Timeline
November - February 2024 (15 weeks)
My Role
Solo student project for Springboard UX Bootcamp
UX research, exploring the problem area, solution design, user interviews, journey mapping, sketching, wireframing, screen flows, prototyping in Figma and testing with users.
PROBLEMTime-consuming scheduling of shifts in small businesses
Manual shift scheduling is an arduous task in small businesses, leading to inefficiencies and mutual dissatisfaction among managers and employees for shift changes, cancellations, or last-minute adjustments.
SOLUTIONAn Interactive and Collaborative Scheduling App
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Information about current data regarding shift scheduling was gathered through the internet. Here are some enlightening statistics from Webinar Care:
“ Employers waste a lot of time on work schedules [...] 68% of employee work schedules are handwritten. Almost 1 in 2 shift workers in the US gets their weekly work schedule on a piece of paper.” https://webinarcare.com/best-employee-scheduling-software/employee-scheduling-statistics/
Managing shift changes, absences, and sick calls is time-consuming. Allowing employees to handle shift swaps and replacements empowers them, reducing the workload for managers.
USER INTERVIEWS
My interviewees want a digitally shared schedule with real-time updates.
Some research questions:
Can you describe the scheduling process at your workplace and how you feel about it?
What tools or methods are used to create and manage schedules?
Could you describe the communication process between managers and employees?
What are your thoughts about the current communication process?
Which aspects of the current shift scheduling worked for you and which didn‘t?
ANALYSIS
Affinity mapping
The key points and quotes from each interview were jotted down, and then grouped based on common themes. This was to extract valuable insights and highlight the issue in the current scheduling process to better understand how the problem can be resolved.
Insight #1 Digital Solution
The current shift scheduling is mostly done manually (human error), with Excel sheets or pictures sent in a group chat.
The lack of digital accessibility to the schedule causes confusion, there is no real-time access to schedule changes.
Team members are not notified of availability submissions, upcoming shifts, etc.
Changing availability can be a long process.
Insight #2 Big workload on managers
Managers find coordinating shift swaps and changes troublesome.
Creating schedules time-consuming.
Workforce management is not collaborative.
Personas - Manager and Employee
Two personas that would use this app were created using the existing data. Referring to them help me empathize with the user and remind me of their needs and frustrations.
DESIGN
Initial Sketches
Wireflow
Comprehensive wireframes were used to systematically map out the user flow across the entire app.
I wanted to have a visual representation of the user flow to make sure that I did not leave out any features and that the interaction made sens.
Prototyping, Testing, and Iterating
I ran a usability test on my high-fidelity prototype with 3 users, gathered feedback, and worked with my mentor to refine the design. A second round of usability testing was then conducted to improve the design.
ANALYSIS
Affinity mapping
The key points and quotes from each interview were jotted down, and then grouped based on common themes. This was to extract valuable insights and highlight the issue in the current scheduling process to better understand how the problem can be resolved.
THE FINAL SCREENS
Final product
CONCLUSIONMy takeaways
Embarking on my first solo UX project has been an absolute adventure! 😄 I’m extremely grateful for the entire journey of navigating through the entire UX process. I’ve learned a few key lessons:
Iterating and simplicity are key! The user interviews helped uncover hidden issues, emphasizing the gap between my assumptions and the user behavior.
The value of stepping back: Taking the time to review, revise, and rework what has already been done; be reminded of the end-user and the importance of solving the problem.