Internal Support Portal
Overview
The company has a portal through which employees can access various types of technical assistance, such as knowledge articles, live chat, license requests and so on.
As a new member of the support team, I wanted to find ways to improve the experience for users and make our workflow more efficient. Since the portal is the first point of contact, I thought this was the right place to start my research.
Role: UX Research
Information architecture, prototyping, competitor analysis, user journey mapping, surveys, research synthesis
June - August 2022
Back Story
I carried out some initial research - which can be seen here - then reached out to a product designer within the company for some feedback before calling a meeting to present it to my manager.
She shared with me that that the team were on the precipice of a change which might create some friction in how end users view our service delivery; email/telephone communication was about to be retired. I was also informed that a new portal would be launching shortly after this change, so my initiative was well-timed.
I received access to the new design and was asked to carry out my research to reflect this version instead. Our conversation gave me a timeframe and helped to refine my research goal - to review the portal pre-launch and make suggestions to ensure a smooth transition.
Role, Scope & Constraint
As my research was an independent venture, there was a limitation as to what might be implemented, taken on board or even heard by the development team. The portal was designed in ServiceNow, so it was limited to the features of that platform which is not a platform I had much exposure to. I also didn't know which teams were responsible for the development and planning of the portal, so I was very much on the outside looking in (although this could be seen as a valuable perspective)
Site Map
After exploring the unreleased portal design, I created a site map and used it to uncover the different flows that users can follow to complete different tasks. Once the research was complete, I mapped out suggestions for improvement and the explanations behind them at different points using number-keyed notes.
Competitor Analysis
Being an internal portal, I realised that I may not have access to many examples of an established design in the public sphere, so I chose to take a look at some general tech support websites as an alternative. I focussed on portals with chat features as I wanted to uncover ways to encourage users to engage with the portal a little more before chatting in to us.
I picked out some areas which I believe were in line with UX design principles and could be implemented to improve the user experience and appeal of our portal:
- Common feature across all referenced portals: icons to supplement title (description optional), more visually appealing and easy to digest information.
-Before being connected to chat, there is often an information gathering process which aids the conversation.
With Apple, you can't access chat at all without isolating the issue entirely. It shouldn't replace probing altogether, but has strong potential to create a more efficient experience for both the support staff and the users (particularly when wait times are long)
Empathising with the User
Using feedback from the previous quarter as well as responses to the retirement of email/telephone, I highlighted the most common pain points with the overall support experience and narrowed them down into 3 key themes:
* Users prefer personalised support
* Users want to access support quickly
* Users want clear and consistent communication
These key themes became the guiding light for the rest of the project.
Affinity Diagram
User Stories
Before moving on to more detailed user journey maps, I used some of the feedback to create simplified user stories which strip back user experiences to the specific goals that they may have when using the portal
As a Manager,
I want to approve licenses for my team quickly,
so that they can get to work without any delay
As a non-technical user,
I want to be guided through steps that are specific to me and have my actions validated by a professional
So that I can be confident in the resolution
As a tech-savvy employee
I want access to support resources
So that I can troubleshoot (and potentially solve) my own issues where possible
As a "coordination" (i.e. Talent Acquisition) employee,
I want have an accurate understanding of how soon I might receive support or action requests
So that I can plan for the downtime and keep my colleagues informed
User Journey Maps
The users stories were then expanded into journey maps which observed potential points of frustration within different user flows.
Using these points, I suggested some ways for the team to take ownership internally and circumnavigate these frustrations, linking each piece of feedback to the themes identified earlier.
Collecting Data in the future
Drawing upon the themes once again, I designed a set of targeted survey questions to measure the impact of our changes.
Suggestions
As mentioned earlier, I returned to the site map to map out suggestions for improvement - here are some of the conclusions:
Outcome / next Steps
I enjoyed taking a deep dive into a real world problem and speaking to real world designers to get an indication of how my thinking aligns; to my delight I received wonderful feedback and encouragement from everybody involved. Here are some of the outcomes of the project:
- The chat portal now features a virtual agent which prompts for information before user is allowed to connect to chat
- A post-chat survey tool has been activated to gather feedback from users; the survey I designed is the basis for these questions
- I’ve been given access to training and a developers account for the ServiceNow platform, and am in the processes of studying for certification as a ServiceNow Developer to be covered by the company
- I was invited to present my findings to the head of global services, and to provide further reviews as the portal continues to develop post-launch
Key lesson: UX is a team effort, a lot of duplicate work could have been avoided if I had access to the teams who had ownership of this project. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable and insightful experience which allowed me to network with existing UX designers, test my knowledge in a real world environment and gain exposure to service design in a corporate space.