Career Navigator: an internal mobility tool that helps employees explore and pursue internal role changes
Summary
High employee turnover rates disrupt productivity and increase recruitment costs. Career growth opportunities are a key reason why employees stay with an organization, second only to salary. However, only 33% of employees seeking new roles will look internally first. Why?
As a Senior Product Designer at Beamery, a leading UK-based HR tech company specialising in advanced talent management solutions for Fortune 500 companies, I aimed to address this issue. I led the design of Career Navigator from initial research through to implementation. This tool improves retention and workforce agility by facilitating internal role exploration.
Company: Beamery
Sector: HR Technology, B2B SaaS Platform
Role: User research, product + content design
Timeline: June – November, 2023
Empathise and Define
My Role: I designed a mixed-methods research study to investigate why so few employees pursue internal roles. This involved personally interviewing three Chief People Officers and 20 employees to gather real-world insights. I supplemented these qualitative findings with secondary research to quantify and validate emerging patterns and themes.
Impact: I synthesized and translated the research into actionable insights and design artifacts. These were instrumental in communicating user needs and helped the Product and Design teams co-define the project scope, deliverables, and timeline.
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Challenge: Gathering authentic insights was difficult because direct access to employees was restricted by employers.
How I Overcame It: In B2B software design, gaining direct access to end-users can be challenging. To gather authentic insights, I recruited 20 recently-hired Beamery employees to serve as an internal testing pool. These employees shared their recent mobility experiences and pain points from previous employers, providing valuable feedback without fear of retaliation.
Brainstorm and Ideate
My Role: I conducted a UX audit of Beamery Grow, led a competitive analysis, and facilitated brainstorming sessions. Using these insights and my research findings, I created and refined several low-to-medium fidelity designs to gather organisation-wide feedback.
Impact: Cross-functional brainstorming sessions ensured that Data, Engineering, and Sales leads had visibility into the project. We identified ways to improve UX debt, repurpose existing functionality, and delegated tasks in preparation for the final designs. This process ensured that we moved forward with alignment and clarity.
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Context: Businesses seek accurate data on employee satisfaction and aspirations to prevent turnover, yet many have historically failed to provide safe and transparent spaces for these conversations.
My Approach: I advocated for an employee-first, self-service experience that prioritised employee growth and privacy. This approach aimed to build trust in the product, improving overall engagement and data quality. Employees could choose to share specific information with trusted managers and mentors, while businesses received high-level skills and departmental data to inform recruitment and workforce strategies. This balance ensured that employees felt secure and supported, while businesses gained valuable insights without compromising employee privacy.
Prototype and Validate
My Role: After several iterations, we developed a final clickable prototype named Career Navigator. Understanding that career paths are unique and non-linear, I designed a flexible user interface inspired by the multi-directionality of a compass. In this phase, I concentrated on refining interaction design, content design, and accessibility, while collaborating closely with engineering to ensure that our innovative ideas were practical and feasible.
Impact: The refined prototype played a key role in sales demonstrations, significantly contributing to securing new contracts and renewing several existing ones.
Impact and results
The final compass-inspired prototype was showcased in product demonstrations by Sales teams, securing several lucrative client contracts and solidifying Beamery’s position as a leader in internal mobility and career development solutions. Additionally, the design helped visualise a new product direction for Beamery Grow, earning positive feedback and approval from senior leadership.