The Emprint Lab is a platform focused on improving communication and collaboration in the workplace. It offers tools like AI-driven chat assistance, seamless meeting scheduling, and real-time feedback, all aimed at fostering better interactions between employees and management. With an emphasis on emotional intelligence, The Emprint Lab helps create a more transparent, efficient, and supportive work environment.
The Emprint Lab
This case study explores the TEL MVP project, which developed a communication platform to streamline workplace interactions while ensuring user safety and transparency. Key features included Personalized EQ Profiles, AI-Assisted Video Chats, Meeting Temperature Indicators, and Third-Party Monitoring for sensitive discussions. The platform supported various meeting types and offered anonymous requests along with seamless integration with Google.
I. Project Overview
My Role
Timeline
UX Designer
September 2024
Deliverables
Tools
Figma
Slack
Google Docs
Google Meet
Riipen
Competitive Analysis
Prototype
Problem
A core challenge was addressing the complexities of the employer-employee relationship, particularly in fostering transparent, efficient, and safe workplace communication. In many organizations, communication between employees and management can become strained, especially when handling sensitive discussions such as performance reviews or conflict resolution. The platform needed to support these delicate interactions while ensuring that employees felt safe and heard.
As the second design team for the TEL MVP project, we were tasked with enhancing the existing design while integrating several key features.
Video Chat: Integrated AI-assisted video functionality to enhance real-time communication with emotional insights.
Scheduling: Enabled seamless syncing with Google Calendars for efficient meeting scheduling.
Anonymous Booking: Developed a booking system that keeps employee identities hidden until meetings are confirmed.
Meeting Request Tool (POV Acceptor): Created user-friendly screens for managing meeting requests.
AI EQ Assistance: Implemented AI features to provide real-time emotional guidance during discussions.
User Testing: Conducted testing and incorporated feedback to optimize usability and ensure the platform met user needs.
Solution
II. Research
We were the second group tasked with working on the IDP for Emprint Lab, building upon the comprehensive research provided by the initial team. Their insights into user personas, communication challenges, and workplace culture allowed us to focus on refining and enhancing the existing groundwork to deliver a more robust solution.
Insights that emerged from the previous teams primary research.
User Personas:
The personas (Pauline Finch, Sam Richards, and Lisa Monroe) highlighted key workplace stakeholders—management, employees, and HR—revealing their goals, frustrations, and challenges. This helped my team design solutions addressing issues like workload, transparency, and communication.
HMW Questions:
The previous group’s "How Might We" (HMW) questions on scheduling, communication, and culture guided my team in developing features to improve efficiency, clarity, and support.
Building on Research:
The previous research provided a strong foundation, allowing my team to refine and implement key features, focusing on transparency, scheduling, and feedback systems.
Pain Points:
Common challenges like fear of retaliation, lack of emotional intelligence, and the need for anonymous feedback helped prioritize features like AI-driven emotional intelligence and anonymous booking.
Competitive Analysis
In developing the TEL MVP Communication Facilitation Software, I conducted a competitive analysis to assess our position in the workplace communication tools market, focusing on competitors like Skedda and Doodle.
Skedda offers a user-friendly interface for scheduling but primarily focuses on venue management, lacking features for sensitive communication such as anonymous bookings and conflict resolution. Doodle excels in scheduling and polling functionalities, integrating seamlessly with calendars like Google and Outlook. However, it falls short in providing advanced features like AI assistance and emotional intelligence insights.
In contrast, TEL MVP distinguishes itself by integrating AI-driven emotional intelligence support and an anonymous booking system, catering to delicate conversations. Our platform not only streamlines scheduling through calendar integration but also offers tailored workflows for different meeting types, enhancing the employer-employee relationship.
By addressing both functional and emotional aspects of workplace communication, TEL MVP stands apart from competitors, supporting a more transparent and efficient communication environment.
Research Conclusion
User-Centered Design: Building on detailed user personas and insights from the previous team, we focused on addressing key stakeholder challenges like workload, transparency, and communication, allowing us to prioritize features such as AI-driven emotional intelligence and anonymous booking systems.
