Microsoft HRWeb User Research

Overview: As a UX Researcher at Microsoft, I was tasked with improving the usability of the HR department's internal web portal, HRWeb. The existing web portal was outdated and lacked organization, making it difficult for employees to access important information such as benefits, family-related information, and career performance details. The project also aimed to update the portal to align with recent Metro UI system and brand.

Process: In this project I worked closely with stakeholders and a cross section of the actual employees and staff that used the original HR site. An inventory was available along with usage data and user satisfaction feedback which was reviewed. The next step was to create a user top task list followed by a card sort to inform the architecture. Based on the results, wires and flows were created. Once we settled on the portal sections, basic content and main task flows, I created a functional prototype. The next step was to create primary scenarios and the scripts for the qualitative research. A research plan was also created. We recruited users with a small gift for participation. I then moderated the tests, analyzed the results and presented the findings. We iterated based on the testing and I provided high fidelity comps including desktop and mobile responsive views, and redlines.

Results: The research and redesign of the HR Portal led to a 50% increase in usage and access to information, steamlining HR processes. It also introduced a responsive design solution, ensuring a consistent experience across platforms. In addition the site was brought up to the new Metro brand and design system patterns. My contributions were crucial in streamlining HR processes and ensuring a better user experience for employees.