the_scheduler
the_scheduler is a unique management product created for a regional tile flooring company. This internal tool provides an efficient, collaborative solution to manage hundreds of jobs per month from scheduling to invoicing.
Role
UX Researcher
UX/UI Designer
Tools
Figma
FigJam
The Problem
What started as a small family-run organization has grown exponentially, working with the largest residential construction companies in North Texas and employing hundreds of sub-contractors.
The management team at Baez Flooring is fairly small, and their contract-based business model doesn't make them a good fit for existing CRM solutions. As they continue to expand, though, they need a way to streamline and directly collaborate on their accounting, operations, and data management processes.
The Solution
the_scheduler is a custom web-based tool that carries each new construction job through its entire life cycle. All processes are covered- from creating a new job with the builder's specifications to tracking final payments.
This innovative app simplifies complex flows, giving a booming business even more room to grow.
Key Features
Card-Based Data Display
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Essential information about a job or contractor is immediately visible, and expanded information fits within screen.
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Removes extra effort of scrolling through tables.
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Flexible Search & Filter
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Intuitive and customizable options that cover all consequential characteristics of a job.
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Always accessible in a side bar - making it easier and faster to find specific data.
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Ability to combine multiple filter and sort-by options lets users quickly find a single job among thousands.
All-in-One P.O. Tracking
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Easily locate all data, documents, and activity for a job.
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Large amounts of information grouped by 3 simple topics: general, purchase orders, and payment
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Never lose track of invoices and stay on top of late payments.
Empathize
Interview & Empathy Map
From a the stakeholder/user interview transcription, I first created an empathy map. This helped me discover primary pain points:
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Creating material orders from builders' complex selection sheets.
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Scheduling contractors to jobs and tracking the progress of each.
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Missing payments from builders as new work floods in.
Visualizing Processes
Through in-depth conversation with the CEO and other management, we visualized the complete timeline of each job - from the moment a builder contacts Baez Flooring to the day they receive and deposit payment.
This let us connect each pain point to relevant steps and roles, as well as get a clearer picture of how the business operates.
Define
Based on our stakeholder conversations and flow chart, we identified the core problems to tackle first in the project. How might we:
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Facilitate faster collaboration between management and easier communication with contractors for a business with no central office?
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Simplify daily scheduling of contractors and reporters to specific job sites?
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Help management follow up on open and overdue invoices without significantly increasing their workload?
Ideate
Simplifying Data Entry & Searching
Challenge:
What are the different types of data we use to identify a job and track its progress? How do we prioritize this data so users can easily find and manage a job or contractor on their dashboard?
I started by examining what information was needed to complete each step in the timeline and where that information would come from. At first, I tried prioritizing efficiency in creating new jobs. In this version, the initial form had as few inputs as necessary to make the job identifiable.
Paper prototypes revealed how often a flow would be diverted to add more complete information to a job profile. The time lost to constantly re-focusing on a different task ultimately made this approach less efficient, despite time saved at the front of the timeline.
We utilized auto-fill for data types that are often repeated (such as the building company), to make the input as efficient as possible.
Our user complained of lost time and effort going between table cells and the filter bar. I also switched the filter and sort options from a collapsible top-sticky modal to a permanent side-bar.
Similarly the user expressed a desire to see as much information about a job as possible, at a glance. I eliminated long, horizontal-scrolling rows in favor of collapsible cards. We also implemented greater customization for pagination controls.
Consolidating Information & Action
During a job's timeline, responsibility shifts between departments every 1-2 steps. Previously, management relied on email messages and locally-stored files to pass along tasks. This eats up time and poses the risk of referencing out-of-date information, losing important files, or altogether missing notifications for outstanding tasks.
The new address profiles introduced the ability to add all information, documentation, and notes for an address in one place, accessible to all relevant departments. Each profile section also includes and activity log to accurately track edits throughout the address's life cycle.
prototype
Validate
I performed a few rounds of usability testing, checking the efficacy of new table designs, user flows, and information architecture with each iteration. A few key results confirmed the efficacy of the current design:
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Changing from long rows to collapsible cards in tables reduced the time needed to locate specific data for a job by 42%.
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The ability to combine filter and sort selections, plus added categories, increased the total search options by a factor of 24. Given multiple search parameters, users located specific jobs 60% faster compared to previous designs.
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Consolidating data for each address into a robust profile reduced weekly effort spent finding and reviewing this information by nearly 50%
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Implementing features to document invoice information and track payment status is estimated to recover at least $700,000 in profits annually.