Flexible work schedule
on My JEX app

UX Research ∙ Interaction Design ∙ Usability testing

Introduction

In this project, I developed a scheduling feature that greatly improves the experience for temporary workers. They get a clear overview of working hours, locations, and tasks, making it easier to coordinate with staffing agencies. By addressing frustrations like unclear interfaces and poor communication, everything is gathered in one place, and workers receive timely notifications. This leads to smoother scheduling for agencies and more control for the workers. This MVP lays the foundation for further improvements while already providing value to both parties.

My role

Responsible for the entire UX process: from user research and concept development to wireframes, prototypes, and usability tests, with feedback from team members and stakeholders for further refinement.

The team

A product owner, business analyst, senior UX designer and myself as a UX/UI designer, a lead developer, 2 full-stack developers, and a scrum master.

Timeline and Client

July 2023 - December 2023

JEX is a start-up providing software solutions for the staffing industry, including its flagship product OSS, which streamlines client, worker, and payroll management, and a BackOffice system for accurate payroll processing.

Problem statement

Temporary workers, including low-skilled and migrant workers, often struggle to manage their schedules. Because they work at various locations and have flexible hours, it’s hard to keep track. Many of them receive their schedules through inconvenient channels like scattered emails, phone calls, or paper schedules. This causes confusion about work hours, delays in submitting hours worked, and ultimately financial stress due to late payments. Without a clear overview and control over their availability, they often feel stressed and overwhelmed, negatively impacting their work experience.

How can we help temporary workers manage and understand their schedules, considering the challenges of inconsistent communication and irregular working hours?

Important findings

📌 Challenges of temporary workers

Temporary workers experience a lot of frustration due to unclear schedules and poor communication with their staffing agency. Submitting availability is difficult, and scheduling doesn’t always go as agreed. At the workplace, essential information is often missing, leading to confusion. Additionally, unreliable apps and changing work hours make tracking worked hours even harder. This results in unnecessary stress and inefficiency.

🔍 What do others do better (or worse)?

Many apps for temporary workers have common features but also some limitations. For example, not all apps offer the option to view payslips, and some, like those from Randstad and Tempo-Team, use the same template, resulting in similar functionality and a lack of uniqueness. Additionally, there are limited options to contact the staffing agency or employer, which can make communication difficult. However, most apps are available on both iPhone and Android, providing broad accessibility. Many apps also allow workers to submit their availability, which adds flexibility, and push notifications are often used to ensure timely updates and better communication.

Data analysis

96%

of temporary workers work
for only 1 or 2 clients

4%

Of these workers (mainly cleaners) work for more than 10 clients

👷‍♂️👷‍♀️

the common positions are construction, cleaning, harbour and transport and logistics

Usability testing findings

Problem

📌 Small text and buttons

Users found the text and buttons too small, making it difficult to read and navigate. This made using the app a little frustrating, especially when you have a small screen.

Problem

🎨 Clashing colors

Some color combinations clashed, making the interface look less pleasant and not always easy to read. Some found it appearing a little too dark at first, but overall not very disturbing.

Solution

✅ Improved readability

I adjusted the text size and enlarged the buttons to make the app more readable and accessible. In which was important because the app needed to have a Design System.

Solution

✅ Colorful harmony and branding

I reviewed the colors and improved the contrasts, making the app appear visually better but also in line with the companies branding.

Problem

📅 Hard-to-find availability setting

Users had difficulty setting their default availability because the option was buried deep in the profile menu, which wasn't logical at all.

Problem

ℹ️ Missing work and check-in information

Users missed important information, such as work procedures and check-in instructions, making them unsure about what to do at the location.

Solution

✅ Availability at your fingertips

I moved the availability setting to the schedule itself, where users intuitively expect to find it.

Solution

✅ Clarity on location

I added this essential information directly to the schedule so employees know exactly what to do.

Solution

Achievements

🗓️ Enabled more efficient scheduling:

I designed an intuitive scheduling feature that centralized all work schedules in one place, reducing confusion and improving communication for temporary workers.

🔄 Improved accessibility:

I simplified the process of submitting availability, allowing workers to easily adjust their preferences directly within the schedule.

📊 Applied user feedback:

I listened to user feedback and made improvements to the interface, such as increasing text size, optimizing colors, and making navigation more intuitive.

🤝 Collaboration with stakeholders:

I tried to insure that user needs were well aligned with business goals by maintaining clear communication and supporting design decisions with solid reasoning.

📱 Focus on usability:

I made the mobile app more user-friendly by developing a scalable design system and creating an interface that is both visually appealing and functional.

✅ Concrete impact:

The changes not only improved the user experience but also reduced administrative workload by adding essential information such as work instructions and check-in points.

Reflection

This project greatly impacted my growth as a UX designer. Designing a feature from scratch, balancing user needs with business goals, taught me the importance of flexibility, especially with limited UX research. I learned how to creatively work within constraints and quickly turn insights into effective designs. It also strengthened my skills in design systems and mobile app design, especially when developing the scheduling feature.

I gained a deeper understanding of creating scalable, user-friendly solutions. Additionally, collaborating with stakeholders and learning how to present designs clearly boosted my confidence in defending design choices. This project reinforced the idea that even successful solutions have room for improvement, and I'm inspired to continue creating user-centered, innovative designs in the future.

Interested in
another case? 🙌🏻

Building a flexible mobile Design System from scratch

Designed for mobile and implemented in the My JEX app, it delivers an intuitive and accessible interface