Daisy - University of Washington IT

Scheduling Simplified, Service Amplified

Case Study

5 min read

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Project Overview

As an IT Consultant at the University of Washington, I identified a critical opportunity to address fundamental value conflicts in our daily operations. The scheduling system wasn't just inefficient, it undermined student autonomy, disrespected both students' and supervisors' time, and prevented fair task distribution across teams.

Going beyond my regular responsibilities, I volunteered to redesign the system through a value sensitive design approach, driven by the daily challenges I observed and experienced firsthand.

Role

Full Stack Designer

Tools

Figma

Timeline

4 Weeks

Dec (2024) - Jan (2025)

Skills

Product Design

Interaction Design

User Research

Our scheduling system Daisy offers basic schedule viewing. However its lack of features and poor mobile experience create unnecessary barriers for two specific groups of employees.

Current Interface

Current Interface

Student employees,

face three critical scheduling challenges:

A desktop-only interface

Manual email shift submission process

Six distinct clicks to view their daily schedule

Supervisors,

encounter two significant system limitations:

Must manually process schedules for 20+ students

Must create workarounds to monitor staff and tasks

Direct Stakeholders

UW IT's scheduling system Daisy directly affects two primary stakeholder groups:

student employees: value autonomy and work-life balance
supervisors: value efficiency and fairness in task distribution.

Current Interface

Student employees,

the system's most frequent users, value autonomy in managing their schedules and work-life balance that depends on reliable, accessible schedule information.

But,

they face three critical scheduling challenges:

A desktop-only interface

Manual email shift submission process

Six distinct clicks to view their daily schedule

Supervisors,

value efficiency and fairness in distributing shifts and tasks across their teams

But,

they encounter two significant system limitations:

Must manually process schedules for 20+ students

Must create workarounds to monitor staff and tasks

Mobile-First Redesign

60% of employees attempt mobile access despite poor usability. The redesign prioritizes touch optimization, enhanced readability, and simplified information to create an intuitive mobile experience.

Streamlined Submission Portal

Eliminating email-based scheduling saves supervisors 56 hours quarterly. The digital submission process transforms manual workflows with visual scheduling tools, smart status tracking, and streamlined one-click submissions.

In-Direct Stakeholders

Daisy also in-directly affects two groups:

Other IT staff who depend on accurate coverage
End users/callers who experience service quality based on staffing

Student View: Everything at a Glance

Mobile-First Redesign

66% of students check schedules daily. The new dashboard transforms a six-click process into a single view, showing current shifts, team coverage, task details, and weekly schedule with one-swipe access.

60% of employees attempt mobile access despite poor usability. The redesign prioritizes touch optimization, enhanced readability, and simplified information to create an intuitive mobile experience.

Student View: Everything at a Glance

Streamlined Submission Portal

Supervisor Command Center

Instead of spreadsheets Supervisors can now quickly spot coverage gaps, monitor task distribution, and manage schedule requests. Additionally, the right-panel action center turns what was once a 15-minute email process into a 15-second decision.

THE CHALLENGE

How can I modernize UW IT's scheduling system to support student autonomy and work-life balance while respecting supervisors' time and enabling fair task distribution?

THE HIGH-LEVEL GOALS THAT DEFINED MY DESIGN

Support autonomy through accessible, mobile-first design
Respect time by transforming email-based processes into digital workflows
Enable fairness through clear schedule visibility across all roles

Daisy Reimagined

A mobile-optimized platform, transforming fragmented email workflows and schedule visibility into a seamless digital experience.

Supporting student autonomy through accessible design

60% of employees attempted mobile access despite poor usability, revealing how critical mobile access was to their sense of autonomy.

The redesign prioritizes touch optimization, enhanced readability, and simplified information hierarchy to enable students to manage their schedules independently.

By removing the dependency on desktop access, the mobile-first design respects students' need for flexibility and self-sufficiency, core values for balancing work with academic life.

