Project Overview

Project Name: Corning Credit Union Intranet Research
Role: UX Researcher
Date: October - November 2023
Insight was engaged by Corning Credit Union to evaluate their recently migrated SharePoint Intranet. Given the company's strong cultural focus, effective communication via their intranet is paramount. Our focus for this project was the site's navigation, with the aim of providing recommendations for improvement. The Insight team consisted of a senior ux researcher, another ux researcher (myself) and a business analyst.

Due to the confidential nature of certain aspects of the project, I am unable to provide complete details. However, I am excited to showcase my design process and highlight key findings that shaped the project's overall direction.

Project activities:
  1. Stakeholder Vision Workshop
  2. User Interviews and Survey
  3. Card Sort Activity

Stakeholder Vision Workshop

After initial project planning, our team kicked off by conducting a stakeholder vision workshop for Corning Credit Union. The workshop aimed to establish a shared vision for the Intranet, clarify expectations, and prioritize project goals.
Some questions we asked:
  1. Who is using the site?
  2. What types of content are on the site?
  3. Do you feel the site accurately reflects your companies brand and values
  4. What things do you enjoy about the site? What’s working?
  5. What things would you like to change? What is not working?
  6. Are there features you wish the site had?
  7. Are there things your users are asking for?
Through collaborative discussions, we crafted a vision statement: "Create and maintain a platform that makes people feel engaged and connected"
Painpoints we uncovered:
  1. Navigation Challenges: Users found it difficult to locate information.
  2. Search Functionality: The search feature was ineffective.
  3. Usability Concerns: Navigating the site was cumbersome, particularly for users unfamiliar with its structure.

User Interviews and Surveys

The next task was to talk to the users. I helped to orchestrating and facilitate five user interviews targeting key user groups at Corning Credit Union. Additionally, I crafted and distributed a survey to gather input from users who we couldn't speak with directly.
Our goal was to understand:
  1. Who the users groups are
  2. How different user groups use the intranet
  3. What information users are looking for
  4. User preferences and pain points
  5. Navigation usage and challenges
  6. Desired features
Following the interviews, I synthesized the feedback, identifying recurring themes and insights.
Findings:
  1. There is a predominant reliance on search functionality, despite limitations attributed to SharePoint.
  2. Users avoid the navigation
  3. Navigation difficulties stem from ambiguity in content categorization
  4. Users appreciate the intranet's aesthetic and homepage design.

Card Sort Activity

Given the time constraints of our project, we had to forgo our initial plans for tree testing and card sorting. However, recognizing the importance of refining navigation for user clarity, we opted for an open card sorting approach. This method allowed us to understand user expectations regarding information organization within the intranet's navigation.

Participants engaged in an open card sort, tasked with grouping and labeling categories of information. Analyzing the results presented a significant challenge. With a total of 493 categories generated, standardizing them was essential. This involved consolidating similar categories to streamline the process. For instance, labels like 'HR' and 'Human Resources' were merged into one category.
To gain actionable insights, we further standardized results by combining categories with shared keywords. This enabled us to identify top categories and the most frequently associated cards within each.

Leveraging this wealth of data, we proposed a revamped navigation structure designed to better align with user expectations and enhance overall usability.