IDC: Interal Tooling

Research Objectives

The goal was to uncover the key challenges faced by remote EPD teams—We aimed to identify actionable opportunities to develop targeted solutions that boost collaboration and enhance overall product quality.

Key Takeaways

UX OUTCOME

Developed a collaborative framework that addresses communication gaps and decision-making inefficiencies.

Business Impact

Strategic roadmap to improve team alignment and productivity, ultimately enhancing product quality.

Research Insight

Identified four core themes that drive challenges and opportunities in remote collaboration.

“What are the common barriers that EPD teams face when working together?

User Research

What requires more research?

Surprise Findings

How does this align with others?

Failed Communication

Poor communication leads to confusion, frustration, and demotivation among teams.

Fragmented Culture

A lack of cohesion negatively impacts both internal dynamics and product quality.

Misaligned Priorities

Unclear processes in decision-making and priority setting hinder effective collaboration.

Pain Point Synthesis

Mapped interview insights and secondary research findings to our four key themes, identified common challenges across Engineering, Product, and Design teams that confirmed our initial hypothesis.

Know Your Team

Taking time to know team members is beneficial especially new ones, should connect socially before diving into tasks.

Alignment is Important

Getting everyone on the same page is a significant challenge. Ensuring alignment can greatly enhance team effectiveness.

Tasks Take Time

Redistributing minor tasks to focus on strategic goals can benefit all employees by freeing up time for more impactful work.

Design System

What can we change and why?

KEY FEATURES

Assistant Integration Tool

Teams struggle with scattered communication and manual task management, leading to inefficiencies and lost information. This AI assistant integrates with existing platforms like Slack, Jira, and Figma to automate scheduling, task tracking, and meeting summaries, streamlining workflows and improving productivity.

My Thoughts

Provides each team member with a personal assistant to reduce micromanagement.
Streamlines workflows by consolidating information and automating administrative tasks.
Enhances productivity by allowing users to focus on core responsibilities.

KEY FEATURES

Facilitation: Squad Tools

Onboarding new employees and coordinating remote teams often lack structure, making collaboration inefficient. This Figma-based tool provides templates for onboarding, stand-ups, and project planning, seamlessly integrating with existing workflows to improve organization and communication.

My Thoughts

Avoids the need for additional applications by leveraging existing tools.
Provides structured frameworks for design sprints, onboarding, and stand-ups.
Facilitates better team organization and productivity.

Resolution

Where do we go next?

User Testing:
 Pilot the collaborative framework with a broader group of remote EPD teams to validate design interventions.
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Iterative Refinement:
Gather feedback and refine the framework to better address evolving team needs.
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Process Integration:
 Implement recommended enhancements, such as weekly standups and clear communication guidelines, across the organization.

Case Studies

NExt-Gen Gaming Research

Providers: EBT Wallet