About The Project

The Employee Portal Redesign aimed to enhance the user experience from the outdated SharePoint 2019 setup. Frequent support requests for missing data, page outages, and user difficulties necessitated a modern solution that improved information architecture, department definitions, and overall user experience. This redesign also incorporated the company’s internal newsletter, "The Batterboard," into the new portal.

AWARD WINNER

Design Process

Initial Research

• User Research: Conducted surveys and interviews with employees across different departments to understand their needs, pain points, and expectations. Developed personas to better understand the types of users that interact with the portal.

• Data Analysis: Analyzed usage data from the existing portal to identify key areas for improvement and prioritize features.

• Collaborated with department heads from IT, Accounting, HR, Manuals and Resources, Safety, Continuous Improvement Process, Training, Construction, Virtual Design Construction, and Marketing.

• Each department head assigned volunteers to provide insights and feedback during the design planning phase.

• Spent considerable time understanding data ownership and access requirements.

Stakeholders

Tools & Methods

• Wireframing and Prototyping: Created wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes using Adobe XD.

• Custom SPFx Web Parts: Developed using the REACT framework.

• User Surveys: Conducted via Microsoft Forms.

• User Testing: Long-term testing with CrazyEgg.

Challenges and Solutions

Technical Challenges

• Keeping the project scope mostly within SharePoint’s out-of-the-box capabilities for ease of use and to maintain deadlines.

• Developed custom web parts for complex issues, such as creating workflows for the company manuals and enabling content editing in Adobe FrameMaker to export XML files to SharePoint lists.

• Modified approval flows using Power Automate to allow marketing team modifications for "The Batterboard" publishing workflow.

• Ensured a robust information architecture to support seamless data integration and accessibility.

User Adoption Strategies

• Training Programs: Conducted comprehensive training sessions to help users transition smoothly to the new system.

• User Guides: Created detailed user guides and documentation for reference.

• Ongoing Support: Provided continuous support and collected feedback for ongoing improvements.

Outcomes and Metrics

The Employee Portal Redesign at Hensel Phelps yielded significant improvements in user engagement and satisfaction. The transition to SharePoint Online, along with enhanced information architecture and custom features like the bespoke SharePoint search, resulted in the following key outcomes:

• User Engagement: Increased by 60% within the first six months of the new portal’s launch.

• User Satisfaction: Saw a 40% boost in the first year, with users reporting a more intuitive and efficient experience.

• Efficiency: Users, particularly those in HR, project management, and marketing, noted significant improvements in their workflow, with easier access to documents and resources.

• Recognition: The redesign earned the SMPS 2022 Merit Award for Internal Websites, highlighting its success and impact.

Ongoing Development

• Maintained an ongoing development plan with high-level support for change requests, updates, and technical issues.

• Created a backlog of user-suggested improvements to keep the portal functional and up-to-date.