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IBM’s AI Digital Workplace

Company IBM
Year Feb 2024–Apr 2024
DisciplinesAI, Product Design
PlatformsMobile, Web

Overview

As part of IBM’s mission to enhance IBMer experiences, I led a 12-week AI visioning exercise with 30 contributors, focused on integrating IBM’s watsonx AI into our internal intranet applications. The project identified over 120 use cases aimed at reducing friction and boosting productivity through AI-driven decision-making, collaboration, and task automation. This initiative demonstrated IBM’s commitment to being client-zero, showcasing watsonx’s capabilities internally while optimizing the digital workplace for IBMers.

Background

The project’s foundation stemmed from the need to improve productivity and efficiency for IBM’s diverse workforce by integrating AI into daily workflows. We identified seven core user personas—IBMer, developer, consultant, seller, manager, new hire, and executive—that became the basis for designing AI solutions tailored to the specific goals and challenges of each group. By focusing on these personas, we ensured that AI solutions would align with IBM’s brand and the unique needs of its employees.

Approach

To lead the visioning workstream, I created a structured approach that fostered collaboration and innovation. We kicked off with foundational sessions to align stakeholders and define key AI opportunities, followed by divergent thinking workshops where participants generated and refined ideas based on personas and user stories. Through iterative ideation and prototyping, we developed user flows and identified technical and UX considerations. My leadership ensured that these ideas were transformed into actionable prototypes, that showcased the art of the possible to align teams across multiple business units while advancing IBM’s AI initiatives.

Central to the design was the identification of seven productivity modes: Discover, Understand, Generate, Disseminate, Evaluate, Refine, and Take Action. These modes helped inform the design of AI-driven solutions that would empower IBMers to work more effectively, regardless of the task at hand. For example, if an IBMer is in “Discover” mode—seeking specific information like a consultant identifying industry experts—the AI prioritizes relevant search results. Offering a “Refine” solution, such as improving existing work, would not align with their immediate needs. This user-centered approach ensured that the AI tools responded dynamically to the user’s context, enhancing productivity across any stage of their journey.

Challenges

Managing a team of 30 contributors from diverse disciplines was both rewarding and challenging. I organized breakout sessions, dividing the group into smaller sub-teams to promote focused collaboration. Synthesizing the large volume of ideas generated during Mural sessions required multiple workshops to identify and prioritize the most impactful insights. A major challenge was communicating clear deliverables and deadlines. Initially, a lack of clarity led to confusion and extra work to realign the team. I learned from this and set clearer expectations for subsequent deadlines, which we met two weeks ahead of schedule, allowing time for thorough presentation rehearsals. Additionally, I had to upskill several designers who were unfamiliar with Carbon for AI and Figma prototyping by leading hands-on training sessions, ensuring everyone could contribute effectively.

Outcome

The project’s success reflected the team’s adaptability, dedication, and our strong, user-centered approach. We identified 72 AI use cases addressing specific user needs, with six workflows fast-tracked for further research and testing within two weeks of delivery. These solutions sparked cross-business collaboration, and the initiative fostered a sense of pride among contributors. The project gained VP-level support, reinforcing the importance of user-centered design and ethical AI innovation at IBM. This effort not only optimized the digital workplace but also showcased watsonx’s potential to drive real-world impact for IBMers.