Assessing Risk During A Global Pandemic
During the peak of COVID-19, we built a workplace readiness platform to help Oliver Wyman employees return to the office safely. The app was initially launched for internal use across global offices but the solution was later commercialized and sold externally, enabling other companies to manage return-to-work protocols with confidence and flexibility.
Client
Oliver Wyman
Time
2 months
Tags
Impact
12
Countries used the app
3
Custom versions were built externally
1,000’s
Potential infections prevented
My Role
I was part of a global product team working through the chaotic early COVID days. Every city, state, and country faced different infection rates and safety protocols, which required constant updates and collaboration across teams. A major focus of my role was researching and shaping the triage system by working with legal, HR, and health professionals to define the right questions and responses for employees navigating their work environment. From day one until release, consultants, product, design, and engineering worked around the clock to deliver the app.
Problem
The onset of COVID-19 brought unprecedented disruption, reshaping how people lived and worked almost overnight. For companies like Oliver Wyman, the shift was especially jarring as it overturned a travel-heavy work culture, exposed gaps in remote infrastructure, and created urgent demand for a safe, scalable return-to-office solution. Some of the key challenges we solved for off the bat include:
Risk assessment: No centralized way to evaluate travel or health-related risks impacting employee safety.
Protocol enforcement: Difficulty ensuring compliance with evolving health guidelines.
Office capacity management: No system to track daily office occupancy.
Initial sketches of the approval badge and the home screen.
Solution
We built a lightweight, scalable app to manage office access and safety protocols. Users completed an extensive health triage flow that generated one of two outcomes:
Stay Home Notice
Triggered when responses indicated risk, with override flexibility for edge cases.
Day Pass
Granted approved users a digital, single-use office entry pass.
To support localized needs, we added a "My Office" section with site-specific safety protocols and real-time updates.
We later extended the platform to support clients and visitors, enabling safe access for external guests. Within weeks, the internal success of the tool led to external demand—unlocking new revenue streams and cross-functional collaboration with client product and design teams.
Section 1 out of 5 for the triage to determine a user's status.
Stay home notice. Users could tap "Go to Email" which would attach a timestamped screen shot to their HR rep.
Day pass that needed to be presented to security at their office entrance and would expire by the end of the day.
External version of the app that was customized for a client. This included a new "Pandemic Navigator" which turned into a standalone product offering as it matured.
Learnings + Next Steps
Granular health questionnaires needed to balance thoroughness with speed, since too much friction risked user drop-off. [Learnings]
Internal adoption validated the solution quickly, and client interest proved that designing for scalability from the start created new opportunities. [Learnings]
Integrate richer analytics dashboards for employers to better track usage trends, office density, and employee sentiment in real time. [Next steps]
Expand the app beyond return-to-office, using the same framework to address future workplace safety, compliance, and wellness initiatives. [Next steps]