01 CONTEXT
My summer @ RBC Summer Tech Labs
My months at RBC’s Summer Tech Labs internship program were some of the most eye opening of my life. I had the opportunity to…
Go on coffee chats with wonderful new friends
Explore downtown Toronto
Eat vanilla matcha croissants exclusive to the Tim Horton's on Queen's Quay :)
02 pROBLEM
On average, it took a new developer one week to install all necessary software
Last summer, me and a team of 3 other interns had the opportunity to solve (or at least simplify) a universally uncomfortable experience: company onboarding. More specifically, we sought to streamline the onboarding experience for developers at RBC.
Serving as the designer and business analyst for the team, I spearheaded the ideation and implementation of our project, creating a project roadmap that went through many iterations, wireframing, and prototyping.
How might we reorganize the onboarding process for new developers at RBC so that new employees feel comfortable and integrated with their team in the first week?
03 rESEARCH
Onboarding can be exciting, but stressful and confusing
We conducted user interviews and conducted a survey with 40 developers at RBC who were formally onboarded within the past 3 months. We asked a combination of quantitative and qualitative questions including how long their start to finish onboarding process was as well their main concerns throughout the process.
From our surveys, we discovered that the main stressor was the software installation process. Within the software installation process we identified two main points of friction.
01 Lack of Clarity
Which software needs to be installed? How can this information be obtained?
02 Convoluted Installation Process
How is this software installed? Which set of instructions do I follow?
04 sCOPING AND SOLUTION
Helping new employees get acquainted
One option involved an application that would automatically email a list of required software and installation links for new hires to complete prior to their first day. While this would help reduce first-day delays, we recognized that it could still lead to confusion without the immediate availability of a person to address questions or provide clarification.
Ultimately, we determined that the most effective solution was to create a centralized web page within RBC’s existing Developer Portal. This decision led to the development of the RBC Onboarding Guide.
05 pROTOTYPING & SOLUTION
Gamifying the Onboarding Experience
Initially we had a simple one page form for users to complete, before being led to the software installation steps. However, after conducting some white paper tests on 8 developers, we ultimately decided to mimic the “choose your own adventure” user flow.
Unfortunately, I cannot include the final demo, but feel free to reach out for more specific questions :)
Streamlined navigation is key
06 IMPACT
The Finale & Our Pitch
Thank you so much to everyone at RBC for giving us this amazing opportunity, and thanks to my wonderful teammates who made the summer an unforgettable experience.
07 rEFLECTION
My Takeaways
Design Sprints are Challenging
Balancing the roles of designer, business analyst, facilitator, and tester was frustrating at times. As someone who usually creates multiple iterations of every design feature, tests user test every user flow, and mulls for hours over design decisions. the 8-week timeline did not allow me to build something the way I fully envisioned. However, this experience taught me the importance of decisiveness and working within constraints to deliver a fully functional prototype. This will be something i take with me in the future.
Striking a balance between function & delight
Choosing to create a multi-page onboarding guide rather than consolidating everything onto one page, initially felt like a compromise on efficiency. The tradeoff of functionality for a more dynamic user experience was an interesting decision, especially considering the workplace environment. The final design struck a balance between user ease and business requirements, like adding onboarding screens to reduce drop-offs while maintaining simplicity.
