> Understanding Younger Generations' Self-Help Needs
in collaboration with Microsoft
Timeline: January-May 2024 (Spring Semester)
My Role: Co-Lead UX Researcher, Sponsor Point of Contact
Jump to our insights!!! part of our final deliverables for this project (specific design recommendations) aren't fully shown here due to them being under a non-disclosure agreement
> Project Overview
In an era where instant digital gratification is not just desired but expected, Microsoft’s user feedback and engagement metrics show a significant gap in it’s self-help resources, especially with Millennials and Gen-Z.
Younger users find the current state of Microsoft Support either overly complex or misaligned with their expectations. This misalignment not only impacts user satisfaction but also affects their long-term loyalty and engagement with Microsoft products as they become Microsoft's primary target audience.
How do Millennial and Gen-Z users interact with Microsoft’s self-help resources, and what specific improvements can be made to enhance their user experience?
Project Goals
Understand How These Users Interact With Current Systems
How do Gen-Z and Millennials interact with the current Microsoft self-help options?
How do these generations view technology as a whole? How do they interact with it on a greater scale?
Figure Out in Which Areas Microsoft is Falling Short of User Needs
Where are the shortcomings in Microsoft's support offerings?
Where can we find a disconnect between younger generations' needs and what Microsoft provides?
Designing Actionable High-Impact Design Recommendations
How can we align Microsoft's self-help services and brand with these younger generations?
How do we generate recommendations that help these generations without leaving older generations behind?
Determine the Impact of Recommendations on Engagement
How can we evaluate our recommendations with our target users?
How do our recommendations actually align with Microsoft's image and younger generations' ideas?
> My Contribution
Leadership
Project planning
Leading a team
Mentorship
Research
User interviews
Competitive analysis
Comparative analysis
Heuristic evaluation
Literature Review
Design
Research synthesis
User flow map
Determine future research paths
Ideation
Communication
Meeting facilitation
Presenting project
Defending design decisions
What I Learned
Leadership
How to lead a team and lead within a team
Co-leading with more experienced peers
Leading a design pivot
Research
How to ask more follow-up questions in interviews
Proposing areas for future research based on project progression
Design
Getting more comfortable with Figma basics
Visual communication through research report and presentations in class and to Microsoft's CX team
Creating in-depth user journeys
Communication
How to tell a story through design and rationale
Professional communication through meeting leadership and being Microsoft's point of contact
> Understanding Self-Help and Microsoft's Version
What is Self-Help?
Self-help is the resources and activities designed to assist individuals in solving problems independently.
Examples: FAQs, wikis, databases, tutorials
These resources are intended to help customers find solutions quickly and efficiently. They empower end users and help companies scale effectively.
What do Younger Generations want from Technology?
High-Quality Tech Service
focus on good quality over what's new, skeptical of marketing and new technology
Keep Room for Exploration
"the DIY generation," not loyal to a certain brand and aren't afraid to try new ones
Focus on the Social Aspects
mindful of current trends, peers are very influential, want an authentic experience
which boils down into three core values...
Efficiency
Millennials and Gen Z prioritize fast and accurate online service.
Both groups demand instant, precise responses and value streamlined digital interactions.
Personalization
This generation appreciates when brands recognize their individual preferences and tailor experiences accordingly.
Offering personalized recommendations makes these users feel seen.
Authenticity
For both Gen Z and Millennials, who grew up on social media, authenticity isn't just a preference; it's a requirement.
They want quality service but also want to feel they are being cared about as people.
What platforms do Millennials and Gen-Z Like?
Forums
Forums have a human element; younger generations can be distrusting of AI and prefer to see if others have similar questions to them.
Benefits: authenticity
Search Engines
They allow for a specific search query that looks across multiple websites and personalized support experience with quick results and feedback.
Benefits: efficiency, personalization
Based on a series of 12 interviews, our team found that these most-used platforms all have multimedia support, a human component, specific search tools, and a sense of community
What Products Make up Microsoft Support?
click the boxes to view each page!
> Putting it All Together
We need to make Microsoft Support as a whole a better platform by making navigation easier and personalizing content for specific needs/problems. These things combined will improve overall site usability and customer satisfaction.
Some Important Considerations
Current State
Microsoft's current content is good well-written stuff; it just needs to be more visible
Balancing Old and New
We need to cater to user needs without disrupting what already works
Keeping Consistency
Focus on changes that can be made universally - higher-level adjustments
Focus on What Can be Changed
Keep mind of what Microsoft can't change for branding/legal reasons
Focus on Fast Responses
Make sure to optimize when needed, either loading times or getting quick solutions/follow-ups
Build on Authentic Engagement
Make a genuine connection with users via meaningful communication
Our Recommendations
Machine Learning
Use machine learning to guide users to the right content via searches and related content if the first article doesn't solve their problem
Content Redesign
Improve Microsoft Support's preexisting visual hierarchy and add links to content throughout the website and social media channels
Discover Rework
Leverage Microsoft's suite of platforms to guide users to similar content and topics across all three websites instead of generic recommended content
Areas for Future Research
AI Implementation
AI will definitely have an impact on the self-help space.
How can Microsoft implement AI in a way where it doesn't turn away the already skeptical younger generations?
Building Loyalty
Younger generations are loyal to Microsoft yes, but out of obligation instead of an actual respect for the company.
How can Microsoft repair/strengthen its relationship with younger generations?
New Platforms
Self-help and quick fixes are starting to make waves on social media, especially Reddit and YouTube.
How can Microsoft go beyond their support sites into the greater digital space?
Fun Fact: all of these were explored in projects with Purdue UX the following semester!
Some Challenges We Faced
Time Constraints
We weren't able to complete a lot of detailed evaluation work on our specific fleshed-out recommendations.
We focused on validation from our research to back up our recommendations.
Breadth
Due to the large scale of this project, it was very hard to get specific user flows in place to design around and test for.
We ultimately made an overall flowchart depicting the typical user flow in a self-help situation with stopping points along the way to mark areas for improvement.
Potential Next Steps
Test and Iterate
A/B testing, cleaning and organizing wireframes into more refined prototypes
Make it Actionable
Prototype specific recommendations both within and beyond a bigger user journey
