Role: Lead Designer
Timeline: January – March 2021
Team: Visual designer, Product manager, Data architect, Front end developer
The impact
- 50% increase in monthly active users within 3 months
- 90% weekly access rate (60% from mobile)
- 95% employee satisfaction with the new experience
- 55% increase in time spent on news and communications
The problem
The client’s existing intranet had become a dead zone. Employees avoided it, defaulting to email or asking coworkers directly. Corporate communications got lost. Tools were scattered. Nobody trusted search.
The brief: increase engagement and reduce reliance on email by creating a unified, personalized hub built on Office 365.
Starting scrappy
I kicked off with a remote discovery workshop with Global HR, Communications, and senior leadership to align on what success looked like: better discoverability, seamless self-service, and genuine employee adoption.
I captured everything in a Business Model Canvas that became our single source of truth.
[BMC Visual]
Listening to the org
Before talking to users, I dug into platform analytics with the client's tech team to understand actual usage patterns.
Then I ran 8 user interviews across different roles and partnered with marketing on an org-wide survey
Three clear themes emerged:
“Connect me to resources”— Employees couldn't find what they needed. They wanted one source of truth, not a scavenger hunt.
“Connect me to the organization”— People felt disconnected from company news and changes. Updates were scattered or stale.
“Meet my needs”— The platform felt rigid. No personalization, no control, limited accessibility.
[Visuals]
What we heard
On search
“I’d rather ask a co-worker than look something up on the intranet.”
On communications
“I feel I learn more up to date information about my company on public sites and social networks, than from own tools.”
On the experience
“I still see ‘best viewed in Internet Explorer’. It’s 2021— we can do better.”
Cleaning up the Architecture
The PM and I synthesized findings and rebuilt the information architecture from the ground up — stripping out clutter, consolidating redundant sections, and creating a purpose-driven structure based on how people actually worked.
We validated it with stakeholders before moving forward.
Building it out
I explored multiple concepts through wireframes, running regular review rituals to keep decisions transparent and collaborative.
The solution
Meanwhile, my visual designer worked with KLA's global marketing team to align on brand identity and build out a design system.
We built on Microsoft SharePoint — not the most creatively liberating choice, but strategically smart. It meant seamless integration with the tools employees already used, which directly boosted adoption.
Where we landed
The Hub launched March 27, 2021.
Global marketing created a content playbook to keep communications fresh and engaging. HR led internal awareness campaigns.
Within three months:
- Monthly active users up by 50%
- Overall engagement up 40%
- Time spent on news/communications up 55%
- 90% employees accessing weekly
- 95% employee satisfaction score
Reflection
Working within Microsoft's ecosystem wasn't the most creatively open brief — but leading the redesign for a global organization's daily work experience was genuinely rewarding. This project shaped how 10,000+ employees connect with their company.