Preliminary research interviews

[bnaolu]

Asking about what their onboarding process was like for inspo on how it can be improved.

• [x] Nina
• [x] Sofya
• [ ] Tia?
• [ ] Amanda?
• [ ] Bri?

[bnaolu]

Nina - onboarding experience

1. Tell us about your onboarding experience at Bixal. Was it a defined process? What went well? What could have been improved?

• HHS put together a miro board guide that had her start on
• Had a "checklist" and checked off stickies when completed
• "Miro isnt my favorite tool, because it's hard to not know where everything is"/ hard to track
• Very roubust process
• HCD traits different from Bixal traits = having more HCD-specific insights would be great
• "I actually have not done this at all...It's a nice concept, but I just haven't found Miro to be a tool I'd use...I'll probably do this in Notion."
• "More recall vs. recognition of finding information"
• Kanban thing is pretty cool. This would've been up my ally based on how my brain maps things.
• Shown interest in Figma/FigJam
• I would imagine my ideal onboarding process would like some sort of internet portal ("would be my sweet spot") with checklist "almost like a wizard"
  • bixal
  • project-specific
  • security
  • onboarding Bixal activities > prioritize project specfic stuff
• One of my anxieties especially starting remotely, is "what am i supposed to be doing? am i doing the right thing? I want to be as proactive as I can."
• Having someone who is a "work best friend" would be super helpful and valuable. Having those hard questions, having someone who knows how to answer would be great.
• Miro board was overwhelming, hard to find what i had done or haven't done. Diagnosed with ADD and hard to keep track with the revolving priority. Vertical list helps reduce cognitive load.
• Previosly came from healthcare/government sector so has knowledge in the cohort now. Previous job was also going through a reorg so onboarding process was also a little odd.

2. What were your first couple of weeks like as you started to settle into your new role?

3. Think about a time you needed help with or clarity on something. Did you feel like you had the support you needed? Do you feel like you can easily find the resources you need when you need help?

4. Do you have any advice or ideas to pass along for new hires?

• 1:1's - there's some sort of automation tool in Outlook to book a time for a new hire
• Portraying culture - provide more insight into being yourself, no shame here!
• How can we get transparency to what other teams are working on? How to reduce the work we do twice?

Sofya - onboarding process

1. Is there a defined onboarding process for the HCD team? What is it like? (If there was one previously in place before the big reorg, what was that like?)?
   • Russell F., Bri, and Sofya wanted to begin something so started brainstorming from their own experience..
   • How do "big people" do it? Places like Deloitte, contractor companies, etc. are pretty mature in this process.
     • had a Trello board with a list of tasks, manager can check progress and gauge the experience, feedback was asked at the end
     • Kanban on miro was another iteration after Nina; didn't want to spin up something new to keep making people go out of the board.
     • Really likes the idea of having a "buddy".
     • self-starter vibes?
     • automated meetings
   • Onboarding starts even before actual onboarding...it really starts when you meet someone for the first time.
   • New hires during AllHands is really rushed...maybe something on this end we can think about?
   • Check out the About us on the bixal website or Linkedin
   • Video or bio that each current designer should fill out: what do you want them to know within a minute?
     • needs to update bios in Microsoft Teams...project needs to update, titles need to update, etc. but employees can't change this....how can we have a place that is up to date?
   • Product onboarding...hmmm how do we do this? Completely different from new hire onboarding
2. Think of the last time you helped onboard a new team member. Who was involved? What was that process like? Do you plan for the week, first few weeks, or take it day-by-day?
   • Team managers usually involved. Doesn't know how long it would take and informed Nina to take it at her own pace. Informed her that they would communicate and do meetings around the board. Took about 2-3 weeks for onboarding on the project and everything at bixal.
3. What methods have you found to be most successful in onboarding new hires?
4. How do you inform your team and clients of a new team member joining a project?
   • Knowledge transfer is usually within the cohort, but there is a gap between the specified roles (ux research to ux researcher, etc.)
   • Ops usually in broader Design Syncs or maybe later on the CoP...but dangers of constant meetings.
5. Do team members usually have some knowledge about work in the public sector? What resources would you recommend for someone that is new to working in the government space?