Onstep — Building a people-first HR SaaS for seamless remote onboarding
A product born from research and collaboration — helping HR teams onboard, engage, and retain talent in distributed environments.
The Problem
Remote work has transformed how companies operate, but onboarding processes remain stuck in the past. HR teams struggle with scattered tools, lost documents, and inconsistent experiences. New employees feel disconnected and overwhelmed, leading to early disengagement and increased turnover.
"How do we create an onboarding experience that feels personal, organized, and human — even when everyone is working remotely?"
Understanding our users
HR Managers
Need to coordinate multiple onboarding processes simultaneously while maintaining consistency and compliance. They want visibility into progress, automated workflows, and tools that save time without sacrificing the personal touch.
Pain points include scattered documents, manual follow-ups, and difficulty measuring onboarding effectiveness across distributed teams.
New Employees
Starting a new job remotely can feel isolating and confusing. They need clear guidance, accessible resources, and a sense of connection with their team and company culture from day one.
Pain points include information overload, unclear expectations, and feeling disconnected from colleagues and company values during those crucial first weeks.
Research & Discovery
Competitive Analysis
We analyzed existing HR platforms and onboarding tools to identify gaps in the market. Most solutions were either too complex (enterprise-focused with steep learning curves) or too simple (basic checklists without real workflow support).
Personas
Through interviews with HR professionals and recent hires, we created detailed personas that captured the motivations, frustrations, and daily workflows of our target users.
Key Insights
HR teams spend an average of 8 hours per new hire on manual administrative tasks
New employees feel most anxious about unclear expectations and lack of team connection
Effective onboarding increases retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%
Most tools don't support the human side of onboarding — culture, relationships, and belonging
From idea to product structure
Journey Mapping
We mapped the complete onboarding journey from offer acceptance to day 90, identifying touchpoints, emotions, and opportunities for intervention. This helped us prioritize features that would have the most impact at critical moments.
Feature Narratives
Rather than starting with a feature list, we created user stories that described how both HR managers and new employees would experience the platform. This narrative approach kept us focused on real problems rather than theoretical solutions.
Early Wireframes
We iterated rapidly through low-fidelity wireframes, testing concepts with potential users before committing to high-fidelity designs. This saved time and prevented us from building features that wouldn't solve real problems.
A system that feels human
Simplicity
Every screen has a clear purpose. No overwhelming dashboards, no feature bloat. Just the right information at the right time.
Visibility
Progress tracking for HR managers, clear next steps for new hires. Everyone always knows where they are and what comes next.
Personalization
Customizable workflows, role-specific content, and personal welcome messages. Every onboarding experience feels unique.
Testing, refining, and learning
Beta Testing
We launched a private beta with five companies of varying sizes. Weekly check-ins revealed what worked and what needed adjustment. The feedback loop was direct and invaluable.
Key Improvements
- •Simplified the initial setup flow — reduced steps from 12 to 6
- •Added more template options based on company size and industry
- •Improved mobile experience for new employees accessing on personal devices
- •Enhanced notification system to reduce email overload
Success Metrics
Reduction in time spent on onboarding admin
New hire satisfaction rate
From idea to SaaS product
Onstep started as a design challenge: how do we make remote onboarding feel human? Through research, collaboration, and iteration, it evolved into a functional SaaS platform that real companies now use to welcome and integrate their teams.
This project represents more than just product design — it's about understanding people, solving real problems, and building something that creates value. As both co-founder and designer, I've learned that great products emerge when you listen, iterate, and stay focused on what truly matters to users.