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Design thinking
Designthinkingtakesaimattheheartofunnecessaryworkplacecomplexitybyputtingthe
employeeexperiencefirsthelpingtoimproveproductivitybydesigningsolutionsthatare
atoncecompelling,enjoyable,andsimple.

WRITTEN BY

Josh Bersin, Marc Solow, & Nicky Wakeeld

PUBLISHED

February 29, 2016

ViewthecompleteGlobalHumanCapitalTrends2016report
(http://dupress.com/periodical/humancapitaltrends/)

Watch (http://dupress.com/articles/human-capital-trendsvideo) the related video

Learn more
(http://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/services/humancapital.html) about Deloitte Human Capital

Employeesareoverwhelmedwithtechnology,applications,andaconstantfloodof

information.Deloitteresearchshowsthatpeoplecollectivelychecktheirphones
morethan8billiontimeseachday,1yetproductivityisbarelyrising.2Torelievethe
overwhelmedemployee(http://dupress.com/articles/hctrends2014
overwhelmedemployee/)anddevelopHRapplicationsthatcanhelpmanage
complexity,HRmustadoptdesignthinking,whichputstheemployeeexperienceat
thecenter.3DesignthinkingmovesHRsfocusbeyondbuildingprogramsand
processestoanewgoal:designingaproductiveandmeaningfulemployee
experiencethroughsolutionsthatarecompelling,enjoyable,andsimple.

Designthinkingprovidesameanstofocusontheemployeespersonalexperience
andtocreateprocessescenteredupontheworker.Theresult:newsolutionsand
toolsthatdirectlycontributetoemployeesatisfaction,productivity,and
enjoyment.

vHRdepartmentsshouldupgradetheirskillstoincorporatekeydesignthinking

conceptssuchasdigitaldesign,mobileappdesign,userexperiencedesign,and
behavioraleconomics.

vDesignthinkingisimportant,anditworks.Inthisyearssurvey,respondentsat
companieswhereHRdeliversthehighestlevelsofvaluearealmostfivetimes
morelikelytobeusingdesignthinkingintheirprogramsthantheirpeers.4

TraditionalHRsolutionsaretypicallyprogramsorprocessestotrainpeople,assess

TraditionalHRsolutionsaretypicallyprogramsorprocessestotrainpeople,assess
performance,ensurecompliance,ordocumentapracticeatwork.Mostwerebuilt
aroundforms,processsteps,formaltraining,orclassroomevents.Whilethese
strategiesworktoadegree,todaysemployeesarealreadyoverwhelmedwitha
floodofemail,messages,meetings,andotherworkplacedistractions.Twothirdsof
companiesnowbelievecomplexityisanobstacle
(http://dupress.com/articles/worksimplificationhumancapitaltrends2015/)to
businesssuccessandabarriertogrowthinbusinessproductivity.5Perhapsthisis
onereasonwhy79percentofexecutivesinthisyearsGlobalHumanCapital
Trendssurveyrateddesignthinkinganimportantorveryimportantissue.(See
figure1foroursurveyrespondentsratingsofdesignthinkingsimportanceacross
globalregionsandselectedcountries.)

(http://d27n205l7rookf.cloudfront.net/wp
content/uploads/2016/02/ER_3021_Fig1_DesignthinkingheatMap.jpg)
DesignthinkingcastsHRinanewrole.6IttransformsHRfromaprocess
developertoanexperiencearchitect.ItempowersHRtoreimagineeveryaspect
ofwork:thephysicalenvironmenthowpeoplemeetandinteracthowmanagers
spendtheirtimeandhowcompaniesselect,train,engage,andevaluatepeople.

OneCHROcallsherselfthechiefemployeeexperienceofficer,whicheffectively
summarizesthispowerfulnewmandate.

Designthinkingorlackofitcanmakeahuge
differenceinhowcompaniesareperceived.