Visualizable data

Minimum of 16 px from screen edge

Bottom nav bar (64px)

Typography Hierarchy

Visual Feedback for interactions

Minimum readable text size (12px)

Touchpoints 44x44pt

High Contrast Ratios (4.5:1)

Respecting time and enabling fair oversight

The email-based submission process consumed 56 hours quarterly. This is time supervisors could have spent supporting their teams or ensuring equitable shift distribution.

By transforming this manual workflow into a digital submission portal with visual scheduling tools, smart status tracking, and one-click approvals, the redesign respects supervisors' time as a valuable resource.

More importantly, it enables them to uphold their value of fairness: with real-time visibility into coverage gaps and workload distribution, supervisors can make informed, equitable decisions about who works when, rather than scrambling to process emails and losing sight of the bigger picture.

Empowering work-life balance through clarity and predictability

66% of students checked their schedules daily. This is evidence of how critical schedule visibility was to planning their lives around work.

The original six-click process created unnecessary friction, undermining their ability to quickly assess their commitments.

The redesigned dashboard transforms this into a single view with one-swipe access to current shifts, team coverage, task details, and weekly schedules.

This design supports work-life balance by giving students the predictability they need to plan around classes, study time, and personal commitments. Clear, accessible information respects their time and reduces the cognitive load of navigating a clunky interface.

Enabling fairness through transparency and efficiency

Supervisors value fairness in distributing shifts and tasks across 20+ students, but the old system made it nearly impossible to see the full picture without manually reviewing spreadsheets.

The Supervisor Command Center provides at-a-glance visibility into coverage gaps, task distribution, and schedule requests, enabling supervisors to make equitable decisions based on real data rather than guesswork. The right-panel action center transforms a 15-minute email approval process into a 15-second decision, respecting supervisors' time while maintaining accountability. With transparent, real-time information, supervisors can uphold their commitment to fairness and ensure no student is overburdened while others are underutilized.

Quick stats showing coverage needs and peak hours

Coverage gaps highlighted in red

Tasks assignments visible at a glace

Real-time approval system for schedule request

Staff distribution clearly visualized by time slots

BACKGROUND

A System in Crisis

As an IT Consultant at UW, I encountered persistent complaints about our scheduling system from hundreds of employees. This pattern of feedback signaled a critical opportunity to transform an outdated system that was actively hindering productivity and causing unnecessary stress.

Their frustrations were clear:

"Jeez the view is so outdated and cluttered"

"I spend so many hours copying and pasting schedules from emails."

"The schedule is so bland and old making it hard to read"

"Jeez the view is so outdated and cluttered"

"I spend so many hours copying and pasting schedules from emails."

"The schedule is so bland and old making it hard to read"

RESEARCH

Value-Oriented Semi-Structured Interviews

To translate complaints into actionable solutions, I conducted structured research with 5 in-depth interviews and 20+ surveys across both supervisors and student employees. This mixed-methods approach revealed clear patterns of frustration while highlighting specific opportunities for meaningful intervention.

Interviews + Surveys addressing:

User behavior and interaction frequency
Specific pain points in the workflow
Satisfaction levels across different roles
Priority areas for improvement

Through these interviews, I identified several core values at stake: students valued autonomy and work-life balance, expressing frustration when the system forced them to depend on supervisors for basic information. Supervisors valued efficiency and fairness, noting that manual processes consumed time that could be spent on higher-value work.

RESEARCH

Feature Prioritization

With data in hand, I synthesized findings to identify actionable opportunities. Using an impact-effort matrix, I prioritized solutions that would create the most value while remaining feasible

Optimal Area

combinable

Navigation improvements

Hours Calculation display

Low Impact

Status indicators

High Impact

Low Effort

High Effort

Mobile Responsive Design

Task management integration

Calendar integration

Improved Schedule Visualization

Basic notification system

Personal/Team view toggle

Shift bidding system

Full calendar app

Timesheet integration (workday)

Profile customization

Task filters

Dark mode/light mode

Quarter schedule builder (UWMyPlan)

Direct schedule submission system

RESEARCH

Three Critical Problems

Through research synthesis, I identified three essential features that would transform daily workflows based on user needs, pain points, and stakeholder impact:

