Centralized Knowledge Management Hub for UX Design at Fidelity Investments
From scattered, outdated resources to a clear “one source of truth”
Screen capture of SharePoint knowledge management hub, The UXD Hive. Video edited in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Summary of Project & My Role
I had been a part of Design for over a decade, and the need for better knowledge management was apparent to me from day one. I would say that the UX Maturity of Fidelity' Design swung on a pendulum between 4/Structured, 5/Integrated, and 6/User-Driven over the years (based on Nielsen Norman Group’s UX Maturity) depending on what org Design reported to (Tech vs, Marketing), the personality and background of the Head of Design (which changed 5 times while I was there), and how integrated UX was in product development in the firm overall. Despite a high level of maturity, DesignOps activities (like knowledge management, onboarding, L&D, rituals, processes, culture, career pathing, etc.) had never been a focus or priority. I was thrilled when that changed, and I was able to tackle this “wicked problem.” And, a wicked problem it was.
Not only was the UX Design org large (hovering around 300 people), but they supported hundreds of different products across 4 distinct business units that generally acted as completely separate companies. There were some centralized resources within some groups, but generally, each manager or group of managers would have their own version of everything. While it had always been inefficient, time-consuming, and frustrating, with the advent of our enterprise design strategy, using one design tool (Figma) across the entire org, the push for design to align to enterprise OKRs and business unit KPIs, and the rapid hiring of new talent, the ROI of dedicating time and resources to organizing the organization itself began to far outweigh the cost. While I was the only dedicated resource for this work, I tapped many skilled and talented peers for brainstorming, quick usability testing, and a touch of coding magic to elevate the UI above SharePoint’s defaults.
Tools
Figma, Mural, Qualtrics, SharePoint, Zoom, Grammarly, Adobe Illustrator, Notepad++, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Yammer, Microsoft Outlook
Skills
Information Architecture, Problem Research & Definition, Visioning, Change Management, Usability Testing, Influence, Diplomacy, UX & UI Design, Writing & Editing, Coding HTML/CSS/JS, Graphic Creation & Revision
Problems We Aimed to Solve
Resource disarray: Multiple resource, onboarding, and learning hubs led to confusion, frustration, and redundant work
Onboarding challenges: Onboarding speed, effectiveness, and satisfaction were compromised due to scattered resources
Underutilization of UX insights: Valuable insights from partners in research, content, and accessibility were underutilized, impacting the potential for informed design decisions
Inconsistent design quality: Because we didn’t have 100% of the org using the core and common tools, resources, and information, the quality and consistency of what Design was producing suffered
Strategy Blueprint in Mural to set the strategy before getting to work on finding, evaluating, and consolidating resources; defining the content strategy & IA of the new hub; and finally designing, writing, and building the hub.
Portion of working Mural where I worked out the content strategy & information architecture for the new hub before building a prototype for usability testing.
Solution & Impact
More efficient work execution: Consolidated core tools, resources, insights, processes, rituals, and goals/KPIs in a centralized SharePoint communication site, streamlining day-to-day operations
Holistic skill-building: Aligned learning paths with design career pathing, providing a comprehensive skill-building experience
Dynamic live learning events: Introduced live learning events with executive speakers across business units, enhancing engagement and knowledge sharing
Revamped onboarding experience: Designed a net new onboarding experience with a seamless handoff from enterprise onboarding, fostering quicker integration and satisfaction
Guided career development: Implemented a comprehensive career pathing guide for individual contributor designers and design managers, ensuring clear paths for professional growth
—which resulted in—
Overall transformation: Design managers hailed the centralized hub as of "immense value," while designers experienced enhanced job satisfaction, feeling heard and supported in their roles
Onboarding quality and efficiency: Managers noted significant reductions in onboarding time and that new hires were better able to contribute to product teams
Career pathing satisfaction: Usage of career pathing tools surged, leading to more productive quarterly and year-end reviews and fostering individual growth within the organization
Empowered skill-building: Learning path completions by the Design org increased dramatically, and designers felt more empowered and confident in their career progression
Insight amplification: Event attendance and recording views soared, providing valuable insights for designers to understand and meet business KPIs, plus increased utilization of valuable resources from partners in research, content, and accessibility
Enhanced engagement and communication: Engagement with established design goals and KPIs saw a significant uptick, and communication between design managers and their teams became more streamlined
Coming Soon: Screencast compilation of onboarding problem research, old onboarding experience, and new onboarding experience in the hub.