Simplydescribed,designthinkingmeansfocusingonthepersonandthe
experience,nottheprocess.Atitscore,workingasadesignerinvolvesstudying
peopleatwork,anddevelopingpersonasandprofilestounderstandemployee
demographics,workenvironment,andchallenges.Itreliesongeneratingideas
quicklyandtestingprototypesthatgeneratefurtherideas,digitaltools,and
solutions.7
ApplyingdesignthinkingtotheworkexperiencecompelsHRtoask,Whatdoesa
greatemployeeexperiencelooklikefromendtoend?Howcanwefacilitate
collaborationandlearningineverythingwedo?Howcanwetakeadvantageof
locationawaremobiledevicestomakepeoplemoreproductive?Howcanwegive
employeesafeweasytounderstandchoicessotheycanmakedecisionsfaster?
Manycompaniesarerelyingupondesignthinking.GE,forexample,hasmade
simplificationacorenewbusinessstrategy.8Itisintroducingdesignthinking,a
simplifiedmodelforperformancemanagement,newmobileappsforgoal
managementandcollaboration,andanewsetofprinciplesforwork.Thecompany
nowusesagilemethodologiesthroughoutproductdevelopmentandisteaching
managershowtohelpteamsdolessandfocusmore.
Onefundamentalideaindesignthinkingistheuseofbehavioraleconomics.Many
HRpracticescanbereplacedwithintelligentchoices,usingtheprinciplesof
behavioraleconomicstoencouragebetterdecisions.9Shouldacompany,for
example,givepeople10optionsfor401(k)plans?Orratherselectthreethatoffer
thebestperformance?Suchchoicearchitecturecanmakeworkfareasierand
moreenjoyableforemployeesandincreaseemployeeparticipationinthe

program.
Designthinkingorlackofitcanmakeahugedifferenceinhowcompaniesare
perceived.Takerecruiting.TheTalentBoardfoundthatmorethanhalfthe
candidateswhofindthejobapplicationexperiencedifficultdevelopanegative
impressionofthecompanysproductsandservices.10CompaniessuchasZappos
andothersdesignthecandidateexperiencetoattracthighperformingpeopleand
makeiteasytofindtherightjobandapplyquickly.11
Othercompaniesareusingdesignthinkingtoimprovelearningdramatically.
DeckersBrands,12Nestl,13andQualcomm14haveuseddesignthinkingtodevelop
highlyintuitive,experientiallearningprograms.Experientiallearningprograms
beginwiththeindividualandthecontextofanemployeesworkratherthana
modelinwhichthepresenteristhefocus.Theyofferlearningprogramsthatare
muchmorestimulatingandengagingandleadtohigherskillsretention.In
addition,theydonotdependonalearningmanagementsystembutcanleverage
newlearningtechnologiestopromotecontinuouslearning.
Thedatafromoursurveythisyearsuggestthatthemoreimportancean
organizationplacesondesignthinkingandthemorereadyitistoembraceit,the
fastertheorganizationgrows.Companiesgrowingby10percentormoreperyear
aremorethantwiceaslikelytoreporttheyarereadytoincorporatedesign
thinking,comparedtotheircounterpartsthatareexperiencingstagnantlevelsof
growth.
ExcitingnewdigitaltoolsthatemploydesignthinkingarealsomakingroutineHR
tasksmoreefficientandeasy,whileimprovingtheemployeeexperience.Australia
andNewZealandBankingGroupdevelopedaneasytousemobileappthatallows
employeestomanagetheirtimeandattendance,benefits,andvacationschedule,
whilealsoenablingthemtocollaboratewithcolleagues.15DuPontcompletely
redesigneditsonlineHRportalaroundtheendusersexperience,dramatically
reducingthetimeemployeesspendontraditionalHRmanagementprocesses.16
Beyondrecruiting,learning,andotherHRprocesses,designthinkinghasbeenused
toimproveperformancemanagementandcoachingatcompaniessuchasAdobe,17
andAutodesk,18andNewYorkLife.

Thedatafromoursurveythisyearsuggestthat
themoreimportanceanorganizationplaceson
designthinkingandthemorereadyitisto
embraceit,thefastertheorganizationgrows.

