KPMG Home: From Physical Badge to a Digital Employee Hub

December 20, 2021

In 2021, KPMG Home was imagined to address a simple yet recurring pain: employees forgetting their access badge. The fallback process—calling a manager to vouch at the reception—caused delays and unnecessary friction in the daily flow.

Following the post-COVID rise of digital wallets and QR codes, the opportunity became obvious: what if the badge was digital? And even more—what if all key employee services were centralized in a single mobile app?

As Product Lead, I identified the opportunity, led user research across departments, defined the phased roadmap, and designed the MVP experience in collaboration with IT and HR teams.

Product

KPMG Home

Skills

UX Design
Stakeholder Alignment
Service Design
Digital Workplace Innovation

My role

Product Lead

Timeline

Q4 2021

Team

Sébastien Demont (Real Estate Manager), Guillian Dron (Product Owner), KPMG IT for development

Context and Problem

At KPMG, forgetting your access badge is more common than you’d think. The fallback process—calling a team manager to vouch for the person at the front desk—creates friction, delays, and unnecessary interruptions.

In contrast, people rarely forget their smartphones. Following the widespread adoption of QR codes and mobile wallets after COVID, a clear opportunity emerged: what if the KPMG badge became digital? And beyond that, what if all key employee services were centralized in a single app?

Product Approach

Research and Framing

  • One-on-one interviews with managers, HR, and employees across departments
  • On-site observation of badge-related incidents at the reception
  • Mapping of entry flows and reception congestion patterns

 

« Almost every morning we have a line at reception for people who forgot their badge. It delays 9 a.m. meetings. »
— Reception Manager, Tour Eqho

 

UX Design

  • Prioritized instant access: simplified login and single sign-on
  • Intuitive navigation across HR, access control, and internal communication features
  • Modular ecosystem allowing the integration of new services: guest e-badges, internal contact directory, real-time support

 

 

Security and IT Governance

  • Approved by internal IT and security teams
  • NFC-based e-badge compatible with Apple Wallet
  • Temporary badge creation system with BU-level access control

Launch and Ownership Transfer

The project was pitched to the KPMG France Executive Committee in late 2021 and approved for live testing.
After initiating the design and strategic framing, the project was handed off to the Innovation Lab team as the author left KPMG in December 2021.

Expected Impact (Initial Projections)

  • 80% reduction in badge-related incidents
  • Improved employee NPS regarding internal services
  • Reduced congestion at reception
  • Time savings for managers (no more trips to reception to vouch for colleagues)