Problem Statement
Problem Statement
The Learning Experience at Best Buy was dictated, not encouraged. Employees felt they had a drill sergeant watching over them, and if they missed required learning, they would lose their jobs. Which they would. Learning had a stigma at Best Buy, and it prevented our employees from feeling empowered to grow.
The Learning Experience at Best Buy was dictated, not encouraged. Employees felt they had a drill sergeant watching over them, and if they missed required learning, they would lose their jobs. Which they would. Learning had a stigma at Best Buy, and it prevented our employees from feeling empowered to grow.
My role: UX Design Manager
My role: UX Design Manager
Objectives
Engage the entire team, including VP-level partners, to reevaluate our approach to Learning at Best Buy.
Engage the entire team, including VP-level partners, to reevaluate our approach to Learning at Best Buy.
I delivered a presentation to our team to gain their support for the work we aim to accomplish in the coming years. My goal was to demonstrate the value of shifting our focus and to encourage them to think differently.
Objectives
Engage the entire team, including VP-level partners, to reevaluate our approach to Learning at Best Buy.
I delivered a presentation to our team to gain their support for the work we aim to accomplish in the coming years. My goal was to demonstrate the value of shifting our focus and to encourage them to think differently.
Association for Talent Development
Association for Talent Development
A culture of learning, or learning culture, is one in which employees continuously seek, share, and apply new knowledge and skills to improve individual and organizational performance. The importance of the pursuit and application of learning is expressed in organizational values and permeates all aspects of organizational life.
A culture of learning, or learning culture, is one in which employees continuously seek, share, and apply new knowledge and skills to improve individual and organizational performance. The importance of the pursuit and application of learning is expressed in organizational values and permeates all aspects of organizational life.
A culture of learning, or learning culture, is one in which employees continuously seek, share, and apply new knowledge and skills to improve individual and organizational performance. The importance of the pursuit and application of learning is expressed in organizational values and permeates all aspects of organizational life.
Top companies are almost 5x more likely than lower performers to have extensive learning cultures.
Top companies are almost 5x more likely than lower performers to have extensive learning cultures.
High performers are nearly 2x more apt to say their learning functions help meet organizational business goals.
High performers are nearly 2x more apt to say their learning functions help meet organizational business goals.
What does it look like?
What does it look like?
Feedback from our users
Feedback from our users
``Having multiple logins is so hard``
``Having multiple logins is so hard``
``Having multiple logins is so hard``
“With everything going on there is too much noise”
“With everything going on there is too much noise”
“With everything going on there is too much noise”
“I feel like I am playing catchup on information”
“I feel like I am playing catchup on information”
“I feel like I am playing catchup on information”
“I have to leave my phone in my car”
“I have to leave my phone in my car”
“I have to leave my phone in my car”
“I want to learn but I don’t know where to start”
“I want to learn but I don’t know where to start”
“I want to learn but I don’t know where to start”
“Sometimes the learning space at Best Buy can feel like a game of Plinko”
“Sometimes the learning space at Best Buy can feel like a game of Plinko”
“Sometimes the learning space at Best Buy can feel like a game of Plinko”
You start with good intentions of wanting to learn with a goal in mind. But as you start to navigate the system, at random, you get somewhere and don’t know what is going on.
You start with good intentions of wanting to learn with a goal in mind. But as you start to navigate the system, at random, you get somewhere and don’t know what is going on.
You start with good intentions of wanting to learn with a goal in mind. But as you start to navigate the system, at random, you get somewhere and don’t know what is going on.
What we have is good
Over the process of building learning resources at Best Buy a lot of great decisions have been made and there is a lot of great content out there. The content is impressive.
What we have is good
Over the process of building learning resources at Best Buy a lot of great decisions have been made and there is a lot of great content out there. The content is impressive.
What if learning
looked different?
What if learning
looked different?
Results
Results
As a result of giving this presentation, and showing a vision for what our Learning space could look like at Best Buy, we collectively had a new north star.
As a result of giving this presentation, and showing a vision for what our Learning space could look like at Best Buy, we collectively had a new north star.
Our goals were to now focus on making the Learning space more exciting and vibrant. Sure, we still have to allow our employees to stay compliant in their jobs. But, by shifting our focus, we are unlocking new potential for our users.
Our goals were to now focus on making the Learning space more exciting and vibrant. Sure, we still have to allow our employees to stay compliant in their jobs. But, by shifting our focus, we are unlocking new potential for our users.
Some of the cool changes that took place after this presentation:
Some of the cool changes that took place after this presentation:
Changed rules that have always existed in favor of new human-centered ones
Changed rules that have always existed in favor of new human-centered ones
When we started this employees were expected to do hundreds of hours of learning to keep up with their jobs. If they did not do all of it they were uncompliant in their role. If they let it laps too long they would lose their job. We pushed hard, using our new mindset, to get them to see this as a problem. We successfully got them to change that rule. Employees still had to do the learning, but, they no longer can lose their jobs. Which is a huge win in our books.
When we started this employees were expected to do hundreds of hours of learning to keep up with their jobs. If they did not do all of it they were uncompliant in their role. If they let it laps too long they would lose their job. We pushed hard, using our new mindset, to get them to see this as a problem. We successfully got them to change that rule. Employees still had to do the learning, but, they no longer can lose their jobs. Which is a huge win in our books.
Made everything a single, cohesive experience
Made everything a single, cohesive experience
The work we did in the Learning space exclusively lived in our CMS tool. We started to actively move a lot of the things that employees use on a daily basis and brought it right to where our employees work: in the Best Buy Connect App.
The work we did in the Learning space exclusively lived in our CMS tool. We started to actively move a lot of the things that employees use on a daily basis and brought it right to where our employees work: in the Best Buy Connect App.
Brought in all the perks that Best Buy offers, instead of having to search for them every single time. One simple location.
Brought in all the perks that Best Buy offers, instead of having to search for them every single time. One simple location.
All of the learning we need you to do are in a simple list that we show. We also notify them, through push notification, when new items are added. They never miss a thing anymore.
All of the learning we need you to do are in a simple list that we show. We also notify them, through push notification, when new items are added. They never miss a thing anymore.
We organize your learning based on your job. Before it was one long list. We learned that retail employees think of everything by what job they are working.
We organize your learning based on your job. Before it was one long list. We learned that retail employees think of everything by what job they are working.