Onboarding application

A gamified web application for improving the onboarding process in the Hemofarm company.

INDUSTRY

Pharmaceutical

YEAR

2023

SERVICES

Consulting, UI/UX Design, Web Development

Overview and main idea

The onboarding process represents one of the biggest challenges and opportunity costs for most companies. STADA group, i.e. its daughter company in Serbia Hemofarm, which has 4,000 employees, recognized the need to improve its onboarding process for new employees. In order to assess the level of knowledge of new employees and enable more effective education, it was decided to develop an interactive onboarding game. This case study examines how the game was created, how it was developed and implemented, and how it improved the integration process of new employees.

Project goals

Reducing the costs of employee turnover with a clear onboarding process

According to forbes.com, employee turnover represents up to 30% of an employee's salary in the first year, which is a huge cost for companies. The main goal of this project is to reduce this cost to the greatest extent possible.

Introducing new employees to basic information about the company and increasing cultural fit

Presentation of the company, its mission, vision and, of course, its values, which are a very important part of the work itself. For every company, it is very important that the employees respect and share the company's values in the first place.

Reducing the time required to achieve full productivity of a new employee

By providing all necessary information to the new employee, the goal is to reduce the time needed for them to become completely independent and to be familiar with the processes in the company and the expectations of his superiors.

Creating a positive first impression for new hires

Creating a pleasant and informative experience for new employees, because the first impression in over 60% of cases can influence further work.

How we did it

The technologies we used are:

Figma

HTML5

CSS3

JavaScript

Laravel

Game development

Phase 1: Analysis and brainstorming

In the first phase, the team carefully listened to the client's requirements, exploring their specific needs, and gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by new hires. The current onboarding process was analyzed, and areas requiring improvement were identified to establish a solid foundation for developing the new onboarding game.
In this phase, the team also organized brainstorming sessions and internal and external meetings to generate the best ideas for the project. The goal was to offer not only an efficient solution but also an innovative experience for new employees. This creative phase contributed to defining key concepts and guidelines that would shape the game's further development.

Phase 2: Design

After thorough analysis and defining conceptual guidelines, the team entered the design phase. The designer was responsible for creating the game's visual identity. In this stage, a modern look for the game was crafted, with the designer creating all visual components of the game and the main avatar - a guide that would accompany new hires through the game. In addition to the visual aspect, the design team developed a Content Management System (CMS) to enable easy content management for the game. This was a crucial component that allowed updates and customization to fit Hemofarm's specific needs and company changes. During this phase, attention was paid to the company's visual identity and the project's compliance with it.

Phase 3: Presentation of the visual solution

After the visual proposals and the implementation of the solutions from the brainstorming sessions, we presented the proposal of the future application.

Phase 4: Development

Once the designer set the foundation, the team moved on to the game development phase. Frontend and backend developers worked together to create the game's functionalities. This phase required precision and expertise in implementing ideas from the analysis and design phases. At the very beginning of development, our team analyzed all functionalities and proposed technologies that will be used in further development. After confirming it with the client's IT department, we moved on to the actual development in accordance with the quality standards of our company.

Phase 5: Testing

After the development of the game was completed, our testing team, using the most modern tools, tested the game through all possible scenarios and the very concept of it. Testing and verification are very important to ensure the functionality and correctness of all game components. The team worked hard to ensure that the game was intuitive and fun for new hires, while allowing Hemofarm to effectively assess the knowledge level of its new team members during the onboarding process.

Phase 6: Game migration and commissioning

After successfully completed testing, our team made a plan to migrate the application to the selected servers and ensured that everything went smoothly.

Project in numbers

+121543

lines of code

team members

+4825

users

134

the average number of active users on a weekly basis

Game Features

The game includes a guide who accompanies each player through the onboarding process, providing guidance and information. One segment of the application is integrated with the company’s internal information system, and every part of the organization is covered with adequate information.
More than 54% of employees in the first month said that they do not have all the information they need to reach full productivity.

At the very beginning, each player creates his own guide that will help him in further onboarding.

The main part of the game is the quiz where the player answers a series of questions related to the function he will performed and the company’s values.
There are five departments within the company, and players can visit each department, meet employees, and learn something new. In each department, he is greeted by an avatar who guides him through the process.
After each department, players face a quiz where they have 30 seconds to answer a question correctly. A correct answer earns 100 points, with a 30-point bonus added if the player answers within the first 15 seconds. The game was created in a way to stimulate employees to achieve certain goals during the onboarding process for which they will be rewarded later.

Results

The development of the onboarding game for Hemofarm represents a successful project that has contributed to improving the integration process for new employees. The interactive game has allowed for a better understanding of the company, assessment of new employees’ knowledge, and increased engagement. First impressions of the work and results are better than expected. In the current year, new functionalities are planned that will contribute to the further development of the project.

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