Increasing User Engagement in the ADP Mobile App
A five-months-long project to research user engagement in HCM apps and design a concept to increase user engagement in the ADP mobile app.
PROJECT:
USER RESEARCH WITH ADP
ROLE:
UX RESEARCHER
SKILLS:
USER INTERVIEWS, SURVEY DESIGN, TASK ANALYSIS, AFFINITY MAPPING, STAKEHOLDER PRESENTATION, WIRE-FRAMING, USER TESTING
TIMEFRAME:
AUGUST 2025 - DECEMBER 2025
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Before the development of integrated Human Capital Management (HCM) systems, payroll for hourly workers was typically managed through paper-based timesheets, punch clocks, or manual time cards. Today, ADP is the world’s largest HCM organization, with over fourteen million monthly users on ADP apps and over seventy-eight million employee tax statements processed.
ADP serves both hourly and salaried employees. Although these users have very different needs across the ADP Mobile Solutions app, they still benefit from the depth of information provided by their employer.
How might we increase engagement within the ADP Mobile app through expanded capabilities, additional features, or gamification?
PROCESS
We employed four user research methods to understand the current user experience for hourly and salaried employees that use an human capital management (HCM) app:
User Survey: Designed on Qualtrics and deployed through snowballing and purposeful sampling in online communities, the survey was completed by over 100 users.
Semi-structured Interviews: I interviewed users on the UserInterviews.com platform using an interview protocol developed by our team. Collectively, we had 13 user interviews.
Comparative Analysis: We conducted an in-depth review of the user task flow on the ADP Mobile app as well as a comparative analysis of user experiences on other HCM applications.
Site Visit: I designed a research protocol for an in-person visit to ADP in Alpharetta, Georgia. On-site, we had the opportunity to use some of the ADP Mobile app and hear from the Director of Product on the upcoming goals for ADP Mobile.
A MIXED METHODS APPROACH
With a variety of user experience data in-hand, our team set out to synthesize what users experience. We used affinity mapping, task flow analysis, and data visualizations to help us identify the design requirements. We uncovered seven design requirements that could potentially keep users engaged in the app. We moved forward with three design concepts.
THE PROBLEM
Customize the Home Screen and Navigation Experience: Users reported that they enjoy an app experience more when they get to personalize the information that they see.
Provide more in-app context using the Offers Page as an example: ADP Mobile has a feature for displaying Offers for employees. The functionality is hosted on a third-party site, so it takes users away from the app and the experience can vary.
Provide more interactive data visualizations with the Pay Page as an example: Users like seeing their personal data displayed in visualizations and often rely on tools to help them make sense of numbers.
A small portion of the affinity mapping process.
We brainstormed a variety of concepts to present to ADP before finalizing a design direction. Based on the three core concepts, we decided to move forward with user testing a new home screen and navigation layout, a new task flow for a user checking a reward, and ways to engage with paycheck data.
PROTOTYPING
Examples of the wireframe process.
I designed additional research protocols to use during user feedback sessions. Our team presented to ADP Designers in a Design Critique and also hosted two accessibility feedback sessions. The feedback we received from students in the Disabilities in Business organization were impactful.