One of the most common reasons internal comms “doesn’t work” isn’t the message, or even the channel, it’s that the experience has become invisible.
We’ve seen it first-hand with feedback terminals. Not because terminals are a bad idea, but because once they become generic and standardised, with no connection to the culture you’re trying to build, they turn into furniture. People walk past them. They stop noticing them. There’s no reason to click.
So instead of asking, “How do we increase engagement?”, I’d start with a more practical question:
Have we designed a reason to engage, in a way that feels like us?
A few tests I use (and they’re brutally revealing):
1. What’s the reason to click, right now?
If it isn’t clear in two seconds, it’ll be ignored.
2. Is the prompt specific, or just ‘give feedback’?
Specific beats generic every time.
3. Does it feel culturally ‘of the place’?
Tone of voice, look and feel, even the wording of the question, it should reflect the culture you’re establishing, not a corporate template.
4. Is it in the flow of the day?
If it’s not where people already are, you’re asking for extra effort.
5. Is there a genuinely low-effort option?
A quick tap now, a QR for later, different energy levels, same intent.
6. Do you close the loop, visibly and often?
If nothing happens after people respond, you don’t just lose engagement, you train people not to bother next time.
We talked through this properly in our webinar with Stellantis UK, including what we changed, why it worked, and the role great design plays when you’ve got a client who trusts the process. Thanks Andy Martin