The Nature Conservancy
Summer 2023 Internship • UX Research and Management
Project Overview
The Knowledge Bank of The Nature Conservancy delivers accessible operational knowledge to diverse and globally disbursed staff in order to facilitate a consistent understanding of business processes for them to perform their jobs. I focused on improving this system and helped design and innovate the framework and content delivery.
Summer 2023 • 12 weeks
My Contributions
I was responsible for creating, maintaining, iterating, and enhancing interface patterns for the platform, which facilitated equitable access to operational knowledge across the organization. Additionally, I conducted comprehensive user research studies that led to improved service processes, streamlined communication flow, and a significant reduction in paperwork among multiple departments.
Knowledge
Sharing
Knowledge
Capture
Knowledge
Discovery
Knowledge
Application
Knowledge
Documentation
Why is Knowledge Management important?
Project in a Nutshell
Problem Statement:
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To ensure that diverse and globally distributed staff at The Nature Conservancy have easy access to operational knowledge, promoting a unified understanding of business processes that are essential for job performance.
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Knowledge management gives teams access to the information and resources they need to do their jobs effectively. It also helps businesses retain that knowledge for future use, which promotes efficiency, a better working experience and less repetitive work.
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Knowledge Bank components at The Nature Conservancy
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Information all staff should know
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Processes | tasks for how to correctly perform work
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Definitions to organization terms/phrases
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Help/How-to information
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Outcomes and lessons learned from projects
How much time does an average worker spend searching for information every day?
Solution:
Through efficient data organization, knowledge-sharing platforms, and best practices documentation, we made it easier for staff to access and share relevant information, resulting in $17,000 cost savings and a 12% lower environmental footprint.
Outcomes
Since my work is under NDA, I cannot publicly share the solutions I designed. Please contact me for further information :)
Impact
When I joined the team there was a ton of ambiguity around the project. They were just starting out. Through my prototypes and various stakeholder interviews, I was able to align the vision of the Philanthropy Effectiveness team by bringing in the staff perspectives to the Knowledge Management project.
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Revitalized Knowledge Management, fostering global collaboration.
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Redesigned processes, cutting down paperwork by 60%.
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Enhanced team efficiency with Microsoft SharePoint training.
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Led data analysis: 35% user engagement boost, $17,000 savings, 12% lower footprint.
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Aligned the project with the Conservancy’s 2030 environmental goals.
Project Timeline
June
Initial
Research
July
August
Finalized
Solution 1
User
Testing
Prototyping and Iterations
Finalized Solution 2
Handoff
Initial Research
I spent the first couple of weeks of the project reading through various documents handled by the Philanthropy Effectiveness team and also looking into existing Knowledge Management solutions. I also revamped the existing TNC glossary, used by the staff globally.
Finalized Solution 1
Along with the team, we ideated concepts that would be beneficial to most staff. We selected the concept that would solve most of our assumptions and also aligned with the Conservancy's 2030 goals.
User Testing
I took the lead on user testing and stakeholder interviews. I conducted multiple rounds of interviews with staff from different divisions, and eventually figured out what was not working with Solution 1.
Since many staff members were senior, we intentionally decided to conduct the user testing after presenting Solution 1, allowing them to react to a tangible product.
Prototyping and Iterations
Rounds of iterations were conducted, aligning with our original problem statement and goals. Additionally, some prototypes were simultaneously subjected to repeated user testing.
Finalized Solution 2
Handoff
As my internship came to a close, I took care to record my design choices to facilitate a smooth handover process. I provided the developers with a comprehensive specifications document outlining the features, and for the designers, I documented my decisions through user flow diagrams.
What I learned
Navigating my first Knowledge Management Project
In this context, it was my first time working on a Knowledge Management Project. There was a lot to learn before I could dive into the work. I quickly realized that having conversations with various team members about the project and its significance for them made the process much smoother.
Experimentation
Given the innovative nature of this concept, the most effective approach to gain insights was to observe users interacting with the environment in real-time.
Different Audiences
I was designing solutions intended for use by a global staff, and each team had distinct priorities and desired outcomes. To gather valuable feedback, I had to customize the presentation of my design decisions to align with each team's specific interests.
