Product Experience
Problem Space
Problem Statement
How might we simplify and streamline the compensation negotiation process for employees to enhance their work satisfaction and ensure they receive the compensation they deserve.
Problem Background
Employees are seeking higher compensation and greater work-life balance. They want an employer who is transparent and sees their value and contribution and path to growth. Employers are facing rising cost in budgets for salary while trying to maintain top talent and stay competitive.
Research Insights
User Pain Points:
- Lack of Clarity on Market Value and Potential Underpayment: Employees feel their current compensation doesn't reflect their value, leading to uncertainty about fair pay.
- Difficulty in Framing Accomplishments and Strategic Negotiations: Employees struggle to articulate achievements, lacking a strategic approach to negotiations.
- Uncertainty about Qualifications, Responsibilities, and Expected Salary for Higher Roles: Employees face ambiguity regarding qualifications, responsibilities, and expected salaries for desired higher-paying roles.
- Lack of Confidence and Guidance in Negotiating Salary: Employees express a lack of confidence and guidance when negotiating salary, contributing to missed opportunities.
Supporting Data and Feedback:
- Survey results indicate 100% of employees believe their current compensation plan doesn't reflect their value.
- A Salary.com survey highlights that 44% of respondents never bring up the subject of a raise during performance reviews.
- 80% of surveyed employees admit they lack a clear understanding of how to negotiate compensation.
- Employee interviews emphasize the need for confidence and guidance in negotiation processes.
Expanding the Problem Space:
- Budget Constraints and Salary Expectations for Employers: Employers risk losing talent if compensation isn't handled correctly, with budgets projected to increase by 4.6% in 2023.
- Lack of Transparent Compensation Structures: Employers face challenges in having transparent conversations about pay decisions, crucial due to emerging pay transparency laws.
- Negotiation Skill Variability Among Managers: Opportunities for growth are linked to job satisfaction, emphasizing the importance of negotiation skills among managers.
Additional Market Considerations:
- Work-life balance is a crucial factor for 51% of employees worldwide, indicating broader considerations beyond monetary compensation.
- Legislation requiring salary disclosure in job postings is increasing, putting pressure on companies to have equal practices across states.
Feedback from Respondents:
- One respondent highlights the avoidance of compensation discussions by managers, emphasizing the need for value recognition and competitiveness.
Conclusion:
Employees seek higher compensation, transparent workplaces recognizing contributions and providing growth paths. Employers navigate rising budget costs, talent retention challenges, and a competitive landscape. The solution must align employee values with fair compensation practices.
Landing on the Solution
Through comprehensive surveys, interviews, and market analysis, it became evident that employees face challenges in articulating their value and negotiating compensation, while employers grapple with talent retention, budget constraints, and transparency issues, leading to the development of Onpointly, a solution designed to empower both parties through gamification, transparent budget displays, and additional perks, fostering fair and satisfying compensation negotiations.
Features List
- Accomplishments Tracker:
- Allows employees and employers to monitor task completion, meeting deadlines, and taking on additional responsibilities.
- Generates success reports with detailed insights, such as the percentage of tasks met before deadlines.
- Gamification and Rewards:
- Associates a gamification element with each accomplishment to incentivize employees.
- Employees collect points redeemable for rewards like additional time off, in-office lunches, gift cards, job shadowing sessions, and bonuses.
- Transparent Budget and Wage Comparison:
- Enables managers to transparently display budget constraints for salary, showcasing financial limitations.
- Compares employee wages within the company, indicates the next role's wage, and outlines the necessary skills for career advancement.
- Manager Perks:
- Empowers managers to offer additional perks to recognize and motivate employees beyond financial compensation.
Future Steps
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Sierra Scott
Through this process I had to iterate and rework the problem space to give a more holistic solution.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.