Brief
Design a product (web app) for team managers to help them send gifts to their peers for various reasons (birthday, holidays, great job, company/team achievements, etc...). You can focus on a specific event or create a universal solution for any possible event.
Duration
The project took me Three days to complete in October 2021.
My Role
I did everything from research, ideation to final implementation.
Scope
The scope was limited to developing a web app that helped managers send gifts.
The Process
I followed the 4 basic steps of the design process, Research, Analysis, Ideation and Implementation.
Research
User Research
Conducted semi-structured interviews with 3 managers who have worked at different organizations at various levels of seniority.
I made a questionnaire to understand why this is an issue, when and where they encounter it and how they tackle it.
Goals and Expected Outcome
- To understand if there's a need for an app to send gifts
- If Yes, what are the problems managers face while taking care of gifting
- To understand if the manager requires any information from the employees
- To know what motivates the manager to send gifts
- To understand the current user journey of giving someone a gift
Questions
- What is your role in the company?
- How many team members/peers are there in your team?
- Do you send gifts to them on their birthdays & other achievements?
- Do you do this yourself, or you’ve assigned it to someone else?
- How do you keep track of the gifts given over the years?
- How do you keep track of the people and all the important dates?
- How much time do you usually spend doing this?
- If you (the person you’ve assigned the job to) are(is) not available then how do you see to it that these things get done?
- What things do you keep track of and when do you send these gifts?
- If there was an app that helped you with this, what features would you like to have?
User Quotes
After going through the notes and analyzing the issues faced, I wrote down some high-level user concerns. These guided me to write down the needs and requirements.
Analysis
Understanding the Problem
These interviews provided many insights into the problem at hand and helped me define the requirements and needs while ideating. I've listed down the Top 4 findings below
The process is not standardized
Every organization has different needs, budget restrictions and methods of sending gifts. This can make the process longer and tedious.
Managers spend a lot of time doing this
Managers have to keep track of the important dates, logistical issues, budget and various other parameters while managing day to day tasks.
Gifting helps build relationships
Gifting is an essential part of the culture of all organizations. It helps them build and maintain relationships with their customers and employees.
Proper documentation is not maintained
Managers find it time-consuming and tiring to document and keep track of all the tasks and activities, so there is no proper document maintained.
Requirements
After understanding the needs, context and generating insights from the research, I noted down the requirements.
Managers should be able to see the history of gifts sent
Managers should be able to see the budget and spending history
They should be able to keep track of ongoing transactions
Should be able to sort tasks based on their preference
Should be able to see upcoming events
Should be reminded to take action for events that are approaching
Redefining the Brief
Design a web app that seamlessly integrates with the employee database, automates repetitive tasks and reduces the time spent by managers in sending gifts to their peers for important events in their life.
Ideation
Possible solutions
There were 2 possible solutions that I could work on that solved the problem at hand.
Concept 1 - A web app that helps track events
A web app and a dashboard that provides the managers with relevant tools to keep track of all the gifts and people they give these gifts.
Concept 2 - A web app that helps them buy gifts
An app that enables team managers to search and buy gifts online.
After revisiting findings from my primary research and sketching out some rough flows, I decided to go with concept 1 to limit my scope considering the short timeline.
Sketches
Sketched out some of my ideas on a page. It helped me visualize what the concept would be like if implemented.
Possible Actions by the User
Mapped out the path the manager could take when they use the app.
Assumptions
- There is an employee database with all the essential information like name, age, dob, location etc.
- The company has an approved budget for gifts.
- The employee database is kept updated (a new employee/someone leaves/address changes etc.)
- The manager doesn’t have a corporate card and has to get reimbursed for his purchases.
Implement
Dashboard
Check upcoming Events, Check ongoing events, Add a new event and track your budget.
Things I could not explore due to time constraints
Different views for the table like gallery view, calendar view, board view.
Add Event
Gives the managers ability to add any new event that comes up, like a new marriage or achievement. Basically, non-recurring events.
Ability to add events
Standard input fields that take all information required about the event and also gives the ability to log gifts if they have already been bought.
People
Access to information about their peers. This page addresses the issue of remembering the personal details of their peers. If the team is larger than 7-8 people, it becomes harder to keep track of these details.
Reimbursement
This page addresses the issue of not being able to organize and manage the purchases and reimbursements.
Conclusion
The solution provided addresses the issues managers face while sending gifts to their peers.
