Smart onboarding with human results case study

Designing an onboarding system that scales without losing the human focus

A human-centred approach that reduced admin complexity, saved over 2,000 hours each year, and supported 79 tailored user journeys

Service design–led work aligning UX strategy, data logic, and implementation
Data Logic
Design → code
Persona strategy
nda-Compliant
product designer and creative technologist
summary | full

At a glance

Streamlined HR onboarding with one personalised platform

Turned scattered onboarding tasks into one system that scales across teams and locations

  • 2,000+ HR hours a year freed from manual admin
  • Personalised journeys for different roles and regions
  • Role: product designer and creative technologist (journeys, UI, prototype build)
  • Tools: Figma, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Vimeo, Visual Studio Code, Firebase, WordPress

Scaling onboarding without losing the human touch

Role

Product designer and creative technologist (journeys, UI, prototype build)

Blended creative design with technical precision, using code and database logic to deliver a seamless user experience

Brief
  • Create a 4–5 min onboarding video page
  • Cover transfers, policies, relocation support
  • Needed a solution that was smart, relevant and sustainable
Problem
  • Relocation kick-offs drained hours and HR was swamped
  • Original plan = static, generic videos → outdated fast
  • Needed personalised, data-driven onboarding
  • Strict compliance meant: no authentication, custom solution only
Process
  • Research + prototyping uncovered critical complexity
  • Mapped 79 personas, stress-tested with stakeholders + GenAI
  • Blended shared + unique content, so each user only saw what mattered
  • Balanced performance with a truly personal experience
The number of relocations and introductory meetings was growing. Staff juggled diaries, repeated the same lines, and burned hours they didn’t really have. Multiply that by hundreds of users, and the small team was drowning
The challenge: scale onboarding without scaling workload

Path

Discover

Research and prototyping uncovered dozens of edge cases

Multiply

Personas exploded into 79 unique journeys, each with overlaps and quirks

Balance

The challenge: serve only what mattered, without overwhelming users or breaking the system

Build

Iterated toward a dual solution: a dead-simple admin panel + seamless personalised video app

Breakthrough

What looked unfixable boiled down to a tagging problem: how to match users to their story without logins. The “aha” was using URL parameters. With one admin panel to encode links, users landed on the right content instantly — no friction, no fuss, just personalisation that worked

"Ian was able to simplify complexity into workable solutions, making collaboration easy, which is exactly what allowed us to achieve such an impact."

Amy Montague Global Mobility Manager
Deliverables: service design to align UX flows with HR operations and internal tools
Smart personalisation

Targeted content delivered dynamically, shaped by user needs and context

Admin experience

HR team could spin up onboarding flows in seconds via internal panel

Seamless user flow

Personalised video journeys delivered via a consistent UX pattern

System tracking & insight

Embedded analytics revealed what worked, across people, content and timing

Results

Personalisation at scale, saving time and building trust

2,000+ HR hours saved

Automated onboarding → freed staff from repetitive admin

79 unique personas

Tailored journeys → faster, more personal onboarding experience

100% positive feedback

Employees rated the platform highly → smoother relocations, less friction

Need to scale without losing the personal touch?

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Learnings

Smart data and clear journeys weren’t just design and technical fixes: they reshaped the experience

Smart data

Clean data + code can make even complex needs feel simple and human

Flip approach

Next time, tag videos by persona for lighter maintenance

Resilience

System handled complex use cases smoothly, proving scalability

Stakeholder insight

Data revealed hidden opportunities

Tools

Figma
Premiere
After Effects
Vimeo
VS Code
Firebase
WordPress

Let’s build something

Send email
Email me
 Connect on LinkedIn
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