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CoHIVE
A culture intelligence system for the future of work.
Helping organizations understand how their workplace culture actually feels, and turn insights into meaningful action.
Product Design
UX Research
Systems Thinking
My role
UX Researcher & Product Designer
Focus
Workplace culture in hybrid work
Timeline
8 months
(Master’s capstone)
Who we’re designing for
Employees, managers, and HR leaders
Project Type
End-to-end product design + strategic framework
Recognition
Honorable Mention, 2026 European Product Design Award
IMPACT AT A GLANCE
A culture that employees, managers, and HR can all see and act on.
CoHive is designed to help organizations create more connected, engaged, and resilient workplaces, with value for every stakeholder and the business.
Employees
Feel heard and supported
Prioritize high-impact initiatives with data
HR leaders
Build a more inclusive, sustainable culture
Organizations
Impact describes what CoHive is designed to enable. It has not yet been measured in real-world organizations.
01/ THE PROBLEM
We are more connected than ever. So why do so many people still feel disconnected at work?
21%
of employees are engaged at work
Gallup, 2024
52%
Despite greater access to communication tools and flexible work options, many employees feel isolated, undervalued, and uncertain about their place in the workplace.
of employees report feeling isolated in hybrid work
McKinsey, 2025
1 in 3
leaders report their company culture has weakened since pandemic
Gallup 2024
Connected tools. Disconnected people.
03/ RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
Listening beyond the surface.
We conducted a multi-method research study to understand the real experiences, needs, and challenges of employees, managers, and HR leaders in today’s hybrid work environment.
12
In-depth interviews
3
Focus Groups
150+
Survey Responses
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Competitive Analysis
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Literature Review
Key Insights
01
02
Employees value flexibility but often feel isolated and out of the loop.
Managers struggle to understand team needs beyond performance.
03
HR leaders lack real-time, actionable insights into cultural health.
04
There is a gap between organizational intentions and employee experiences.
04/ FROM RESEARCH TO REALIZATION
A systemic culture problem
Our research revealed that workplace disconnection isn’t just a communication problem. It’s a complex system of people, processes, and environments.
Fragmented Experiences
Employees, managers, and HR see different realities.
Misaligned information
Insights are siloed and often reactive.
Missed opportunities
Good intentions don’t always translate into meaningful change.
05/ Stakeholder ecosystem
Three perspectives. One connected system.
CoHive brings together employees, managers, and HR leaders, each with unique needs, blind spots, and opportunities, into a unified system.
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Feel heard and valued
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Access personalized support
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Understand how they contribute
Employees
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Understand team sentiment
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Identify areas of support
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Take meaningful action
Managers
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See organization-wide patterns
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Make data-driven decisions
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Measure impact
HR Leaders
06/ STRATEGIC APPROACH
From insights to a culture intelligence system.
We developed a strategic framework to help organizations continuously understand, improve, and sustain workplace culture.
Diagnose
Design
Implement
Measure
Sustain
Understand current culture
Co-create solutions
Enable action at all levels
Track progress and impact
Embed into organizational habits
07/ Turning strategy into a product
One system. Every perspective.
CoHive translates research insights into a connected set of tools, giving each stakeholder a clear view of what matters to them, while keeping the bigger picture in mind.
Simple, conversational check-ins and resources.
Employee View
Team insights, trends, and recommended actions.
Manager view
Organization-wide patterns and strategic insights.
HR view
08/ How insights shaped key features
From real problems to meaningful solutions.
Each feature in CoHive is directly informed by research insights, ensuring we solve real needs for every stakeholder.
The problem
Low expression of feelings at work
The feature
Low-friction check-ins
The problem
Managers lack context on team well-being
The feature
Team dashboards with actionable insights
The problem
HR needs to spot cultural patterns early
The feature
Organization-wide analytics
The problem
Good insights don’t lead to action
The feature
Personalized recommendations and resources
09/ Trust, validation & iteration
Designing for trust and real impact.
We prioritized privacy, transparency, and meaningful validation to ensure CoHive builds trust and drives real change.
Privacy be design
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Individual responses stay confidential
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Aggregated, non-identifiable insights
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Transparent data practices
Validation & iteration
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Concept tested with target users
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Feedback from employees, managers, and HR leaders
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Iterated on key flows and insights
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What we refined
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Simpler, more intuitive check-ins
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Clearer and more actionable insights
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Stronger focus on real-world interventions
10/ Business & user impact
Healthier people. Stronger organizations.
CoHive helps organizations create more connected, engaged, and resilient workplaces, driving both human and business outcomes.
Higher engagement
More opportunities for employees to feel heard and supported.
Better team alignment
Managers can address challenges early and build stronger teams.
Data-driven decisions
HR leaders can identify trends and prioritize high-impact initiatives.
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Long-term cultural impact
Helps organizations build a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable work culture.
09/ Reflection & next steps
What I learned. And what’s next.
This project deepened my understanding of how human-centered design can create meaningful change at a systemic level.
Key Takeaways
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The importance of designing for multiple stakeholders
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How to turn complex research into a clear, actionable strategy
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The power of connecting data, people, and design to drive meaningful change
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Synthesizing diverse data into clear insights
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Balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders
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Designing for both immediate impact and long-term sustainability
Challenges
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Expand the platform with AI-driven insights
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Test and validate the system in real-world organizations
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Explore integrations with existing workplace tools
What’s next
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