Mobile Experience

Compelling findings made mobile experience my top priority. The data revealed:

User Needs

Clear, readable schedule display on mobile devices
Efficient navigation without constant zooming and scrolling
Modern, mobile-first interface design

Clear, readable schedule display on mobile devices
Efficient navigation without constant zooming and scrolling
Modern, mobile-first interface design

Clear, readable schedule display on mobile devices
Efficient navigation without constant zooming and scrolling
Modern, mobile-first interface design

Pain-points

Cluttered time blocks are unreadable on small screens
Users forced to zoom and scroll horizontally
Made without a mobile-first approach

Cluttered time blocks are unreadable on small screens
Users forced to zoom and scroll horizontally
Made without a mobile-first approach

Cluttered time blocks are unreadable on small screens
Users forced to zoom and scroll horizontally
Made without a mobile-first approach

Quote

“The formatting and the interface of the scheduling system is sometimes hard to read and understand what times I or others start our shifts” - Student Employee

Impact/Affected:

60% of students attempt mobile view although the poor experience

Current Interface

Manual Schedule Submission

The email-based schedule submission process emerged as my second priority, with research highlighting these key points:

User Needs

Streamlined digital submission process to replace email workflow
Clear submission guidelines and format standards
Automated validation to prevent common errors and resubmissions

Streamlined digital submission process to replace email workflow
Clear submission guidelines and format standards
Automated validation to prevent common errors and resubmissions

Streamlined digital submission process to replace email workflow
Clear submission guidelines and format standards
Automated validation to prevent common errors and resubmissions

Pain-points

100% email-based submissions
Extremely tedious and error-prone manual process
Zero guidelines for emails resulting in resubmissions

100% email-based submissions
Extremely tedious and error-prone manual process
Zero guidelines for emails resulting in resubmissions

100% email-based submissions
Extremely tedious and error-prone manual process
Zero guidelines for emails resulting in resubmissions

Quote

”Each week it at least adds an extra 2 hours manually inputting schedule changes and its much worse at the start of the quarter” - Supervisor #1

Impact/Affected:

All students and supervisors, consuming 56 hours quarterly

Unclear Shift / Task visibility

Poor visibility emerged as my third critical priority. The current interface created significant operational challenges:

User Needs

Clear, simplified schedule overview
Integrated task labels for roles (Zoom, routing)
Real-time coverage visualization for better shift planning

Clear, simplified schedule overview
Integrated task labels for roles (Zoom, routing)
Real-time coverage visualization for better shift planning

Clear, simplified schedule overview
Integrated task labels for roles (Zoom, routing)
Real-time coverage visualization for better shift planning

Pain-points

Overwhelming view of shifts (hard to read)
Unable to track tasks (zoom, routing)
Coverage issues

Overwhelming view of shifts (hard to read)
Unable to track tasks (zoom, routing)
Coverage issues

Overwhelming view of shifts (hard to read)
Unable to track tasks (zoom, routing)
Coverage issues

Quote

“None of the tools provided actually let me see the tasks everyone is working on. If I had time, I could go to everyone's individual schedules and see them and look at the holes, but that just take a ton of time.” - Supervisor #2

Impact/Affected:

Both employees and supervisors, affecting daily operations

OBJECTIVES

From Research to Solutions

With clear priorities established, I developed three integrated solutions to address the key pain points:

Mobile Friendly Product

Automated shift submissions

Visual of shifts w/ details

All-in-one app for managing shifts, tracking hours, and handling schedule changes.

Calculate weekly hours, submit shifts, and receive approvals or denials directly in-app.

Interface displaying key shift details, team members, and their tasks at a glance.

