Leadership Corner
_ Redefining leadership connection in companies
Overview
This project redefined leadership culture in company communications. By focusing on enhancing leaders' communication skills and fostering meaningful connections, we aimed to empower a more engaged and productive workforce. As hybrid work shifted from exception to norm, this initiative became critical in bridging gaps within a distributed environment.
My Role
I led the design of the leadership experience within Viva Engage, collaborating with a dedicated feature team to deliver and refine this feature. Additionally, I partnered with other designers to ensure a cohesive and seamless user experience across the product.
Microsoft's Viva Engage | 2022
1
One-Stop Catch-Up
Designed as the go-to destination for employees to access official updates and build connections with their company leaders.
2
Bridging the Communication Gap:
We tackled the disconnect between C-level leaders and employees, introducing ways to surface and spotlight these key figures for better visibility and connection.
3
Prioritizing What Matters:
We optimized the experience to deliver a focused view of essential messages, ensuring users never miss the updates that matter most.
Defining the Challenge
Leader Who? Our biggest challenge was achieving alignment among stakeholders on the purpose and goals of this feature. With varying perspectives across leadership teams, we had to bridge differing viewpoints to create a unified vision.
The User
The term "leaders" is broad, so we defined specific leader types, their unique impact on organizational goals, and a phased "crawl, walk, run" strategy to address their needs effectively.
Their needs
Key leaders are extremely busy—so busy that asking for five minutes of their time is a significant ask. With a communication ratio often skewed (e.g., 10 leaders to 2,000 employees), we faced a unique challenge. This imbalance required us to prioritize designs that simplified their workflow, ensuring they knew exactly what actions to take and when.
Small Changes, Big Impact
Sometimes, the smallest adjustments can make the biggest difference. Early in the project, we identified significant friction in the "assigning leaders" flow, which was slowing down adoption. Rather than reinventing the wheel, I partnered closely with engineering to take an improvement-focused approach. By implementing smarter recommendation methods for leader assignments, we reduced user effort and dramatically improved the process.
The result? A seamless experience that led to a 112% increase in identified leaders—proof that iterative improvements can drive major outcomes.
Final Product