Competitive Differentiation: Through competitive analysis of tools like Skedda and Doodle, we identified TEL MVP’s unique value in offering AI-powered emotional intelligence and anonymous communication, features that competitors lack, positioning the platform as a leader in facilitating delicate workplace interactions.
Enhanced Platform: Our team's solution builds on existing research, refining the platform with features that support both functional and emotional aspects of workplace communication, including seamless scheduling, AI chat assist, and real-time feedback, making the platform efficient, transparent, and user-friendly.
III. Solution
Style Guide
We revised the style guide provided by the first team to align with the changes made to the screens. Our updates improved the overall visual consistency, including adjustments to the logo—removing the lines for a cleaner look—and refining the color scheme. These revisions ensured a more polished, cohesive design, enhancing both aesthetics and usability across the app.
Before
After
Prototype
We revised several screens from the previous team, specifically updating the dashboard, booking tool, and video waiting room.
Below are the before and after comparisons of these changes:
A. Evolution of existing screens
Before - Dashboard:
After - Dashboard:
For the dashboard, we made key changes, including updating the color scheme and adding a "Pending Meetings" section under upcoming meetings. This improved the visual clarity and functionality, allowing users to track meetings that were awaiting confirmation or declination easily.
Before - Booking Tool:
After - Booking Tool:
For the booking tool, we focused on improving the overall visual design. We updated the color scheme, made the pop-up thinner for a sleeker look, refined the button styling, and adjusted the typography to improve readability. These changes helped create a more polished and user-friendly interface.
Before - Video Waiting Room:
After - Video Waiting Room:
For the meeting details screen, we enhanced the overall appearance by giving it a cleaner design. We refined the color scheme, adjusted the typography for better readability, and improved the buttons to create a more cohesive and polished look.
B. Creation of new screens
AI Chat Assist feature:
We also developed an AI chat assistant feature integrated with EQ profiles, helping the employer rephrase their words and communicate more effectively.
Booking Tool POV Acceptor:
Lastly, I designed the booking tool from the acceptor’s perspective. This feature allows the requester to schedule a meeting without revealing its purpose, reducing the chance of cancellation. It also gives the acceptor options to propose a new time, or accept or decline the meeting.
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Hi - Fi Screens
IV. Testing the Prototype
We conducted usability testing on the prototype with four participants to evaluate the app's functionality and ease of use. The tasks were designed to provide insight into the user experience. Participants were asked to complete the following:
For the Requester:
Request a meeting with your project manager, David Thompson, on the 21st to discuss a new idea for your current project.
Join the meeting and engage with the AI suggestions by clicking on the chat bubbles.
For the Accepter:
Open the meeting request in your inbox.
Suggest a new meeting time.
Accept the meeting at the original time.
Join the meeting.
These tasks allowed us to assess the app's usability and gather valuable feedback for improvements.
During usability testing, we identified and resolved several issues:
Minor Issues:
Clarified homepage verbiage to “schedule a meeting here/below.”
Differentiated profile images in the waiting room for better status clarity.
Improved spacing within the yellow meeting container for visual consistency.
Standardized date formatting on the confirmation screen.
Consistently applied hover interactions throughout the meeting request flow.
Major Issues:
Enhanced label visibility on video chat transcripts by darkening font color.
Adjusted the meeting scheduling flow for clarity regarding date selection.
Replaced the “More options” dropdown with a clear “Propose new time” button.
Added a “Pending Meeting Responses” category to the sidebar.
Testing Results
Interactive Prototype
1. POV Requester Flow
Click here to view
2. POV Acceptor Flow
Click here to view
V. Learnings
Throughout the Emprint Lab IDP project, I worked with a team of UX designers for the first time, which was a valuable learning experience. Coordinating meeting times around everyone’s schedules was a challenge, but it taught me the importance of time management and clear communication within a team. Despite the obstacles, collaborating with others broadened my perspective, and I utilized my growing UI/UX skills to make the process more efficient. I embraced every phase of the project, from research to testing, while incorporating user feedback to refine the final outcome.
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