Organizationsarealsostartingtouseemployeepersonastounderstandtheunique
needsofdistinctemployeesegments.AtoneAustraliangovernmentagency,eight
personaswereconsideredastheagencywasdesigninganewHRportal.The
organizationfoundthat27,000ofits45,000employeeswereremotefieldworkers
whodonotusecompanysponsoredtechnologyandfunctionindependently.
Throughfocusgroupsandasurvey,theagencyuncoveredsurprisingandpractical
insightsaroundcommunication,collaborationandknowledgemanagement,and
selfserviceadministrationacrossallpersonas.Forexample,thebiggestfrustration
fortheseremoteemployeeswastheinabilitytoaccesstheirworkschedules,submit
absencerequests,ororderuniformsusingtheirpersonaltechnology.Theseinsights
guidedthesystemsdesign.Today,theemployeepersonaprofilesareastandard
componentoftheagencysorientationprogram.19
Withmorecompaniesembracingdesignthinking,weseeitconnectingmanyofthe
trendswehighlightthisyear,including:

Organizationaldesign(http://dupress.com/articles/organizationalmodels
networkofteams),whichcanincorporatedesignthinkingwhenrestructuring
rolesortheorganizationitself

vEngagement,whichresearchshowscanbedrivenbyusingdesignthinkingto
makeworkeasier,moreefficient,morefulfilling,andmorerewarding

Learning,inwhichnew,selfdirectedlearningexperiencescanbeshapedby
designthinkingscentralprincipleofputtingtheuserexperienceaheadofthe
process

vAnalytics,inwhichdataanalysisanddesignthinkingcanbelinkedto
recommendbettersolutionsdirectlytotheemployee

HRskills,whichmustbeupgradedtoincorporateanunderstandingofdigital
design,mobileapplicationdesign,behavioraleconomics,machinelearning,and
userexperiencedesign

DigitalHR,wheredesignthinkingiscriticalindevelopingnewdigitaltoolsthat
canmakeworkeasierandbetter
Justassuccessfulcompaniescontinuallyaskhowtoimprovecustomerexperiences
andhowthoseexperiencescomparetotheircompetitors,HRcanapproach
employeeexperienceswiththesamerigor.Whiledesignthinkingmayinvolve
significantchangestoworkplaces,systems,processes,andotherbusinesselements,
itsfocusisonpeople.
AsarecentHarvardBusinessReviewarticlebyJonKolkonoted,Peopleneed
theirinteractionswithtechnologiesandothercomplexsystemstobesimple,
intuitive,andpleasurable.Becausedesignisempathetic,thearticlecontinues,it
implicitlydrivesamorethoughtful,humanapproachtobusinessonethatmakes
theworkplacemoreattractivetobothcurrentandprospectiveemployees.20
Successfuldesignthinkingintegratesanunderstandingofhumanbehavior.What
motivatespeople?Howdotheyseethemselves?Whatdotheyvalue?Howdothey
expressthosevaluesintypicalofficebehavior?Inseekingtoanswerthese
questions,HRteamsdonothavetostartfromscratchoften,theycanlookinside
theorganizationforideasandinspiration.

LESSONS FROM THE FRONT LINES

TelstraisAustraliasleadingtelecommunicationsandinformationservices
company,offeringafullrangeofcommunicationsservicesandcompetinginall
telecommunicationsmarkets.Aswithalltelecommunicationscompanies,Telstra
hiresthousandsofemployeeseachyear.21Newemployeeshavetolearnadizzying
numberofsystems,products,pricingplans,andwaysofdoingtheirjob,soturnover
andengagementarealwaysissues.Toaddressthisstrategicchallenge,Telstraused
designthinkingtodevelopanew90Dayonboardingexperienceforallemployees
aswellasanindividualizedexecutiveinductionprogram.
Theprocessincluded:

Theprocessincluded:

vFocusingquestions:Discoveryinterviewswithleaderstoframethe
challengeandsetobjectivesfortheprogram

vEthnographicresearch:Interviewsandfocusgroupsessionswithemployees,
HR,andmanagerstoexplorechallengesandneedsacrossthefirst90days
experience

vSynthesis:ComparinginsightsfromtheethnographicresearchwithHR

demographicandturnoverdatatoidentifykeytransitionpointsandworktask
areasthatcouldbedramaticallyimprovedtodelightemployees

Prototyping:Developinglowfidelitytoolsandsolutionsthatweretestedand
refinedmultipletimestoallowforfastfailureandtheintegrationoflessons
learned

