Capability search experience

Method is a UX design and software development consultancy. As the company grew and more employees shifted to remote work, it began to see a decline in overall engagement levels.

To tackle this challenge, we leaned on the Double Diamond process as our foundation. By moving through discovery, definition, development, and delivery, we made sure we weren’t just designing a solution but solving the right problem from the start.

We kicked things off with a five-day Google Design Sprint. It is a focused process that includes mapping, sketching, designing, prototyping, and testing. While I documented each day in detail on my blog, I’ll highlight the key takeaways and discoveries here.

On the first day of the Design Sprint, we conducted 7 user interviews and gathered over 30 survey responses. Using these insights, we created an empathy map and an affinity map to better understand the key challenges and patterns emerging among Method employees.

At this stage of the process, our goal was to generate as many ideas as possible before narrowing them down to the most practical and innovative ones. We started by developing a set of “How Might We” (HMW) questions, then each of us sketched out a wide range of rough concepts—focusing on quantity over perfection.

To spark creativity, we used methods like HMWs, The Worst Idea Ever, Crazy 8’s, and Adjacent Possible.

On day 3, we focused on narrowing down our ideas to one clear direction. As a team, we reviewed and discussed each concept, offering feedback on their potential impact and alignment with product goals. This critique helped us refine key ideas (even the rough ones) and shape them into something more concrete. By the end of the day, we had a defined design direction and a set of prioritized hypotheses to guide the next day’s prototype.

On day 4, we came up with a storyboard as the prototype for our initial problem solution.

The concept: Using the database, Methodites can search for the employees that share the same interests (pets, TV shows, nature) or topics they are interested in learning about (ex. python, illustrations, etc.) and reach out to them to establish new connections. When they click Connect, the automated message populates in Slack. It can be modified for a personal touch. After meeting someone new, you have an option to exchange the cards and add them to your collection.

To test our concept, we scheduled six user interviews. Before diving into the first call, we prepared a deck of both quantitative and open-ended questions to guide the sessions. On Day 4, we also created a storyboard that served as our prototype for solving the initial problem.

Some of the key questions we asked included:
- How likely are you to use this on a scale of (1–5)?
- What are your initial thoughts on this concept?
- In what scenarios do you imagine yourself using this product?
- Rank the effectiveness of which you think this product would help you engage with others on a scale of 1–5.

After the Design Sprint, we conducted a second round of user interviews to challenge our assumptions and gain deeper insights.

As you can see, the entire prototype can be broken down into four different pieces:
1. Creating cards.
2. Searching for interests and skills.
3. One-on-one conversations.
4. Collecting.

From the feedback, we saw strong positive sentiment around the search and conversation features—users found them especially valuable. One key content insight also stood out: most Methodites were equally interested in both personal and professional information. This helped guide our next steps with more clarity and confidence.

In the days following the sprint, we met with the Director of Services Operations at Method, who was leading the Capabilities initiative: an effort aimed at mapping professional skills to talent and project opportunities. One of the core problem statements they were exploring was: "How do we support the individual identity of Methodites by finding ways to leverage their unique talents and interests at work?"

‍Since our original goal was to increase engagement across the company, we saw a clear alignment between our work and the goals of this initiative. It felt like a natural next step to contribute and become part of the broader Capabilities effort.

For this project we decided to focus on 2 user personas.

The first one is Methodite, an employee of Method who wants to learn more about co-workers, their capabilities and  experience.

The second user persona is the sales team representative. The sales team wants to find and build a team best suited for a specific project. The main pain point is that there are a lot of employees and it is hard to track everyone's' strengths and experience. Also, they need a tool to showcase the teams' capabilities if stakeholders want to know more about the team working on their project.

After completing the research phase, our team shifted focus to the visual design aspect.

Since this project is associated with an established brand, it was vital to integrate Method's color scheme. To guarantee that the design harmonizes with the brand's aesthetics, I assembled a mood board that highlights essential elements.

The primary design concept involved developing a conventional search tool for the web platform, given that it is the primary tool utilized by Method employees during work hours and laptops are the main devices used.

After completing my residency at Method, I revisited the project with a fresh perspective. While the original user feedback was positive, I saw room to further refine the visual design and overall experience. Anticipating that the platform would continue to evolve with new features, I took the initiative to create a more versatile platform that would facilitate seamless integration of future enhancements while retaining the core search engine concept.