The New Normal

a very serious problem

During the initial phase of the pandemic, there was indeed a lack of a predefined playbook for businesses to navigate through the challenges posed by the unprecedented situation. Many companies had to develop and implement remote work policies on the fly, addressing technology, communication, collaboration, and employee well-being issues.

The New Normal page was the brainchild of our CEO. He wanted to get out there and show empathy to job seekers and businesses. It was up to the team to create a one-stop location for both B2B and B2C users to visit and ask questions, get answers and prepare for hiring during COVID.

Project

Development of a dedicated website to assist businesses in managing their workforce, adapting policies, and hiring new staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Elements to Include in the Website

Prominent Navigation: Easy access to COVID-19 related sections from the homepage.
Clear and Concise Information: Sections for webinars, e-books and timely articles with detailed but easy-to-understand content.
Downloadable Resources: Documents that can be downloaded for offline reference.
Contact and Support: A form or contact information for users to ask questions or seek clarifications.
Ongoing Updates: Ensure the information is kept up-to-date with the latest guidelines and practices.

Timeline: March 2020 - July 2021

Team:

Project Manager
UX Designer
Front-end Developer
Content Strategist
Product Manager

Problem Statement

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted business operations worldwide. Companies faced unprecedented challenges, including remote work transitions, evolving health guidelines, and changes in hiring practices. There was a critical need for a centralized resource to help businesses navigate these changes effectively.

Research

User Experience

Prototyping

UI/UX Design

Being able to empathize with users and create designs that prioritize their needs and preferences is why I love UX design. It's about creating products that are not just visually appealing but also functional and user-friendly.

This site is one of my favorite projects I've worked on mainly because of the short time frame involved, the collective teamwork, and the commitment to excellence of the Monster brand.

Personas built on previous testing

goals

We uncovered very quickly that hiring managers dedicated more time to researching hiring trends and refining interviewing techniques during the pandemic. The unprecedented challenges posed by the global health crisis forced organizations to adapt their hiring processes to a remote or hybrid model.

Provide Up-to-date Information: Offer timely updates on government policies, health guidelines, and remote work best practices.
Facilitate Remote Work Transition: Provide tools and resources to support businesses in shifting to remote work.
Streamline Hiring Processes: Develop features to aid businesses in hiring and onboarding new employees remotely.
Enhance Employee Management: Offer solutions for employee engagement, productivity tracking, and mental health support.

Evaluated competitor's content and conducted a SWOT analysis to capitalize on opportunities, mitigate risks, and adapt to a dynamic business environment

research

The content team conducted several targeted surveys of small—and medium-sized business owners and job seekers to understand their challenges. We also held virtual interviews and webinars with HR professionals and managers to understand their needs and concerns.

We ran polls on both our B2B and B2C site - gathering valuable feedback

Analyzing similar platforms, we identified gaps and opportunities in the marketplace. Understanding our competitors and how they are creating content around workplace policies during COVID, helped me design and identify creative solutions that could be implemented and improved as we moved through this project.

Key Findings

Businesses were overwhelmed by the frequent changes in regulations and guidelines.
There was a lack of cohesive resources for managing remote teams.
Hiring and onboarding new employees remotely posed significant challenges.
Employee well-being and mental health were critical concerns during the pandemic.

Mindmap for New Normal site created in Miro

design process

Based on initial feedback and hypothesis, I created semi-low fidelity wireframes to propose design concepts to fit user needs. The wireframes helped me assess what functionalities, layouts, and components were working and which weren’t based on feedback. From there, I continued working on iterating the wireframe throughout the next few months.

Information Architecture

Organized content into clear categories: Related articles, Remote Work Resources, Hiring Tools, Employee Management, and Mental Health Support.
Developed a sitemap to visualize the structure.

Wireframes

Created low-fidelity wireframes to outline the layout and navigation.
Conducted usability testing with potential users to refine the wireframes.

Prototyping

Developed a high-fidelity prototype using Figma.
Incorporated feedback from stakeholders and users to iterate on the design.
Regular stakeholder reviews to align the designs with business goals.

User Testing

Conducted remote usability testing sessions.
Gathered feedback on the ease of navigation, clarity of information, and usefulness of resources.

key features

COVID-19 Updates

Real-time updates on health guidelines and government policies.
Alerts for significant changes that impact businesses.

Remote Work Insights

Best practices for setting up remote work infrastructure.
Tools for virtual meetings, project management, and collaboration.
Resources for maintaining productivity and engagement.

Hiring and Onboarding

Job posting templates tailored for remote positions.
Virtual interview scheduling and video conferencing integration.
Digital onboarding checklists and training modules.

Employee Management

Tools for tracking employee productivity and performance.
Resources for managing remote teams and maintaining company culture.
Solutions for employee recognition and feedback.

We adopted an agile methodology with bi-weekly sprints so that we could stay on top of the aggressive, quick delivery. I feel fortunate enough to be part of the team that launched this experience and went on to win a spot in the Content Marketing Awards for 2021.

results

Interviews with willing customers also gave us great opportunities to improve business and identify KPIs that we could track and measure how our users interact with our product and how the experience makes them feel.

User Engagement

The website saw a 150% increase in user engagement within the first three months of launch.

Positive Results

Over 90% of users reported that the resources helped them manage their business more effectively during the pandemic.

Successful Transition

65% of poll respondents successfully transitioned to remote work, citing the toolkit as instrumental.