Visualisation:Usingpersonabasedblueprintsthatdescribetheonboarding
journeyinanengagingway,allowingleadersandotherstoemulatetheproject
teamsjourneyandincreaseengagementinthedesign.
Throughthisdesignthinkingprocess,Telstragainedimportantinsightsintokey
painpoints,needs,andchallengesofthecurrentonboardingprocessduringthe
first90days.Theresearchprovedthatemployeeswhosucceededinthefirst90day
periodwerefarmoreproductiveovertheentirecourseoftheiremploymentthan
thosewhostruggled.
Usinginsightsfromthisresearch,Telstradesignedtheonboardingapproach
aroundfourelements:

vJoin:Maketheexperiencepersonal,butalsoeasyandclearonhowtoquickly
becomepartoftheorganization

Learn:Providetimeandspacetoallowforkeylearningtohappenasquicklyas
possible

v
vGrow:Provideacknowledgementandcelebrateachievementstomotivate

Contribute:Provideguidance,support,andcoachingtofosterproductivity

continuousgrowthinanewrole

Theresult:Productivityrose,employeesbecamemorecommittedandengaged,and

Theresult:Productivityrose,employeesbecamemorecommittedandengaged,and
newhiresbecamemorequicklyintegratedintotheorganization.
Nowahugefanofdesignthinking,Telstrahasappliedtheprocesstoimprove
leadershipdevelopment,theHRservicesexperience,changemanagement
programs,andotheremployeedevelopmentprograms.22
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vSchoolHRindesignthinking:HRshouldmoveawayfromprocessdesign
tohumancentereddesign.Thismeansstudyingwhatemployeesdo,visiting

theirworkplaces,andobservingtheirbehavior.Basedontheseinsights,solutions
andprogramscanbedesignedthatimproveproductivity,boostengagement,and
increaseemployeesatisfactionwhilealsoprovidingtrainingorotherHRservices.

Learnfromdesignthinkingincustomerservice:Manycompaniesuse
designthinkingindevelopingtheircustomerserviceprograms.Togain
understanding,HRshouldvisitgreatretailstores,restaurants,oruniversities.By
examiningsatisfyingexperiencesoutsideofwork,HRcanusetheseexamplesin
HRdesign.

Prototype,pilot,test,andlearn:Newprogramsshouldbeprototypedand
thenpilotedwithasmallgroup.Byunderstandingwhatthisgrouplovesand
whatitdislikes,HRcanimprovetheendtoendemployeeexperience.

BOTTOM LINE
Withitsfocusonpeople,HRleadershaveanopportunitytobedesigners,creatinga
moreengagingandeffectiveHRsolution.Appliedcorrectly,designthinkingisa
rigorous,disciplinedmethodofproblemsolving.Itrepresentsanopportunityfor
HRtoreshapehowitworkswiththeorganizationandtoredesignitsown
procedures,usingtechnologytoensurepositiveemployeeinteractions.
Donewell,designthinkingpromotesavirtuouscycle,generatinghigherlevelsof
employeesatisfaction,greaterengagement,andhigherproductivityforthe
company.Intheirnewroleasdesigners,talentleadersshouldask:HowcanHR
taketheleadincraftingandshapingtheemployeeexperience?HowcanHRdesign
overallexperiencesthatengageemployeesatallstages,fromcandidatesthrough

overallexperiencesthatengageemployeesatallstages,fromcandidatesthrough
alumni?Equallyimportant,howcanHRhelpbuildandreinforcedesign
capabilitiesthroughouttheorganization?

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designandexecutetheHR,talent,leadership,organization,andchangeprogramsthatenable
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Endnotes
Viewallendnotes
1.

PR Newswire, Deloitte survey: Americans look at their smartphones in the aggregate more than 8
billion times daily, December 9, 2015, www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deloitte-surveyamericans-look-at-their-smartphones-in-the-aggregate-more-than-8-billion-times-daily300190192.html. Back to article

2.

Deloitte, Global mobile consumer survey: Rise of the always-connected consumer, 2015,
www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/global-mobileconsumer-survey-us-edition.html. Back to article

Credits

Josh Bersin
(mailto:jbersin@deloitte.com)
JoshBersinfoundedBersin&Associates,now
BersinbyDeloitte,in2001toprovideresearchand
advisoryservicesfocusedoncorporatelearning.Heis
afrequentspeakeratindustryeventsandapopular
blogger.Bersinspent25yearsinproduct
development,productmanagement,marketing,and
salesofelearningandotherenterprisetechnologies.