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Redesigning Scheduling for Frontline Workers

Worforce Management

Redesigning Scheduling for Frontline Workers

Transforming shift management to empower employees and streamline operations at WorkJam

Project Overview

The WorkJam scheduling system needed a user-centric overhaul to support frontline teams from small coffee shops to enterprise operations. I redesigned the experience to introduce a calendar-based view, simplify shift creation, reduce compliance risks, and empower employees with more control and clarity.

Problem Statement

The legacy list-based interface was hard to navigate, inefficient for managers, and limited for employees. Space constraints, lack of visual clarity, and fragmented features created barriers to efficient scheduling, compliance, and worker autonomy.

Industry

Worforce Management

My Role

Senior Product Designer

Platforms

Web and Mobile

Timeline

October 2020 - December 2020

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Outcome

Managers saved hours weekly with clearer views and faster scheduling workflows.
Employees felt more in control and were able to manage shift changes with minimal manager involvement.
The new vertical navigation and scalable layout supported upcoming features while improving usability across platforms.

Persona

Helen Christens

Store Manager

A store manager at Apple in charge of scheduling employees across multiple shifts in a high-traffic retail environment.

Age: 42

Location: Chicago

Tech Proficiency: Medium – comfortable, values intuitive UX

Gender: Female

Goal

Quickly assign, update, and validate shifts across locations or roles.

Ensure scheduling compliance and reduce overtime risks.

Minimize back-and-forth communications with employees.

Frustrations

Hard to see availability or conflicts in a list-based layout.

Too much manual work to maintain compliance and fairness.

Employees can’t manage changes or swaps easily on their own.

Process

[01] User Research

Interviews with stakeholders, including the CPO, to identify gaps in the current system and define needs across business sizes.

Shadowed scheduling workflows from both managers and employees to uncover key friction points.

Analyzed user feedback related to navigation pain points, feature fragmentation, and responsiveness issues.

[01] User Research

Interviews with stakeholders, including the CPO, to identify gaps in the current system and define needs across business sizes.

Shadowed scheduling workflows from both managers and employees to uncover key friction points.

Analyzed user feedback related to navigation pain points, feature fragmentation, and responsiveness issues.

[01] User Research

Interviews with stakeholders, including the CPO, to identify gaps in the current system and define needs across business sizes.

Shadowed scheduling workflows from both managers and employees to uncover key friction points.

Analyzed user feedback related to navigation pain points, feature fragmentation, and responsiveness issues.

[02] Insights

Managers need a visual overview to make fast, compliant decisions.

Employees crave autonomy, clarity, and real-time access to shift data.

A unified and mobile-friendly layout improves adoption and reduces training overhead.

[02] Insights

Managers need a visual overview to make fast, compliant decisions.

Employees crave autonomy, clarity, and real-time access to shift data.

A unified and mobile-friendly layout improves adoption and reduces training overhead.

[02] Insights

Managers need a visual overview to make fast, compliant decisions.

Employees crave autonomy, clarity, and real-time access to shift data.

A unified and mobile-friendly layout improves adoption and reduces training overhead.

[03] Design Solution

Introduced a split-screen calendar view for managers to easily spot overlaps, gaps, and conflicts.

Transitioned to a visual and interactive interface for employees to view schedules, make requests, and swap shifts independently.

Integrated availability settings into the scheduling flow and restructured navigation into a scalable vertical layout optimized for mobile.

[03] Design Solution

Introduced a split-screen calendar view for managers to easily spot overlaps, gaps, and conflicts.

Transitioned to a visual and interactive interface for employees to view schedules, make requests, and swap shifts independently.

Integrated availability settings into the scheduling flow and restructured navigation into a scalable vertical layout optimized for mobile.

[03] Design Solution

Introduced a split-screen calendar view for managers to easily spot overlaps, gaps, and conflicts.

Transitioned to a visual and interactive interface for employees to view schedules, make requests, and swap shifts independently.

Integrated availability settings into the scheduling flow and restructured navigation into a scalable vertical layout optimized for mobile.

[04] Testing & Iteration

Validated layout changes through internal beta sessions and rapid usability tests with both frontline employees and shift managers.

Refined vertical navigation and responsiveness based on usage across mobile and desktop devices.

[04] Testing & Iteration

Validated layout changes through internal beta sessions and rapid usability tests with both frontline employees and shift managers.

Refined vertical navigation and responsiveness based on usage across mobile and desktop devices.

[04] Testing & Iteration

Validated layout changes through internal beta sessions and rapid usability tests with both frontline employees and shift managers.

Refined vertical navigation and responsiveness based on usage across mobile and desktop devices.

Key Learnings

Clarity Translates to Control

Visual scheduling empowers both managers and employees to act with confidence.

Clarity Translates to Control

Visual scheduling empowers both managers and employees to act with confidence.

Clarity Translates to Control

Visual scheduling empowers both managers and employees to act with confidence.

Context is Everything

Merging availability and scheduling into a single flow reduces friction and improves task completion rates.

Context is Everything

Merging availability and scheduling into a single flow reduces friction and improves task completion rates.

Context is Everything

Merging availability and scheduling into a single flow reduces friction and improves task completion rates.

Scalability Starts with Structure

A modular, responsive layout creates space for future features and consistent cross-platform experiences.

Scalability Starts with Structure

A modular, responsive layout creates space for future features and consistent cross-platform experiences.

Scalability Starts with Structure

A modular, responsive layout creates space for future features and consistent cross-platform experiences.

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