CASE STUDY 2:
Building Solutions - Designing Deloitte's Digital HR E-Reader and Academic research repository.
Introduction
The challenge was transforming Deloitte's static PDF research reports into an interactive, mobile-first E-Reader. Our goal was to enhance usability and engagement while maintaining secure, responsive functionality across devices.
Client: Deloitte. Berson By Deloitte.
Position: Lead UX Design and Research
Solution Development:
The E-Reader evolved from needing a mobile-first, responsive solution that allowed users to read and interact with research on any device. Critical features like highlighting, bookmarking, note-taking, and a unique scrubber bar were added to enhance usability. The scrubber bar allowed users to navigate through content and review activities at a glance quickly. User testing and feedback validated the proposed design, leading to an MVP ready for deployment.
Feature Integration:
Interactive cards were introduced to prioritize critical information like research title, type, and publishing date. This increased engagement and made the platform more intuitive. Additionally, the smart search feature learned from user behavior, refining suggestions and search results based on personal preferences over time.
User Feedback and Iteration:
Customer feedback played a significant role in refining the E-Reader. By listening to users and incorporating features they valued—such as responsive design, annotation tools, and personalized search results—the tool became a versatile solution that catered to a wide range of needs.
Dynamic Content CMS
Dynamic Cards for Content Engagement:
Interactive content cards highlight critical information like research titles personalized to users’ search from deep within our CMS and publication dates, improving readability and engagement.
Key Features: Dynamic Content CMS
Interactive Scrubber Bar:
The unique scrubber bar provides quick navigation and visual cues, allowing users to review activity history and highlights at a glance.
User Selection Highlighting
Embedded Note-taking
User saves ticks in the Scrubber Bar
Correlated highlights and notes in the Scrubber Barfor users.
Key Features: Embedded Annotation Tools:
Features like highlighting and note-taking empower users to capture insights directly in the E-Reader, creating a more interactive reading experience.
Scrolled TOC in the scrubber menu
TOC in the scrubber menu
Results:
Redesign efforts resulted in the longest sustained use times in Deloitte history, as confirmed by the customer analytics data. The average time on site was 3.5 hours.
Key Features: Mobile First
Mobile-First Design:
The responsive E-Reader allows users to access HR research across devices, delivering a seamless experience whether on desktop, tablet, or mobile.
Desktop
Key Feature: Responsive Design for 36,000+ Reports
The platform’s responsive design ensured seamless access to over 36,000 reports across all devices. Users could easily explore and engage with new publications and tailored content directly within the digital platform, with social media integration supporting this. The strategy prioritized delivering relevant updates and reports to users with niche interests, keeping them informed and engaged through personalized content feeds.
Tablet
Phone
Results:
Team efforts resulted in the projection of $250M revenue from $20M revenue (1150%) on top of a $1.3B revenue stream in HR consulting for the Human Capital division of Deloitte.
Search Solution
Key Features: Smart Search Capabilities
1. Personalized search results that evolve based on user behavior, refining suggestions for a more intuitive content discovery experience.
2. Phrase sensitivity produces more relevant results from within academic research in context, resulting in efficiency and research for HR teams.
Advanced Search with Incremental Results:
The updated search function introduced incremental results that provided phrase context from deep within a research article of 50 to 200 pages. Findings showed that users expected context and the use of phrasing within the search to save them time and ultimately result in deep research efficiency. We call this feature “search incrementing.” The 2.0 solution was designed to refine search suggestions dynamically, using past interactions and preferences to improve the overall experience, ensuring more precise and personalized search outcomes.
Conclusion:
The final E-Reader transformed Deloitte’s HR research platform, offering a seamless, responsive experience. With interactive features and smart search capabilities, users could access and share research more efficiently, leading to a more engaged and satisfied customer base.
“Usability is about people and how they understand and use things, not about technology.”
- Steve Krug