Hero Statement: our Research

Design research or User experience (UX) research is a key component of discovering valuable insights and understanding our target stakeholders’ needs, pain points, and goals.

OUR MISSION

Reconnecting with employee’s sense of purpose through learning

In a period where employee training and learning is dependent on an online environment, our mission is to help MARi ensure learners and employees are on a successful path for career progression.

A lot of current employees find it difficult to discover a purpose or a meaningful direction on where to go next. In addition, a lack of purpose enables employees to lose engagement with their organization and career progression.

We aim to boost employee engagement and drive professional development with customized, unique attribute generation and curated training courses.

OUR APPROACH

4
Months of research
15+
Interviews
10
Competitor analysis
5
Sprints of iteration

Design through research

In order to serve our exploratory goal, we utilized a variety of artifacts to not only engage our client, but also help us synthesize key finding and make design decisions.

Methods image - snippet of a flow diagram

Flow Chart

Diagrams allow us to explore the logical flow of various processes.

Methods image - snippet of an affinity map, with digital sticky notes separated into category by color

Affinity Diagram

We frequently used affinity diagrams to find common patterns and divergence.

Methods image - snippet of a low-fidelity sketch of a member profile

Sketch & Storyboard

Through sketches, we generated concepts from diverse perspectives.

KEY INSIGHTS

We summarize our research insights into a socioecological model that maps out stakeholder pain points and opportunities in the work environment at different stages of social interaction.

Stakeholder Interaction in Work Environments: A Socioecological Model

Insight image - a socioecological modelling of different stakeholders at different levels of workplace social interaction of an employee.
EMPLOYEE

Pain Points

Employees lack motivation and interest to personally align with their organization’s mission. They believe their current work does not matter or contributes to their personal professional goals because skill evaluations are reliant on managers and do not accurately reflect their potential and may hinder future opportunities.

Opportunities

MARi can enable employees to reflect their purpose by visualising their unique strengths, encouraging employees to proactively seek out opportunities that align with their personal goals within the company.

EMPLOYEE <> SUPERVISOR

Pain Points

Supervisors are often promoted by subject matter expertise rather than their people management skills. They may struggle with addressing individual needs in professional development and communicating constructive feedback.

Opportunities

MARi can give supervisors the tools to understand their employees' unique capabilities and identify specific skills for them to acquire and nurture.

EMPLOYEE <> TRAINING MANAGER

Pain Points

Many training managers are unsure how to use employee results for impactful and productive learning. They do not have the tools to pay attention to trainee engagement and individual learning styles.

Opportunities

Effective training is beyond course completion and requires detailed, contextual insights. MARi can provide a training managers need for a robust understanding of their target audience with adaptive resources and tools.

EMPLOYEE <> COLLEAGUE

Pain Points

In response to the shift towards remote and hybrid work models, colleagues have experienced less pantry talks outside of work. Their workplace networks are thus confined to their own department, limiting opportunities for meaningful encounters within the organization.

Opportunities

MARi can facilitate skill-based learning among colleagues to bridge departmental boundaries and establish effective mentorship opportunities and transcend the traditional organizational silos.

OUR VISION

With MARi, training managers are able to assign and curate courses to their employees personal interests and growth. Through attribute assignment with the assistance of artificial intelligence, managers can suggest courses to employees and contribute to their professional development. For employees, they are able to complete assigned courses/material and receive a personalized report of their assessment. They are given a visualization of their skills and can encourage them to focus on up skilling.