Challenge
OhioHealth leadership recognized that their 30,000 associates encountered communication pain points on a daily basis. These challenges hindered associate engagement, productivity, and overall satisfaction. To address this, they partnered with Cast & Hue to conduct thorough research into their associates' communication needs and preferences, aiming to identify and address key gaps in the associate experience.
Approach
Our first step was to conduct in-depth, in-person interviews and shadowing with OhioHealth associates and leaders to better understand communication behaviors, preferences and challenges—not to mention the workarounds they used. We ensured that we spoke to a cross-section of people based on job roles and location.
Themes and insights were gathered around technology, process and people:
- Technology themes included fragmented adoption, the role of mobile, and how people search for information
- Process research highlighted the reliance on people & paper, external sources of information, and the value in social media
- People themes included the role of management and how communication affected perceptions of OhioHealth
Based on insights generated from this qualitative study, a survey was then deployed to extend those insights and stratify them across the OhioHealth associate population.
Leveraging a design thinking approach, we translated research insights into action, facilitating co-creation sessions with OhioHealth associates that resulted in prototypes for a new communication strategy, which we tested before rolling out.
Outcome
This user-centric approach resulted in a more streamlined and effective communication experience that has been met with enthusiasm and shows early signs of increased engagement. This included consolidating updates into a digestible weekly email, providing concise summaries for quick comprehension, and empowering associates to personalize their communication preferences through a central hub.
By integrating human-centered design into their culture, OhioHealth continues to refine and improve their associate communication strategy in response to changing needs and motivations.
