BACKGROUND

It was routine for me to hold off making plans while I waited for my work rota to be sent into the WhatsApp work group chat. When it didn’t arrive Wednesday, I would wait 24 hours before checking again. On the off occasion when it didn’t turn up Thursday, I would pray for its appearance on Friday. When it finally arrived via PDF format, I would have to download it, then ZOOM IN just to read it. I found this process impractical and troublesome... I assumed I wasn't the only one who felt this way.

PROBLEM

User’s found that communication within the team was lacking and falling short. Users had problems with their shifts, leave and the rota in general, affecting their personal life.

Solution

Create a clear and effective Rota viewing app that prioritises effective communication between employees and makes the annual leave request process quick and simple.  

USER RESEARCH 

I knew I couldn’t be the only one with frustrations when it came to my rota so I planned and conducted user interviews with 7 colleagues that took place over a work-week, during lunch.  Each interview was 5 - 10 minutes long. I asked them the questions below (and more) to find trends on problems they came across with our current rota receiving process then organised my data through affinity mapping.

Affinity Mapping

Based on the trends in my affinity map, I’ve noticed that our rota receiving process affected colleagues’ work/ life balance and was riddled with problems I hypothesised. Specifically, it highlighted a very important pain point that all employees experienced, fickle communication

Main Insights

Pain Points

Persona

To better define the problem I was trying to solve, I developed two primary personas demonstrating our target users.

Personal Statement

Roberta is a sales assistant who needs easy access to her rota, with more than two weeks’ notice, so she can plan her doctor appointments around work.

IDEATION

HOW MIGHT WE….

I created a list of ‘how might we’ questions based on the insights and pain points. One that stood out to me was

How might we incorporate communication into a rota app?

I thought it was best to do a competitive analysis for inspiration.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Before sketching I analysed 5 rota apps/ work tracking apps, hoping to find some inspiration for the layout and insight on any features I was missing: Simple rota maker, My shift planner, Shift days, Shifter, Rotageek

I analysed both indirect and direct competitors, looking at their general information, unique value propositions and overall UI; interaction, visual design and content. I found that 4 out of 5 of the apps focused on colour coded, information-heavy calendars which I found overwhelming and not easy to read. Navigation was also not as simple as I would have predicted. 

The competitive analysis allowed me to highlight my UVP. COMMUNICATION. I found that none of these apps prioritized communication between colleagues/team members.

The Unique Value Proposition - A DM feature and Notice board to replicate the interaction of a group chat.

SKETCHES

Sketching for Efficient Flows + Visualizations

I started to look at different UI to design the best visualization of the rota layout and feed page. I originally presumed a responsive website would work best as part of the solution, so started looking at desktop dashboards for inspiration and sketching. However, after a session with my mentor, she explained to me the importance of a mobile-first design process. This reinforced my doubts about a desktop version of this app because my initial research showed that none of the participants wanted or needed a desktop version.

DESIGN

Once I put the desktop version aside I focused on the mobile app rough sketches. I started wireframing and developing my lo-fi prototype.

TESTING AND ITERATIONS

FINAL DESIGN

REFLECTIONS AND WHAT I LEARNED

1. Not ALL feedback needs to be implemented. I received a piece of feedback during the second user testing stage that seemed insightful. However, when I tried implementing it into my designs it didn’t work. I struggled with letting the idea go because, in theory, it should have worked. I realised while it was a good idea it wasn’t aligned with the goals of the app. I learned that not all user feedback and ideas are buildable and as the lead UX designer it’s important to know what works and when to let go.

2. Teamwork makes the dream work. I was very lucky to be able to work with my colleagues on this project and how immersed and verbal they were when it came to the interviews and feedback.

3. GOING FORWARD. I noticed a few participants had apple watches when I was interviewing them. I would love to design the UI for this screen. I believe it provides a practical, easy access screen to review their rota or any notifications from the app.