Starbucks Partner App

Over the course of 3 research sessions, we sought to identify the partner needs that we could rapidly address within the scope of the WorkJam features.

We followed an iterative process as we sought to achieve our research objective: build, discuss, revise. Before each session we would build out an idea using user flows, narrative stories, or prototypes to present for discussion with the partners participating in the research. Following each session we would revise our ideas and direction to account for the partner feedback and input. We repeated this process over and over until we achieved our research goal.

Objectives:

• Introduce the Partner App
• Answer Questions
• Explore basic use cases

Session #1 Feedback:

• Respect work-life balance: app must remain optional (“time worked” = “time payed”)
• Partners appreciated the knowledge center
• Partners are interested in the shift management tool
• Partners liked the communication feature

Objective:

As we moved into the prep phase for our second research session, we decided to build out a new hire workflow to highlight aspects of the partner app for feedback. For the next two sessions, I led the design and research initiatives.

New Hire Workflow:

After building out the new hire workflow, we presented it to our partners and used it as a jumping off point for discussion. We were looking to identify aspects of the workflow which resonated with the partners.

Badge Activity:

We also guided the partners through an activity focused on the badge feature. We asked them to tell us how they thought the badge feature should work in the app.

Badge Activity Summary:

• Reward badges for required and optional trainings (e.g., Barista First 30, Coffee Master)
• Reward badges for tenure, customer connection, etc.
• Badge display case (on app)
• Redeem digital badges for real-world rewards (e.g., pins, aprons, PTO, charity donation, etc.)

Session #2 Feedback:

• Positive energy around badge feature
• Respect work-life balance: app must remain optional (“time worked” = “time payed”)
• Partners thought the set-up process involved too many steps

Objective:

As we prepared for the final research session, we identified two main objectives to focus on:

• To refine & build out a prototype for the new hire workflow
• To create 3 distinct directions for the badge feature

Obj. 1: New Hire Prototype

Up until this point we had been relying on narrative and images to communicate our ideas and workflows. Going into session 3 we wanted to dive deeper into the UI/UX design of the app. Considering this, I created an interactive prototype mocked up in Figma. We used this as our jumping off point for discussion during session 3.

Obj. 2: Badge Directions

After reviewing the feedback from the badge activity in session 2, we converged on three main directions to take the feature in.

• Using badges to award the completion of training, tenure, community service, etc.
• Using badges to promote competitions/challenges (e.g., sustainability month)
• Using badges to support practice games and quizzes (register, bar, etc.)

Session #3 Feedback:

• Badge direction 1 (original) was clear winner, but more nuanced than originally thought
• Negative sentiment around word “tasks”
• Positive energy around benefits enrollment task
• Partner liked the task addressing first day anxieties
• Respect work-life balance: app must remain optional (“time worked” = “time payed”)

Key Findings:

• Move forward with badges, but do not implement a leaderboard. Use the badge feature to allow partners to reflect on their accomplishments.
• Build out curated experiences (using the WorkJam task feature) to address first day anxieties and to learn more about Starbucks
• Avoid the work “tasks” in the front-end design of the app