DWG releases new research: User experience design for a flexible workforce

10 May 2013, London & New York.

New thought leadership from the Digital Workplace Group suggests ways in which organizations can design digital environments which deliver an integrated and efficient user experience to an increasingly mobile workforce.

A free executive summary of “Digital Workplace User Experience: Designing for Flexible Workforce” is available to download.

The new research report, which is available to DWF Partner organizations, suggests that the digital ecosystem of applications and systems provided to employees tends to deliver a poor user experience. As most digital workplaces have been built up piecemeal for a deskbound user population, they rarely take into account the needs of an increasingly flexible and mobile workforce.

Poorly designed and implemented digital workplaces can lead to:

• a reduction in adoption of critical services
• a loss of productivity
• an erosion of employee happiness and satisfaction
• reduced ability to attract and retain talent
• a loss of security through encouragement of “risky” user behaviour.

The report suggests that organizations can tackle these issues by looking at the digital workplace through the lens of the user experience.

Organizations can truly assess if their digital workplace meets employee need by using tools such as:

• a framework which details the “hierarchy of needs” which users face each time they complete a task
• personas which represent deskbound and mobile employees.

The report then examines the sort of interventions and measures needed to design a digital workplace for a flexible workforce. This includes articulating a user experience strategy and a process for engaging users and stakeholders.

The report also covers measures which can be taken in areas of the digital workplace where organizations tend to have less control, such as hosted solutions from external providers.

Nancy Goebel, Managing Director of the Digital Workplace Group, said: “Poor user experience in the digital workplace is a source of daily frustration for many employees. I find it amazing that organizations do not pay more attention to this critical area given the negative impact it can have on productivity and on attracting talent.”

Goebel continued: “The good news is that it’s not too late to tackle this issue. By looking holistically at the entire digital experience of employees, and making design changes based on how people actually work, user experience can improve. Your workforce will love you for it!”

Download the executive summary of the report

For more information on the Digital Workplace Forum research programme please contact Elizabeth Marsh, Director of Research, Digital Workplace Group.