement survey to the app.
This was still pretty low. In oder to really make a difference, there would need to be real value for employees. I thought that a recognition feature would be the perfect bridge between the Engagement and Performance verticals.
I got the go ahead for a MVP from the VP, with an understanding that it would have to be a delightful, memorable experience.
It was clear the product squad would have a limited window of time to work on this. The target audience was our non-paying users, the employees, and most initiatives are new value for the manager and the HR persona.
This was during Covid, connecting with colleagues was difficult. I knew that with the new remote work context we had to create a differentiated experience. Our own company’s Praise wall became very quiet after we shifted to remote work.
My goal: create a social frame for expressing gratitude by making it fun and easy to recall and identify behaviours and traits worthy of recognition so that teams can build their recognition muscle.
When I want to boost Engagement I often use BJ Foggs formula:
Behaviour = Motivation x Ability x Trigger
Motivation was very difficult to improve (and was already present); Ability was the driver we needed to focus on; Trigger would be important to build repetition and create a lasting habit
- Maximum ROI: I familiarized myself with the Recognition market and ensured we would craft a minimal feature that would maximize user engagement in the new, distributed workforce COVID world.
- Brainstorm facilitation: I worked with the squad’s designer on the concept, and crowdsourced card ideas from the whole design community.
- Design direction: I defined experience elements for the designer to explore further, like the survey flow, card prompts and card opening interaction.
- Presentation to company: The PM and I pitched the initiative and solution at the company’s Townhall. It generated excitement and buy-in across departments.
The experience
We added a recognition module at the end of the weekly employee engagement survey. That way the majority of our user base would be prompted to give recognition frequently.
First, users shuffle through cards to see if it reminds them of a peer.
Once the user has chosen a recipient, they can add a note (or not). Press SEND. It’s as simple as that. The recipient receives a notification in Slack, or email. Oh! the excitement!
Inside the Officevibe app, user would see an envelop and would long-press to open it.
Eventually, employees receive different categories of recognition: appreciation for who they are, but also a mirror of their behaviour, which is the foundation for a company’s culture.
As soon as the Recognition MVP was launched, many of them shared how it made a difference in their organization.
Even my manager started giving recognition
He was notoriously bad for giving recognition, yet he started sending Good Vibes frequently. I was amazed. His own Recognition Quality metric increased by 3.1pts and Recognition Frequency jumped 1.8 points out of 10. That’s a lot!
The strategy had the intended effect
A lot of cards were sent and employees had to go to the app to read them. Employee conversion rate went from 13% to 51%! With all the employees using the Performance features, managers (our main persona) engaged with the app more as well. We tripled our active managers, which completely surpassed our targets (in grey).
