UX Research | ADP Mobile
Project SUMMARY
How do you increase engagement in a mobile HCM app? This sponsored project led to the discovery of value-based interactions to improve the user experience.
Client
ADP
My Role
UX Researcher
Deliverables
Mixed-Methods Research, Wireframes, High-fidelity Prototype
Background
Before the development of integrated Human Capital Management (HCM) systems, payroll for hourly workers was typically managed through paper-based timesheets, punch clocks, or manual time cards. Today, ADP is the world’s largest HCM organization, with over fourteen million monthly users on ADP apps and over seventy-eight million employee tax statements processed.
ADP serves both hourly and salaried employees. Although these users have very different needs across the ADP Mobile Solutions app, they still benefit from the depth of information provided by their employer.
How might we increase engagement within the ADP Mobile app through expanded capabilities, additional features, or gamification?
Goals
• To increase "stickiness" in the user experience
• To understand user satisfaction with their favorite apps
• To find meaningful use cases between salary and hourly employees
Methods
User Survey: Designed on Qualtrics and deployed through snowballing and purposeful sampling in online communities, the survey was completed by over 100 users.
Semi-structured Interviews: I interviewed users on the UserInterviews.com platform using an interview protocol developed by our team. Collectively, we had 13 user interviews.
Comparative Analysis: We conducted an in-depth review of the user task flow on the ADP Mobile app as well as a comparative analysis of user experiences on other HCM applications.
Site Visit: I designed a research protocol for an in-person visit to ADP in Alpharetta, Georgia. On-site, we had the opportunity to use some of the ADP Mobile app and hear from the Director of Product on the upcoming goals for ADP Mobile.
Rationale
In my role as UX researcher, I chose to prioritize the site visit and app tear down part of the project. The ability to meet and collaborate with the ADP team was critical to understanding the current user experience as well as to identify the underlying structure of the ADP Mobile app. This method played an integral part in cross-analysis of the survey results and in task analysis.
Analysis
I analyzed the results of the user survey to uncover trends in favorite apps, which I then used to inform our user testing protocol. With another research-focused team member, I led an affinity mapping process to uncover three design insights.
In order to gather enough data in the timeframe, our team moved quickly from sketch to low-fi prototyping. I designed a protocol to conduct usability testing on a range of accessibility measures. The results showed a major opportunity to build a better product for those with reduced visibility.
“[Making] text larger is not the solution, it makes the user experience bad and distorted and makes the app harder to navigate.
This is making my life harder.”
A portion of the affinity mapping process.
Insights
Insight 1
Information Barriers → Build Out Offers Page
Users encounter barriers to access information in the form of external links and broad navigation systems.
Insight 2
The Expectation of Value → Create Opportunities to Learn
User needs centered around learning outcomes from the data shown - and the importance of knowledge building.
Insight 3
App Literacy → Reimagine the Navigation + Menus
Users have a range of experience using mobile HCM apps which can influence (and limit) expectations and behaviors.
Conclusions
🟢 High Impact
📈 Engagement: Users scrolled through more content; potential for filtering enhancements
"The prototype effectively provides more information and pages for the user to scroll through."
🟢 High Impact
🎯 Engagement: Initial setup increases personalization; 92% approval in testing
The initial setup of customizing the homepage will increase user engagement and personalization could be a key driver of user utilization.
🟡 Medium Impact
💰 Engagement: Mixed comprehension but more positive than negative feedback
"I like seeing the actual check... give me the ability to go to my actual check and see it and maybe print out a copy of it or email it."
Limitations
Some constraints of unmoderated user testing are that I am unable to ask follow-up questions on certain tasks or behaviors, and I must rely on the user's perception of the written instructions for each task, which may vary. When conducting unmoderated testing, there is a lack of prompted questions from the researcher based on observed behaviors, which can create gaps in the findings. Unmoderated testing is also dependent on the user's familiarity and subjective understanding of the tasks, which can vary based on their comprehension levels, attention, and any external pressures. Lastly, some users faced confusion on how to conduct the tasks, and due to the unmoderated nature of the study, there was no one to explain to them the steps to navigate to the correct page. This confusion can lead to some variability within the study results as users took time to understand and fix their missteps within the tasks.