Imagine if Slack automatically connected to Bluepages to clear up name confusion

In a nutshell

In 4Q 2017, I led the user research, UX design, and prototyping for the Power Ups project within IBM CIO. Jeff Robke was the project lead, and I was the sole designer on the project. Our mission was to quickly validate the problem that IBMers are not getting as much value and productivity from the current tools suite as they could, and then propose a potential solution.

We pitched the idea that new, small automations (“power ups”) integrated with the tool suite could help IBMers do more high-value work. In December, I led an executive playback to our VP and received a green light to turn this into a real, long-term project and build out a team to do the work! The project was a huge success and has the direct goal of making work better for IBMers.

Problem statement

The vast majority of IBMers are novice tool users who do not get maximum value or productivity out of the current IBM tools suite. This leaves them stuck doing shallow tasks and fighting with their tools, instead of doing higher value work.

By investing in modern tools, the CIO has taken the first step to create a productive environment for IBMers. IBMers have access to tools like Slack, Box, and GitHub that make their jobs more efficient and enjoyable. Simply having access to tools, though, isn’t enough. It isn’t going to drive the dramatic culture change that we hope to see at IBM. For that kind of change, we need IBMers to use these tools well.

Desired outcomes

We are at an incredible turning point in which IBMers have access to and motivation to use modern tools that allow them to be more productive. Now what?

How might we get IBMers to the next level in their tool usage, maturing from novice users to power users? How might we automate some of the repetitive, manual things they’re doing so that they can focus their work on tasks that require their actual craft and expertise?

• Increase IBMer productivity, time to productivity, and engagement
• Lower the cost of coordination between people and tools
• Cultivate culture change through modeling modern tool use
• Accelerate user discovery of our tools and how to use them productively
• Get more value out of existing tool suite

My contributions

• User research (IBM confidential) with 8 IBMers and 5 stakeholders to understand their current workflows and generate ideas for helpful automations
• UX design and prototyping - see below
• Executive playback (IBM confidential)

The project began with generative research to identify common pain points in employee workflows, which I synthesized and presented in an executive playback.

Solution prototype

We proposed a strategy to equip novice tool users at IBM with automations that enhance and integrate tools –– we call them power ups and workflows –– to accelerate the maturity of their tool usage. By helping IBMers do more with modern tools, we believe we’ll create a more productive environment for IBMers to focus on work that matters.

In this example, I detail how a power up in Slack could help IBMers navigate the complex and opaque procurement process.

What if you could get help with procurement straight from Slack, the tool you already spend most of your time in?

There would be no more wasted time hunting for the right IBMer to talk to.

You could be automatically kept up to date on the status of your request.

Where the project is now

The first power up to be built out is an incident manager (IBM confidential), now available to all IBMers.