Optimizing onboarding processes
Industry
My role
Key contributions
Team
Year
Introduction
Project overview
Our client, a Polish subsidiary of one of the Fortune 500 corporation, needed to streamline their HR processes. With dozens of new hires each month and 1,500 employees across Poland, they were looking for a solution to automate and optimize their onboarding workflow.
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced the need for remote onboarding and e-learning, accelerating the demand for a fully digital, adaptive platform.
My role
I was responsible for delivering end-to-end design for the new onboarding platform, including user research, sitemaps, user flows, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and branding. I collaborated closely with project manager, stakeholders, and developers in an agile environment to deliver a platform tailored to the client’s needs.
* Due to a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), certain details of this case study, including the app/project name and corporate identity elements, have been changed to maintain confidentiality. The information presented reflects the nature and impact of the project.
The problem
Fragmented and manual onboarding process 🤨
The HR department managed numerous recruitments and training sessions for new hires, but the onboarding process was heavily manual and fragmented, leading to a significant administrative burden. They needed a digital platform to centralize and optimize HR operations while supporting remote hires and training.
Moreover, the client was focused on improving the quality of the onboarding experience and required real-time reports on training results and participant satisfaction levels.
Breakdown
Emerging goals
Customizable dashboard for HR managers
Research
Exploration
Given the scale of the client’s HR operations and the complexity of onboarding with dozens of new hires each month, it was critical to understand the specific needs of both the HR teams and the employees going through the onboarding process.
That’s why this phase aimed to identify pain points in their current processes and discover opportunities for improvement. My research at this stage mostly consisted of reviewing existing processes, meetings with clients’ HR representatives and exploring industry standards.
Workshops
I facilitated workshops with clients’ HR representatives and our project manager to gather a comprehensive understanding of the current system and workflows. These workshops revealed specific gaps in the existing process, such as the lack of automation for document handling and the absence of effective reporting tools.
User flows and sitemaps
To ensure the platform was logically structured, I created sitemaps for key modules, providing a high-level view of the platform's architecture. For more complex processes, such as the employee clearance module, I designed detailed user flows to map out every step of the journey. These steps not only revealed inefficiencies but also guided design decisions to create more intuitive and efficient workflows.
A glimpse into user flows
Competitive analysis
I conducted a competitive analysis to benchmark the platform against similar tools in the industry. This process highlighted effective UX patterns and features that we could incorporate to create a competitive and user-friendly platform, ensuring our solution was both innovative and user focused.
Key Findings & Insights
Design process
Design Approach
Once the research phase provided clarity on the project’s objectives, I began translating the findings into actionable design solutions. The focus was on creating a scalable platform that could cater to both HR teams and new hires, ensuring ease of use across all modules.
Employee view on courses progress
Wireframes
Starting with low-fidelity wireframes, I designed most of the screens this way to speed up product design and spot any potential problems at early stages. These wireframes served as the foundation for discussions with stakeholders and iterative feedback loops, helping refine the user experience early in the design process.
By building the wireframes at this stage, we could quickly test and adjust user flows without investing too much time in high-fidelity designs.
Lo-fi wireframe and hi-fi mockup of testing screen page
Iterating designs
Based on feedback during lo-fi wireframes, I was able to iterate and improve on some important screens, such as advanced filtering for data tables, introducing templates for clearance forms and customizable dashboard. Hi-fi mockups were not needed for all screens, so we ended up with some hi-fi templates mockups where needed and the rest stayed in lo-fi wireframes to save time and budget.
Real-time chart displaying evaluation survey results
Clearance Form creator
Heatmap testing
I conducted heatmap testing on some of the key screens to gather insights into user behavior and improve navigation flows. For example, during testing on the test/exam pages, we analyzed the best placement for the questions overview, as well as the timer and button placements. This data helped us refine the design and improve user engagement, ensuring the platform would be as intuitive and user-friendly as possible.
Question overview on the left is better for focusing users attention.
Final designs and minor improvements
Final designs focused on clarity, usability, and minimizing cognitive load for both HR managers and new hires. I collaborated closely with the development team to implement any last-minute tweaks based on the feedback from end users and stakeholders.
This included fine-tuning color contrast for accessibility and ensuring consistency across all pages. These minor refinements helped create a more polished user experience while maintaining the platform's efficiency.
Example of data table. Users in this case :)
Results
Project outcome
The onboarding platform was successfully launched, transforming the client's HR processes into a streamlined, digital-first workflow. By automating numerous manual tasks, such as managing training materials, documentation, and generating employee clearance forms, the platform significantly reduced the administrative burden on HR teams.
Key achievements included:
Reflection
Takeaways
Final thoughts:
This project reinforced my belief in user-centered design to solve complex problems. It was my first large-scale project, and I faced challenges such as strict branding guidelines, technical limitations, and tight deadlines. The responsibility of working with a major corporation added pressure, leading to more design iterations, but it ultimately helped refine the solution.
Despite the hurdles, the experience taught me to balance client needs with design flexibility. I'm proud of how we delivered a platform that streamlined HR processes and supported both remote and in-office workflows.
