Finding new use cases for AI-powered HR assistant

Role

Product Designer, Researcher

Responsibilities

Research (baseline survey creation, synthesis, shareout)

Collaborators

IBM Watsonx team, Product Design, UX Research, Business, Engineering

Duration

6 months

overview

I led part of the discovery and research for Sage, Kroger’s AI-powered HR assistant.

Initially built for HR Specialists, Sage’s scope was being expanded to assist in-store associates with their daily HR tasks.

I was charged with figuring out what new use cases for Sage would be most relevant for in-store associates.

 

Goals

  1. Find & confirm new and presumed use cases for two user types

  2. Create an expansion plan for Sage with priorities identified by data

  3. Reduce time spent on HR tasks for associates and HR specialists

Results

  1. 19,000 associates surveyed

  2. 20+ key points discovered

  3. 80% associate satisfaction

The Challenge

The current HR system for in-store associates and store leaders have several major issues:

  • Uninformed Associates: Associates don’t know when shifts become available.

  • Delayed Approvals: Leaders don’t see schedule approval requests in a timely manner.

  • Fragmented Systems: Current options require logging into different portals, with no unified access point.

This leads to major inefficiencies in labor scheduling and increases workload for the HR specialist / managers.

Our team & management decided on creating an AI-driven HR assistant, powered by IBM Watsonx.

BUSINESS NEED

Optimize labor expenses & reduce HR / store leader workload

USER NEED

  • Enable HR specialists / store leaders to access real-time labor information

  • Enable in-store associates quickly find their HR documents and shift information

Problem to Solve

The complicated HR system led to inefficient labor scheduling and delays in shift schedules, frustrating both leaders and associates.

REsearch

An example of the survey questions. We measured three factors: satisfaction, time spent, and importance of task.

Gathering Insights

A large-scale quantitative survey revealed that in-store associates struggle most with viewing schedules and requesting time off. We focused on these areas for our MVP so we could have the maximum positive impact.

19,376 total participants




 

Metrics

For various HR tasks, we measured:

  1. Time on task

  2. Importance of task to user, and:

  3. Satisfaction with the ability to perform this task.

Survey Results

The survey results were highly negative in sentiment, indicating a high level of dissatisfaction with the current process.

 

Personas

We identified two personas based on survey results - Schedule Editors (HR specialists) and Hourly Associates (regular in-store associates).

 

Pain Points by Persona

Hourly Associates (regular in-store associates)

  • Requesting time off and locating pay stubs - most important but least satisfying

Schedule Editors (HR Specialists)

  • Reviewing time off and reviewing store’s prime time schedule — most important but least satisfying.

Both Schedule Editors and Hourly Associates have trouble completing their most crucial daily tasks.

key INSIGHTs

Schedule Editors and Hourly Associates both have trouble easily completing their most crucial daily tasks, due to the scattered network of HR softwares.

what does this mean for design?

  1. Surface only relevant details when viewing work schedules

  2. Streamline time off requests

Solution

Meet Sage, your Kroger Virtual Assistant

Sage Brand Principles

  • Sage evokes wisdom and knowledge, the result of considerable experience

  • An aromatic and versatile herb, often used for medicinal and spiritual rituals in many cultures

  • Promotes balance and longevity

  • Short, easy to say and spell, accessible to our diverse Associates

Central, Personalized HR Functions

Before, associates had to log into several disjointed portals to complete common HR tasks. With Sage, associates can easily complete all frequent HR tasks within one portal, personalized to their needs.

Before

Before: Associates had to access several disjointed services to request shifts, time off, or view pay stubs.

After

After: Sage, the AI assistant, can pull all relevant information into one conversational portal. Personalized to the user.

 

Easy Onboarding

To ease the transition into a new product, Sage will walk a first-time user through a brief onboarding process.

 

Real Time Schedule Approval for Leaders

With Sage, Store Leaders see on-demand labor insights that are updated in real time. They are also alerted about shift and time off requests from associates, leading to timelier responses.

Leaders can approve various associate requests through Sage, such as time off requests.

Leaders are able to view associates’ schedules through Sage.

 

Impact

The Results

 

Sage transformed Kroger’s disjointed HR ecosystem into one intuitive, user-friendly experience that reduced user friction while increasing efficiency for labor scheduling. The design ensures adaptability to future additions while supporting the company’s goals in labor optimization.

 

Associate Satisfaction Survey Results

Associate Satisfaction Survey Results

Four months after launch,

  • 98,294 Conversations with 38,316 Unique Associates

  • 87% of Sage conversations result in a successful outcome

  • Average 4/5 CSAT score 

 

"I love the virtual assistant because it's much quicker and faster you really don't have to log into the app to find information you get it right then and there with no hesitation and no problem."

-In-Store Associate

"Exactly the information I needed at my fingertips (department schedule)!”

- Store Department Leader