Summary
ServiceNow builds enterprise products that help companies and their end-users work smarter, faster, and easier. As a team, we strive to create product experiences that people love and make work, work better for people. In this presentation, George and Joy, designers at ServiceNow, will explore what it means to deliver amazing experiences throughout the design process focusing on our end-users. We will share a case study that empowers designers on building great, sustainable products that are user friendly, visually beautiful, empowering and super charge productivity.
Key Insights
-
•
ServiceNow accelerated release cycles from six months to two weeks to respond to COVID-19 workplace challenges.
-
•
Return-to-work apps integrated health data, contact tracing, and even ride services like Uber for essential workers.
-
•
Employee sentiment surveys helped companies understand workforce readiness for returning to offices.
-
•
ServiceNow’s Atomic Design-inspired methodology organizes UI elements into four layers: base components, experience components, page templates, and core experiences.
-
•
Designers use reusable components with built-in accessibility and responsiveness, freeing them to focus on user goals and content.
-
•
The drag-and-drop Now Experience UI Builder enables designers to create layouts directly, reducing engineering bandwidth needed for front-end work.
-
•
Cross-functional teams leveraged collaborative tools like Miro and asynchronous demo feedback to work efficiently across global, remote locations.
-
•
ServiceNow practices 'drinking their own champagne,' using their products internally months before public release to catch issues early.
-
•
Valid demo content, including realistic legal disclaimers, enhances the credibility and relatability of demos.
-
•
ServiceNow’s design system and component libraries are publicly accessible, promoting reuse and consistency among customers.
Notable Quotes
"With COVID-19 changing the way we worked, we had to rethink how to get employees back into the office safely."
"We put together a workflow where an employee self-reports their COVID-19 status before returning to the office."
"We partnered with companies like Microsoft and Uber to add contact tracing and ride requesting into the flow."
"The most important thing was designing experiences that wowed even though we worked on a very fast timeline."
"Our Atomic Design-inspired system helps designers focus on who they're building for and what they need to accomplish."
"The Now Experience UI Builder allows designers to drag and drop components and tweak layouts themselves."
"Designers can update demo details directly without waiting on engineers, speeding up iteration."
"We put relevant demo content like equal housing opportunity links to make demos feel realistic and relatable."
"We use our own products internally three to four months before public release to stress test them."
"Collaboration across different time zones worked well thanks to tools like Miro and asynchronous feedback sessions."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Concept validation lets us objectively decide which features to build based on perceived usefulness and intent to use."
Standardizing Product Merits for Leaders, Designers, and Everyone
June 15, 2018
"Most strategy today is guesswork based on what others are doing, not based on situational awareness."
Simon WardleyMaps and Topographical Intelligence (Videoconference)
January 31, 2019
"The Reflexive Compass helps us discern bias patterns early, take accountability, and measure impact."
Sandra CamachoCreating More Bias-Proof Designs
January 22, 2025
"By observing Jeff’s concerns and asking questions, I was able to show empathy and focus on the problem rather than get defensive."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"I challenge everyone to create a strategic AI integration plan that goes beyond everyday tasks to achieve career and company goals."
Fisayo Osilaja[Demo] The AI edge: From researcher to strategist
June 4, 2024
"The seven-foot-wide diagram showed the product’s true complexity, sparking necessary conversations with leadership."
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"There is no design team responsible for the overarching experience across the entire company."
Davis Neable Guy SegalHow to Drive a Design Project When you Don’t Have a Design Team
June 10, 2021
"You won’t know what success looks like until you put something out there and see how it works in practice."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"Design producers love their creative tools and want to keep using them without multiple manual reporting steps."
Aurobinda Pradhan Shashank DeshpandeIntroduction to Collaborative DesignOps using Cubyts
September 9, 2022