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The Problem
I received incredible support during my internship at FamilySearch. I had an excellent UX coach that walked me through everything and answered all my questions. However, I realized there needed to be a standardized onboarding experience tailored for UX interns.
The Solution
Develop a comprehensive intern onboarding program to increase the likelihood of transitioning future UX interns into permanent positions within the organization.
Introduction
During my time at US Synthetic, I had the privilege of collaborating with a leadership team deeply committed to the professional growth of their employees. Their unwavering commitment was evident in the developmental pathways I formulated with them, tailored for individuals aspiring to advance their careers within manufacturing, encompassing roles ranging from team member to manufacturing manager.
After starting my internship at FamilySearch, it became evident that there needed to be a standardized onboarding process. Motivated by a strong desire for clarity and progression, I sought to establish a structured pathway to transition from intern to full-time employee and provide a similar progression route to future interns.
Research
A typical internship at FamilySearch lasts four months. Therefore, I documented the initial four months of my internship in a FigJam file. I then conducted interviews with fellow interns and UX designers who began their careers as interns, aiming to identify potential deviations in experiences and receive feedback.
Collaboration
During the interview process, I connected with Rachel Goddard, a full-time designer who coincidentally began developing an onboarding experience around the same time. After receiving her feedback, Rachel graciously shared her progress on the onboarding initiative. Recognizing the potential for standardization, we collaborated to design a comprehensive onboarding solution tailored for new FamilySearch UX designers, encompassing interns and full-time employees. We migrated the intern onboarding experience onto a Confluence page, as it aligns with the location of our organizational documentation.
Usability Testing
Fortunately, my internship was extended twice, and I had the opportunity to conduct usability testing sessions with the incoming interns. Through this process, I garnered a diverse range of feedback, enabling me to implement significant enhancements to the documentation. Among these improvements is a systematic guide detailing how to log time in JIRA and how to fill out time sheets.
Conclusion
After presenting the onboarding experience to the UX department manager, I successfully obtained approval for its implementation across FamilySearch.
This experience ignited a newfound passion to cultivate the UX community by sharing insights acquired from my ongoing journey in UX. Through my new podcast, Simply UX, I aim to inspire and empower the next generation of designers.
Key Takeaways
Vocalize your interest in creating an onboarding experience with others and conduct interviews from the start.
Select a suitable standardized medium for content distribution.
Ensure to document the organizational processes comprehensively.
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