Designing a Talent Strategy Solution for end-to-end Talent Management by Clients

Overview of the Project

COMPANY:

Boston Consulting Group

CLIENT:

United Nations

TIMEFRAME:

2024

PRODUCT:
Talent Builder is BCG’s premium SaaS product for talent strategy and workforce planning, relied on by global enterprises.

MY ROLE:

Sole Senior Product Designer collaborating with Sr. PM, Product Owner, Engineers, AI Specialists and client stakeholders.
Owned research, concepting, interaction design, visual design, prototyping and testing.
Facilitated workshops with global HR/talent leaders to align features with compliance, performance and benefits data needs.

CONTEXT:

Used by major organisations including the United Nations & big HealthTechs, Talent Builder helps HR and business leaders forecast, plan and optimise talent at scale. My work transformed the tool from a consultant-driven platform into a self-serve, HRIS-like experience - combining workforce planning, skills taxonomy, compliance and performance insights.

BCG set a goal to elevate Talent Builder into a self-reliant, AI-powered platform that clients could use independently.

Challenge:

Integrate Generative AI into a complex workforce planning tool to make insights actionable and transparent.
Enhance and modernize UX to reduce consultant dependency and drive client self-service.
Customize Talent Builder for a high-profile clients with unique workflows and governance structures.

Goal:

Transform Talent Builder into a self-sufficient, AI-powered SaaS product.
Streamline talent strategy processes like supply-demand analysis, skill gap ratios, job readiness, workforce planning/optimisation.
Identify opportunities to use generative AI in the user flow to automate manual tasks.
Deliver a cohesive, accessible, and scalable design system for global clients.

My Approach:

Synthesised features & constraints: defined AI-driven forecasting, scenario simulations, and skills-based supply-demand analysis.
AI Integration: worked with AI engineers to turn complex workforce & compliance data into actionable insights and skill-gap dashboards.
Customer Journey Mapping: mapped end-to-end talent planning flows, embedding AI touchpoints into HR-style workflows (payroll, benefits, equipment provisioning analogies).
Visual & Systems Design: built a cohesive design system and component library to standardise UX across modules and clients.
Rapid Prototyping & Testing: produced low- and high-fidelity prototypes for UN pilots, iterating with moderated usability testing and analytics.
Competitive Analysis: benchmarked HRIS and workforce planning tools to identify differentiators in AI, compliance and performance features.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: led discovery workshops and feature prioritisation with PMs, engineers and UN stakeholders.

Impact:

Time-to-insight reduced by 40% for workforce forecasting tasks.
Client self-sufficiency improved by 35%, reducing reliance on BCG consultants.
Adoption rate among UN teams increased by 25% post-pilot.
Launched the first GenAI-powered module within Talent Builder.
Established a scalable design system, cutting QA and design rework by 30%.

Key Learnings:

Generative AI can simplify even the most complex B2B workflows with the right UX.
Co-creation with high-profile clients like the UN ensures better adoption and trust.
A robust design system accelerates delivery and consistency across global enterprise SaaS.
40% faster time-to-insight for workforce forecasting tasks (aligned with HRIS/payroll-grade ease of use).
35% increase in client self-sufficiency, reducing consultant reliance through intuitive AI interfaces.
25% higher adoption within UN pilot teams after customisation for their compliance and skill-taxonomy needs.
Established a repeatable AI + UX integration model for future BCG SaaS offerings.

ABOUT THE PRODUCT

TalentBuilder by BCG is an analytical tool for workforce planning and talent strategy. It uses external data to identify current skill needs, connects decisions through common skills data, and is modular and scalable to fit client needs.

UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM SPACE

The existing product, initially launched had fulfilled its foundational purpose. However, with time and user feedback, it became apparent that the product had accrued what we commonly refer to as "design and engineering debt." This debt comprises various aspects, including user experience challenges, navigation complexities, and the absence of a cohesive design language.The new product offering was aimed at resolving the below complexities -

Complex Data Handling

Existing tools were fragmented, making it hard for teams to access data from different sources.

Lack of Predictive Insights

There was no AI-driven predictive analysis for workforce trends, which hampered proactive decision-making.

Lack of Visual Hierarchy

The current workforce management tools were cumbersome, non-intuitive, and required significant training to operate effectively.

Scalability

There was a need for restructuring to incorporate inovation & insightful ways of consuming data

Thus, the project was focused on building a user-friendly, AI-driven workforce planning tool that could address these pain points.

Note - Due to strict NDA agreements, I am unable to share specific designs or screenshots from the final product. However, I will provide a detailed overview of the process and the UX learnings.

CONTRIBUTIONS AS THE SENIOR PRODUCT DESIGNER 👩🏻‍💻

Synthesising Features, Constraints & Considerations

Defined key features like AI-driven forecasting and scenario simulations based on user research and business needs.

Collaborated with stakeholders to prioritize features, ensuring alignment with both user pain points and business objectives.

AI Integration & Feasibility Reports

Worked with AI engineers to integrate GenAI, transforming complex data into actionable insights.

Evaluated feasibility reports to ensure AI capabilities were practical and user-friendly.

Customer Journey Mapping

Created user journey maps to visualise pain points and optimize workflows.
Integrated AI touchpoints seamlessly into the journey, enhancing user interaction with predictive tools.

Visual Design Direction

Developed a cohesive design system, component library aligned with the consultancy’s brand identity.

Ensured consistent UI/UX branding across all touchpoints, reinforcing the product’s professionalism.

Competitive Analysis

Analyzed competitors to identify gaps and opportunities for differentiating the product.
Informed product positioning with unique AI features that offered added value.

Rapid Prototyping & Wireframing

Produced low-fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes for rapid iteration and user testing.

Collaborated with stakeholders to refine designs based on feedback and usability results.

Cross Functional Collaboration

Worked closely with engineering, product management, and business teams to align on design implementation and product goals.

Led workshops to ensure all teams contributed to key decisions, balancing technical feasibility with user-centered design.