What is the project about?

Business & User Problem

Spot Award was initiated after discovering a decrease in recognition by -4.13% according to employee survey conducted in 2020.

Still based on the same survey, it's shown that leaders don't have a dedicated budget and suitable benchmark on how to award team members.

Objective

Help flourish gratitude environment among leaders and team members.

To boost employee engagement and appreciate employee dedication to Tokopedia with these 3 approaches:

High-tech: Deliver effective interaction
High-touch: Increase employee engagement
High-impact: Deliver meaningful appreciation

Solution

An ecosystem for awarding employees using sponsored budget, by representing leaders' appreciation to their subordinates that can be given quarterly, to build a stronger and supportive team dynamics and environment.

✅ Impact

Maintaining high morale and motivation among employees, especially in remote or hybrid work settings where physical interactions are limited.

This responsibility encourages leaders to be more attuned to their team's efforts and successes.

Increased engagement often leads to lower turnover rates. Employees who feel appreciated are less likely to seek other opportunities.

How was the
situation
during the
project?

Budget-wise, Spot Award has arranged a mechanism according to how many members a leader has and which level the leader lies on. There’s one type of budget, which is annual budget, that’s separated quarterly. The quarterly budget will be carried over to the next one if there’s any leftover. However, the annual budget will be restarted in the next year.
User-wise, there are three types of roles in Spot Award ecosystem; Awarder, Approver, and Receiver. Awarder (N) is the leader giving the award to their subordinate (Receiver or N-1). Approver is Awarder’s N+1 or senior leader who reviews and finally approves Awarder’s request. Receiver will receive a notification once Approver has approved Awarder’s award.
This product was designed in a 5-day span due to the sudden request by C-levels who need a video teaser showing the prototype of Spot Award in an event held in 16 December 2021. Hence, the final result as per 15 December 2021 is the MVP display and flow that will be developed in Q1 2022 and reworked again for its ultimate version in the next phase.

UX Strategy

[1] Requirement go-through and checklists

Tactic: Quickly yet intricately synthesizing the requirements and translating them into a functional minimum viable product (MVP) that could be showcased.

Outcome: Streamlined decision-making processes and leveraging agile development methodologies to accommodate quick changes and fast-paced development.

[2] Role-Based Design Consideration

Tactic: The system was designed with clear distinctions between the roles of Awarder, Approver, and Receiver, each requiring unique interfaces and interactions. This role-based UX approach ensured that the design was specifically tailored to meet the needs and expectations of each user type.

Outcome: Simplified the approval process for Approvers, made the awarding process intuitive for Awarders, and ensured Receivers were effectively notified and engaged.

[3] Co-design

Tactic: To ensure the product met the actual needs of its users and was aligned with organizational goals, I incorporated co-design sessions involving stakeholders from various levels. This collaborative approach facilitated direct feedback and ideation, enhancing the product's relevance and effectiveness.

Outcome: Helped in refining the product features and user flows. This collaborative effort improved the design quality and increased stakeholder buy-in.

Challenges & Learnings

[1] Unreasonably Tight Deadline

The project's accelerated timeline, particularly the need to deliver a functional MVP within 5 days for a high-profile event, posed a significant challenge. Managing design, development, and stakeholder approvals in such a short span demanded extreme efficiency and focus.

This challenge likely enhanced my ability to prioritize essential features and functionalities, streamlining the design process under pressure. I learned how to make quick decisions effectively and to communicate succinctly with stakeholders to meet critical deadlines.

[2] Budget Management Integration

Implementing a robust mechanism to handle, track, and visualize budget allocations and expenditures, especially with features like quarterly carryover and annual resets, required careful consideration to maintain accuracy and user comprehensibility.

I gained insights into designing complex financial interfaces that are both user-friendly and precise. This would include learning how to present complex data in an accessible way, enhancing your ability to handle projects involving financial management.