SaaS

SaaS

B2B

B2B

Behavior Change

Behavior Change

Product Strategy

Product Strategy

Employee Feedback Without Interruption

42% above SaaS benchmark by replacing forced popups with voluntary participation

Context

Context

Redefined how employee feedback is collected by replacing forced popups with a voluntary, non-disruptive approach.

Redefined how employee feedback is collected by replacing forced popups with a voluntary, non-disruptive approach.

I inherited a direction focused on visibility and reframed the problem around engagement versus interruption. I pushed back on a research-backed recommendation that would have led to forced interactions and low-quality feedback.

I inherited a direction focused on visibility and reframed the problem around engagement versus interruption. I pushed back on a research-backed recommendation that would have led to forced interactions and low-quality feedback.

The final solution generated 15,213 responses in one quarter, achieving a 10% completion rate (42% above the 7% SaaS benchmark), and provided product teams and leadership with a reliable way to prioritize improvements and identify usability issues.

The final solution generated 15,213 responses in one quarter, achieving a 10% completion rate (42% above the 7% SaaS benchmark), and provided product teams and leadership with a reliable way to prioritize improvements and identify usability issues.

Role

Senior Product Designer

Senior Product Designer

Team

  • 1x Product Designer

  • 2x Product Manager

  • 2x Developers

  • 1x Content Designer

  • 1x Legal

timeline

1 quarter

Context
the problem

High visibility was driving the wrong kind of participation.

Workday didn’t have a direct way to hear from employees about their experience using the platform, which left product teams with limited visibility into usability issues and friction.

This survey was meant to collect product feedback, but the initial approach prioritized visibility over engagement, pushing toward a popup to maximize visibility.

This survey was meant to collect product feedback, but the initial approach prioritized visibility over engagement, pushing toward a popup to maximize visibility.

This survey was meant to collect product feedback, but the initial approach prioritized visibility over engagement, pushing toward a popup to maximize visibility.

That created a real problem. Workers open Workday to perform a specific task. Clock in. Submit work. Get something done quickly. A pop-up at login interrupts that moment, often leading to frustration and dismissal rather than participation.

The challenge wasn’t just getting the survey seen. It was making it possible to participate without getting in the way or lowering the quality of feedback.

The challenge wasn’t just getting the survey seen. It was making it possible to participate without getting in the way or lowering the quality of feedback.

The challenge wasn’t just getting the survey seen. It was making it possible to participate without getting in the way or lowering the quality of feedback.

Approach

Three approaches revealed the real issue was not visibility, but participation.

Three approaches revealed the real issue was not visibility, but participation.

Evaluating visibility versus disruption across survey entry points.

popup

Recommended direction prioritized visibility, but introduced high disruption and forced interaction.

Recommended direction prioritized visibility, but introduced high disruption and forced interaction.

in-feed

Low disruption, but easy to miss in a dense, high cognitive-load environment.

Banner

Balanced visibility with low disruption, allowing workers to participate without interrupting essential tasks.

the shift

We were optimizing for discoverability instead of participation.

When I joined, the team had already tested multiple approaches and was leaning toward a popup because of its high discoverability, with research reinforcing that direction.

But this was optimizing for the wrong outcome.

Are we designing for discoverability, or for meaningful participation?

Looking at how people actually use Workday, the gap became clear.

If someone is logging in to clock in or complete something quickly, a popup interrupts what they came to do.

That means it is likely to be dismissed immediately, adding friction while failing to collect useful feedback.

So I reframed the problem. Not how to maximize visibility, but how to let workers participate without getting in the way.

The Decision
The Decision

Choose visibility without forcing interaction.

Choose visibility without forcing interaction.

The Decision

I evaluated three options: in-feed, banner, and popup against one goal. Enable participation without interrupting essential tasks.

I chose the banner because it balanced visibility without forcing interaction. Unlike the popup, it didn’t block workers at login, and unlike in-feed, it remained visible without being lost in a dense homepage.

I chose the banner because it balanced visibility without forcing interaction. Unlike the popup, it didn’t block workers at login, and unlike in-feed, it remained visible without being lost in a dense homepage.

I chose the banner because it balanced visibility without forcing interaction. Unlike the popup, it didn’t block workers at login, and unlike in-feed, it remained visible without being lost in a dense homepage.

Final Solution
Final Solution

Workers can opt in or dismiss without blocking their task.

Workers can opt in or dismiss without blocking their task.

Third-party platform used for the survey.

Third-party platform used for the survey.

Working within constraints
Working within constraints

The banner solution had to work within multiple constraints. Legal required a disclaimer, and the banner could only be triggered immediately after login due to legacy system limitations.

The banner solution had to work within multiple constraints. Legal required a disclaimer, and the banner could only be triggered immediately after login due to legacy system limitations.

I explored whether the banner could appear after a worker completed their initial task, but that was not technically feasible.

I explored whether the banner could appear after a worker completed their initial task, but that was not technically feasible.

I used design system guidance to support a less disruptive approach, reinforcing that popups were not the right fit for this use case.

I used design system guidance to support a less disruptive approach, reinforcing that popups were not the right fit for this use case.

I worked within constraints rather than around them, making the interaction lightweight and dismissible so workers could complete what they logged in for.

I worked within constraints rather than around them, making the interaction lightweight and dismissible so workers could complete what they logged in for.

Working within constraints
Final Solution
Impact

More responses, without interrupting what workers came to do.

More responses, without interrupting what workers came to do.

Replacing the popup with a banner reduced disruption (36.4% to 12.5%) and annoyance (45% to 0%), allowing workers to respond when it made sense instead of dismissing a forced interaction.

Replacing the popup with a banner reduced disruption (36.4% to 12.5%) and annoyance (45% to 0%), allowing workers to respond when it made sense instead of dismissing a forced interaction.

In one quarter, the survey generated 15,213 responses, achieving a 10% completion rate (42% above the 7% SaaS benchmark).

In one quarter, the survey generated 15,213 responses, achieving a 10% completion rate (42% above the 7% SaaS benchmark).

In one quarter, the survey generated 15,213 responses, achieving a 10% completion rate (42% above the 7% SaaS benchmark).

It gave product teams and leadership a reliable signal to prioritize improvements and identify usability issues.

Learnings

Balancing data, constraints, and real-world behavior leads to better decisions.

What I learned

Introducing diverse viewpoints early builds trust with cross-functional partners.

How I grew

I strengthened my ability to balance business, legal, and worker needs when making decisions.

What changed

I shifted from being data-driven to data-informed, treating data as input rather than direction.

Reducing submission failures

Reducing submission failures