Project Overview

Client: Class Project
Timeline: 12 weeks
My Role: UI/UX Designer & Researcher

Slide Deck

Project Challenge

Existing Best Buy platforms, "Best Buy Answers" and "Employee Hub," were outdated and underutilized. Employees were not using the provided systems and were instead turning to external platforms for communication and community building. There was a significant need for a more organized, concise, and engaging platform that could better connect employees.

The project's goal is to design a platform to improve internal communication at Best Buy, fostering an online community for the employees.

Research

The research began with a competitive analysis of existing workplace communication platforms. The user interviews with Best Buy and other retail employees were eye-opening, as they revealed that the primary need was for an out-of-store communication platform, a finding that led the team to pivot the project's focus to a data-driven approach.

After research, we focused on creating a high-fidelity prototype of an employee communication platform, including features like a homepage for updates, a groups page for discussions, and individual profiles with privacy settings.

Design

We followed the Creative Problem Solving framework, and used tools like morphological grids, dot voting, and decision-making charts to refine our ideas collaboratively. All the ideas were objectively evaluated based on criteria like market potential and technical feasibility.

The final selected solution, Agora, was then brought to life in the implementation phase through high-fidelity digital wireframes in Figma and the prototyping of physical components to foster real-world connections.

The final design was a direct result of user feedback, ensuring it met the employees' core needs.

Design System

The design process for the Best Buy project included the creation of a design system to ensure a consistent look and feel across all high-fidelity prototypes.

The team drew inspiration from Best Buy's existing brand colors but chose to mute them to better match the casual, community-focused purpose of the new platform.

The design system was a key step that helped us seamlessly convert the low-fidelity mockups into the final, high-fidelity prototypes.

Final Design

The final design combines the purposes of the existing platforms to connect employees and provide support. We created a high-fidelity prototype that included a homepage to see updates, a groups page for discussions, and an announcements page for managers. It also featured individual profiles with avatars and the option for users to hide group memberships to ensure a sense of anonymity and reduce the fear of judgment.

Link to Figma Prototype

Learning Takeaway

"This project made me realize how crucial user research is. I went into the project with some assumptions about what Best Buy employees needed, but after conducting interviews, I learned that the real problem wasn't what I expected. This experience taught me that listening to users is the most important step in creating a solution that truly works."