Increasing productivity for over 280,000 IBMers
This work prioritized creating a consistent, user-friendly foundation that would enhance productivity and usability for over 280,000 IBMers worldwide. The project’s success was recognized with the Nielsen Norman Best Intranet Award, underscoring its impact and value to the organization.
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What this project highlights
This case study highlights the importance of Platform Thinking—the ability to understand the context of individual applications, their features, and how they can integrate into a cohesive system. By weaving together distinct tools without compromising their functionality, I created a unified platform that eliminated silos and fostered collaborative product teams.
Silos and inconsistency that disrupt productivity
IBM’s intranet was disjointed, with inconsistent experiences, disconnected features, and inefficient navigation that frustrated users and hindered both discoverability and task completion.
Inconsistency
Each platform had unique aesthetics, components, and UI patterns, leading to confusion and fragmented experiences.
Difficult Navigation
Users struggled to locate information and switch between interfaces, reducing productivity and increasing frustration.
Siloed Features
Key functionalities like search, people lookup, IT support, and notifications were disconnected, creating a fragmented workflow.
Resistance to Unification
Previous attempts to unify the intranet failed due to political complexity, stakeholder resistance, and technical challenges.
Approach to designing a unified intranet
Through prototyping, consistent design patterns, and intuitive navigation, I created a unified intranet that preserved essential functionality while aligning diverse teams. By fostering collaboration and upskilling designers, we delivered a seamless platform that transformed the user experience and strengthened team integration
Prototyping for Buy-In
Created a compelling prototype showcasing the benefits of the unified platform. This prototype was road-showed to stakeholders and executives, securing alignment and approval.
Leveraging the w3 Design System
Ensured consistent design patterns, components, and navigation across all integrated platforms, reducing inefficiencies and enhancing usability.
Streamlining Navigation
Designed an intuitive navigation system that logically organized applications and resources, making it easier for users to find what they need.
Maintaining Functionality
Preserved essential features during the unification process, ensuring no critical tools or resources were lost in the transition.
Native Mobile App
Designed and developed a mobile counterpart to the w3 platform, enabling employees to access critical intranet features anytime, even while offline.
Collaborating, upskilling, and supporting teams
Aligning the Vision
Partnered with executives, stakeholders, and product owners to establish a shared vision, roadmap, and strategy to take the work from concept to production.
Building the Team
Created the staffing plan that would be required to deliver, support, and maintain the product design for a fully unified intranet experience.
Training & Support
Developed guidance and training workshops for project workflows and implementing the w3 Design System to a team of 13 designers and over 30 developers.
Leading Design
Owned the initial concepts and design direction for every section of the unified experience including the homepage, search, people directory, IT support, news, and apps.
Measurable success across the ecosystem
The unified platform transformed IBM’s intranet into a streamlined, intuitive experience that improved usability, engagement, and collaboration. Recognized with the Nielsen Norman Best Intranet Award, the project set a new standard for product design within the CIO.
NPS (Net Promoter Score) after one year of implementing the unified intranet.
Average daily searches that take place on w3 every day.
Percentage of users able to complete key tasks, such as finding contact information or app launch links (from survey).
Impact on the CIO organization
Reduced Design & Developer Support
Standardized workflows and aligned projects reduced the resources needed to maintain intranet sections, freeing designers and developers to focus on higher-value work.
Team Morale & Collaboration
Cross-team collaboration broke down silos, fostering stronger connections and a thriving, unified community across disciplines.
Enhanced Opportunity for Strong Integration
Unified systems enabled seamless connections between apps, devices, and preferences, allowing teams to build smarter, more connected experiences.
Reliable Metrics & User Behavior
This work allows the CIO to look at user behavior and metrics under a single umbrella in order to get the full picture of how employees use the IBM intranet to enhance their productivity.
A Foundation for Evovling
The unified ecosystem established a scalable foundation ready to adapt to new technologies like AI, ensuring IBM’s intranet evolves with future needs.
Reflecting on the work
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work on such an expansive and impactful initiative. This project allowed me to build meaningful connections and a strong professional network while contributing to a transformative effort that reshaped IBM’s intranet experience.
Advocating for Design Systems
This project reinforced the importance of design systems in creating scalable, consistent solutions and taught me how to secure stakeholder buy-in effectively.
Building Strategic Partnerships
Identifying and collaborating with forward-thinking stakeholders across roles was critical to driving the success of such a large-scale initiative.
Leading Cross-Functional Teams
Managing multiple design teams required clear communication, actionable feedback, and collaboration, skills I honed throughout the project.