Transforming Associate Technology Experience
The Challenge
The healthcare organization's Associate Technology Experience team had conducted several research efforts to understand associate needs and pain points. However, they lacked a comprehensive understanding of the associate experience that went beyond specific tools, product categories, or service lines. The organization needed to build an associate-centric lens into each product team's workflow and product thinking to truly improve the technology experience.
The Approach
Stratos designed a comprehensive human-centered research program spanning four phases: Framing, Research, Sense Making, and Immersion/Activation. The research included:
- 40 in-depth interviews across 3 research sprints
- All associate profiles covered: Flex, Power, Nomad, Executive, Member Care, and Provider roles
- Diverse roles represented: From field care managers to software engineers, nurses to business analysts
- Multiple research methods: Contextual immersion, SME interviews, deep dive sessions, and co-synthesis workshops
- Experience mapping sessions to understand the full associate journey
The Deliverables
Stratos provided a comprehensive suite of tools and frameworks to guide ongoing product development:
- 16 Moments that Matter — Critical touchpoints in the associate experience
- Top 10 Jobs to Be Done — Key tasks associates need to accomplish
- 7 Key Insights — Strategic learnings with actionable implications
- Product Issues Matrix — Prioritization framework for pain points
- Experience Maps — Visual representations of associate journeys
- Tools for Continued Discovery — Templates and methods for ongoing research
Impact
This research fundamentally shifted how the organization approaches technology experience design. The team moved beyond tool-specific thinking to understand the holistic associate experience across all touchpoints. The insights revealed that many technology challenges weren't simply product or feature gaps, but rather context gaps, knowledge gaps, systems gaps, and culture gaps. This comprehensive understanding enabled the organization to prioritize initiatives from the associates' perspective and adopt human-centered design principles for all future product development—ensuring technology truly serves the people who use it every day.