Learning From Frontline Workers Without Interrupting Their Work
To keep this case study focused, I’ve highlighted the primary challenge, key decisions, and outcomes. The complete project story is available for discussion during interviews.
Learning From Frontline Workers for the First Time
This was the first initiative designed to collect feedback directly from frontline workers across Retail, Hospitality, and Healthcare. It gave product teams direct access to the people using the app every day, creating a new source of insight that had not previously existed within the organization.
Visibility Seemed Like the Right Direction
Three interaction directions were tested to understand discoverability, annoyance, and disruption after login. The findings led Product to the full-screen pop-up because of its high visibility, assuming it would translate into high participation.
pop-up
in-feed
Easy to Overlook
Banner
Always Present
What the Test Didn’t Measure
The findings pointed Product to the pop-up because of its 100% visibility, but they didn’t fully account for its level of annoyance and disruption, or more importantly, how workers might respond when interrupted during time-sensitive tasks. Someone opening the app to clock in, review pay, or request PTO would likely dismiss the survey simply to complete their task. High visibility alone wasn’t enough to predict participation.
Visibility Alone Doesn’t Create Participation
As one of my contributions to the mobile design system, I designed and authored messaging guidelines that defined when to use different messaging patterns. Those guidelines reserved pop-ups for situations requiring immediate attention or action. While completing the survey was important for the business, it wasn’t required for workers to continue using the app, making the proposed direction inconsistent with the established principles.
Getting Feedback on Workers’ Terms
The final experience maintained visibility without requiring workers to interact with the survey before completing the task that brought them into the app.
Impact
15,213 Responses
Across Retail, Hospitality, and Healthcare
10% completion rate
Over one quarter
42% Above SaaS Average
7% survey participation benchmark
Shifted Product Direction Toward a Worker-First Experience
I challenged Product’s initial approach and aligned stakeholders around a direction that balanced business goals with workers’ needs.