Gensler

Creating Barriers Instead of Building Bridges

Gensler's Design Labs Portal was creating barriers instead of building bridges. Employees struggled to connect with the right colleagues and access valuable content that could enhance their client projects. The existing platform failed to help teams discover expertise beyond their immediate networks, limiting collaboration opportunities across the global firm. With stakeholders questioning the platform's value, Gensler needed a strategic partner who could transform their vision into a compelling, research-backed solution that would secure organizational buy-in and drive meaningful employee adoption.

Research Revealed the Real Problem Behind Poor Adoption

We began with extensive user research and landscape analysis to ensure our solution would stand out from third-party tools while avoiding redundancy with existing Gensler resources. Through internal workshops and employee interviews, we uncovered a consistent desire for better cross-organizational discovery and connection. Rather than jumping straight into design, we invested time understanding how Gensler employees actually work and what barriers prevented them from finding the expertise they needed.

Our collaborative process emphasized stakeholder engagement throughout, ensuring the final recommendations would be both technically feasible and organizationally supported. We focused on creating not just an appealing prototype, but a strategic framework that Gensler's leadership could confidently present to decision-makers.

Key Solutions

Research-Driven Design Foundation: We grounded every design decision in real user needs, conducting landscape analysis to ensure the platform would differentiate itself from existing tools while being easy to adopt across the firm.

Connection-Focused Features: The redesigned portal facilitates meaningful employee connections through personalized "For You" feeds, topic-based searches and interactive discussion groups that help teams discover expertise beyond their immediate networks.

Technical Roadmap for Future Innovation: We provided clear, actionable technical recommendations for implementing machine learning capabilities, enabling informed stakeholder conversations about resources and development timelines.

Results & Impact

The new Design Labs Portal prototype delivered a more intuitive platform that enhances how Gensler employees connect with people and content, directly supporting improved client work. The research-backed approach gave stakeholders confidence in the platform's potential, while the strategic framework provided a clear path for future development. Employees now have access to personalized content discovery and cross-organizational networking opportunities that were previously difficult to achieve.

"Mediacurrent didn't just design a beautiful interface—they gave us a strategic foundation we could confidently present to leadership, complete with the research and technical roadmap needed to make our vision a reality."

What This Means for You

If your organization struggles with internal knowledge sharing and cross-team collaboration, a research-driven approach to platform redesign can transform how employees connect and access the expertise they need to serve clients better. Strategic prototyping combined with clear technical recommendations helps secure stakeholder buy-in while setting realistic expectations for implementation.