STAFF SCHEDULING MOBILE APP
Staff Scheduling App is a comprehensive workforce and scheduling management platform, empowering managers to efficiently administer the rostering process. The app streamlines scheduling tasks, facilitates team communication, and provides real-time visibility into staffing needs.
Team
Myself
Role
UX/UI Design, UX Research, Branding, Interaction Design
Tools
Miro, Figma, Adobe Suite
Duration
Summer 2021 | 4 Weeks
CHALLENGE
Managing employee schedules in the restaurant industry can be a cumbersome task for managers, requiring extensive communication with employees and dealing with unexpected issues such as shift swaps and day-offs. This process becomes particularly challenging for part-time workers who frequently change jobs across multiple restaurants. As a result, there is a need for a modern and intuitive mobile application that streamlines the rostering process, enabling managers to efficiently manage employee schedules and handle unforeseen events in a user-friendly manner.
I decided to create an app for managers and employees that helps them to handle and check scheduling information. It provides streamlined communication, enabling users to request their preferred working shifts.
USER
RESEARCH
I conducted interviews to gain insights into the experiences and preferences of the users. Through research, the primary user group identified comprised 3 male and 2 female general managers who require an efficient and intuitive way to manage schedules and confirm requests. The interview questions mainly focused on:
Can you describe your experience with managing schedules?
How do you feel about completing the rostering process?
When there’s an empty shift and nobody can be at work, how do you deal with it?
What methods do you use to make schedules?
Could you share an experience when employees switched shifts with each other?
What other challenges do you face in the rostering process?
Are there any solutions you believe could address these challenge?
The findings from the research revealed that time was not the only factor limiting users from managing schedules. Additional user problems included obligations, emergencies, or other issues made it challenging for them to manage staff.
PAIN
POINTS
01.
Shift Conflicts
One of the most common scheduling issues is shift conflicts, which pose a challenge for managers as they strive to persuade employees and reconstruct schedules. This issue usually result in understaffing or overstaffing problems.
02.
Last-minute Conflicts
Managers frequently encounter unexpected issues due to insufficient notice, including sudden shift swaps, and emergencies, and absences. These notification are typically received at the last minutes.
03.
Vacation & Day-Off Request Management
Despite employees submitting vacations or day off request in advance, managers are tasked with manually tracking and documenting them on the calendar.
04.
Manual Roster Management
Many businesses still rely on creating rosters in Excel or with pen and paper, which consumes a significant amount of time and effort.
USER
PERSONA
From the research, I synthesized the insights into two distinct user personas. The first persona is represented as a assistant manager who faces the challenges of managing scheduling for the employee at work. The second persona is a server who navigates unexpected events while pursuing her education.
EMPATHY
MAP
JOURNEY
MAP
I focused on the manager persona, Timothy Joubert, to understand how he could interact with his employees and proceed to the rostering process. Mapping out the manager's user journey revealed potential benefits, including greater visibility into shifts, improved employee engagement, and increased accuracy, of creating a dedicated mobile app for end users.
PROBLEM
STATEMENT
Timothy Joubert, an assistant manager, seeks an easy and stable way to manage schedules due to frustration with late employee responses regarding requests and unexpected changes.
Bella Garcia, a student and server, requires flexibility in her work shifts due to having many assignments to complete independently.
MY GOAL
STATEMENT
The project will enable users to throughly manage the schedules, which will impact both managers and employees. Managers will save time by being able to notice their employees’ availabilities without direct contact and by simply adding shifts when necessary. Employees will benefit by being able to request time off without needing to ask someone in person and by being able to take open shifts. Effectiveness will be measured through reviews, sign-ups, and data usage.
COMPETITIVE
AUDIT
I conducted the competitive audit to gain insights from three direct and indirect competitors regarding their products, strengths, and weaknesses. Through a thorough review and examination of their offerings, I identified key aspects of their concepts and strategic approaches.
USER
FLOW
After defining the process, I created a user flow to structure the interaction with the app. This flow enabled me to visualize how users could complete tasks from start to finish.
To explore the user experience with the staff scheduling app, I created two different storyboards:
one focused on the overall user journey and the app’s usefulness.
Another focused on the transition between screens.
WIREFRAME
USABILITY
TEST
While observing usability testing with real users, I noted observations across various themes, color-coding them in a spreadsheet:
Opinions on the product's usefulness are marked in red.
Assigned tasks are indicated in blue.
Tone of voices is represented in green.
UX and UI suggestions are shown in black.
The usability testing with five participants revealed findings on aspects of the mockups that needed refining. Insights from the testing included:
Users want to see the number of employees' shifts on the calendar screen.
Users need a more intuitive way to open a shift so that others can take it.
Users want the selection of roles to be more emphasized.
UI KIT
COMPONENT
DROPDOWN
COLOR PALLET
TYPOGRAPHY
BUTTONS
TOGGLE & CHECK BOX
AVATAR
TOP & BOTTOM BAR
INPUT BOX
HIGH-FIDELITY
DESIGN
HOMEPAGE -
SCHEDULE
When opening the app, easily view the weekly and monthly schedules, including all employee roles and their working periods. Implement a filter to select specific roles and a toggle button to view only my shift.
ADDING
SHIFT
Simply add shifts, including names, roles, dates, working periods, and notes. Names and roles are already set up when inviting members to the app. Selecting ‘set a shift by default’ automatically set up the working periods.
AVAILABLE
ACESSMENT
Feature employees’ availabilities without direct contact. Available working periods can be filled by simply clicking on each of them.
NOTIFICATION
Accept or reject each employee’s request for shift swaps and day-offs. When accepting their requests, their working period automatically change.
CONTACT LIST
Offer a contact list for making work-related call or send a message.
REQUEST & OPEN SHIFT
Implement a feature of making requests and open shifts to allow other employees to take shifts. Easily view available employees for the day and select which shift you’d like another employee to take.
After making a request, the process immediately notifies a manager.
