Felena Chau

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Resume

About me

KudosON

KudosON is a digital platform exclusive to Ontario Public Service (OPS) employees, designed to support staff appreciation. The platform functions as an internal message board where employees can share positive messages to celebrate colleagues and their work.

 

Due to the NDA, I cannot disclose details about the research compiled during this project, but please feel free to contact me (felenazchau@gmail.com) for the general internship experience!

Role: UX/UI Designer, Researcher, Video editor

Tools: Figma, Miro, Adobe Premiere Pro

Timeline: 4 months (May 2024 - September 2024)

video demo

KudosON Walkthrough

Short video walkthrough demonstrating key interactions and usage of the KudosON app.

Problem Space

The shift to remote and hybrid work disrupted traditional staff recognition within the OPS. With the discontinuation of the annual Amethyst Awards, an annual in-person ceremony, there was no longer a formal, shared way to celebrate employee contributions. A new solution was needed to support recognition, motivation, and a sense of belonging across distributed the OPS.

 

All designs adhere to the Ontario Design System to ensure consistency, accessibility, and alignment with government standards.

Vision

Benefits

  • Easily recognize colleagues across OPS
  • Accessible to all OPS employees
  • Secure internal platform
  • Simple, user-friendly experience
  • Cost-effective and scalable
  • Mobile-friendly
  • Supports inclusive recognition
  • Uses ImageON’s royalty-free media library

VALUE

  • Enables one-to-many kudos sharing
  • Formalizes peer recognition across OPS
  • Strengthens organizational culture
  • Improves employee morale and satisfaction
  • Removes discomfort around expressing appreciation
  • Provides visibility into recognition activity

LIMITATIONS

  • Not integrated with external platforms
  • Varying MERN stack familiarity across teams

Project Timeline

May 2023 - Jul 2023

usability testing

Usability findings were synthesized into actionable design improvements and shared with developers.

Oct 2023 - Jun 2024

Beta testing

15 pilots users were recruited and provided feedback to identify usability issues and improvement opportunities.

Jun 2024 - Present

Production

Successfully pushed into production. Further refinements continue to be implemented for continuous improvement.

Methodology and User Research

Due to NDA restrictions, specific research details from this project cannot be disclosed. The following provides a high-level overview of the scope and nature of the research conducted.

Screener surveys

Received 16 responses, with 8 participants selected for research sessions.

Diversity

Participants represented a range of ministries, roles, and levels of familiarity with workplace appreciation practices.

Usability Testing

Total of 8 participants navigated a high-fidelity prototype of the KudosON app. Feedback was collected and translated into actionable design improvements.

Interviews

Participants responded to six interview questions, completed five usability tasks, and answered five follow-up questions informed by prior usability sessions.

Feedback

User feedback was continuously gathered to inform iterative improvements to the app’s design and functionality.

Service comparison breakdown

Slack

Strength:

  • Easy to use
  • Convenient if teams are already using it

Weaknesses:

  • Not a OPS wide service, only available by the team
  • Requires Slack account
  • Informal

PowerApps

Strength:

  • Approved to use across the OPS

Weaknesses:

  • Requires licence
  • Limitations with UX, enhancements, and canvas
  • $150-$300/month

MS Teams ‘Praise’

Strength:

  • Approved to use across the OPS

Weaknesses:

  • Can only be used in the MS Teams app
  • Unable to see other “praise”
  • Messages get deleted
  • Informal

Priority Matrix

The following diagram illustrates the priority matrix used to evaluate usability findings based on impact and effort. This framework helped the team prioritize design improvements, balance effort against value, and inform the ongoing UX strategy for future iterations of KudosON.

Low Effort

High Effort

Low Value

High Value

Sending a confirmation email after a Kudos has been sent

Instruction to give a Kudos on the ‘Give Kudos’ page

Ability to CC managers or coworkers

Kudos deletes after 30 days

Putting a feedback button on the homepage

Badges or digital awards

Change the feedback page to a form for consistency

Soft message for disrespectful comments

Soft warning for disrespectful comments

Adding a popup with different platforms after hitting share

Select per ministry option

Confirmation pop-up that Kudos has been sent

Make a Kudos anonymous

Personalized videos

Option to add to an existing Kudos

Having a next button pop up right after selecting Kudos

Badges beside a senior or manager’s name

Feedback page should redirect to ‘homepage’ after hitting ‘send’

This site is still under construction. Thanks for your patience! More content coming soon. 😊

Made with ❤️ using Figma