OBJECTIVES

Measuring Success & Impact

I defined specific, measurable targets to validate the solutions' effectiveness:

Quantitative

Cut scheduling admin time in half (56→28 hours quarterly)

Eliminate 90% of schedule-related emails
Achieve universal mobile adoption (60%→100%)

Cut scheduling admin time in half (56→28 hours quarterly)

Eliminate 90% of schedule-related emails
Achieve universal mobile adoption (60%→100%)

Cut scheduling admin time in half (56→28 hours quarterly)

Eliminate 90% of schedule-related emails
Achieve universal mobile adoption (60%→100%)

Qualitative

Drive consistently positive quarterly satisfaction scores

Reach 90% approval rating for schedule visibility
Slash task management complaints by 80%
Build user confidence in schedule accuracy

Drive consistently positive quarterly satisfaction scores

Reach 90% approval rating for schedule visibility
Slash task management complaints by 80%
Build user confidence in schedule accuracy

Drive consistently positive quarterly satisfaction scores

Reach 90% approval rating for schedule visibility
Slash task management complaints by 80%
Build user confidence in schedule accuracy

IDEATION

Early Explorations & Ideation

Armed with research insights, I began by sketching core screens and mapping the user journey. This analog approach allowed me to rapidly explore multiple concepts before committing to digital designs.

White-boarding

The whiteboarding phase focused on dashboard layouts that prioritize today's critical information, logical task organization and navigation patterns, and clear decision points and approval workflows.

User Flow

The resulting user flow established the foundation for a streamlined experience that would address both student and supervisor needs while eliminating unnecessary complexity.

DESIGN

Creating the brand

I built on UW's existing design system, adopting their signature purple while creating a cohesive palette that balances productivity and accessibility. The design system includes 3 main features:

Brand colors clarify task types and status information with distinct semantic coding

Brand Colors

Husky Purple

#4C2983

Light Purple

#F3E8FF

Remote Orange

#E69138

Light Orange

#FCE5CD

Phone Green

#15803D

Light Green

#EFFFF4

Zoom Blue

#0B5CFF

Light Blue

#EFFFF4

Red

#CC0100

Light Red

#F4CACC

Text & Background

Primary Text

#222222

Secondary Text

#575757

Background

#F9FAFB

Popup

#FFFFFF

Secondary Text

#575757

Background

#F9FAFB

Popup

#FFFFFF

8-point grid system

8px - Minimal

16px - Standard

24px - Medium

32px - Large

48px - Extra Large

8-point grid system creates consistent spacing and alignment for easier scanning

8-point grid system

8px - Minimal

16px - Standard

24px - Medium

32px - Large

48px - Extra Large

8-point grid system creates consistent spacing and alignment for easier scanning

Typography ensures comfortable reading with accessible size hierarchy and strong contrast

Typography ensures comfortable reading with accessible size hierarchy and strong contrast

USABILITY TESTING

Refining Through Feedback

User testing revealed critical opportunities for improvement. I made targeted adjustments based on participant insights, resulting in a more intuitive and efficient experience.

#1 - Improved Dashboard Screen

The dashboard underwent significant transformation based on direct user feedback. The initial design provided basic scheduling information, while the revised version offers enhanced functionality and clearer task organization.

Before

After

I elevated the dashboard experience by:

Restructuring information hierarchy to prioritize what matters most

Adding clear visual cues for task timing, duration and location
Creating a swipeable interface for seamless daily/weekly views
Introducing team presence indicators to enhance collaboration

#2 - Nav Bar

Initial testing uncovered critical navigation confusion. Through three iterative versions and multiple rounds of feedback, I transformed the navigation experience.

Version 1

Version 2

Version 3

Version 3 improved user navigation by:

Renaming "Changes" to "Request" for clearer shift adjustment function

Adding labels to reduce cognitive load
Implementing purple underline for current location awareness

Renaming "Changes" to "Request" for clearer shift adjustment function

Adding labels to reduce cognitive load
Implementing purple underline for current location awareness

Renaming "Changes" to "Request" for clearer shift adjustment function

Adding labels to reduce cognitive load
Implementing purple underline for current location awareness

DESIGN HIGHLIGHT

Value Dams and Flows

Beyond usability improvements, the iterative testing process revealed deeper value tensions that required careful design decisions to balance competing stakeholder needs:

Real-time visibility vs. privacy:

I balanced this by showing supervisors aggregated coverage data without exposing individual student activity in real-time. Students control their own schedule view, and supervisors see operational needs – not surveillance.

Simplicity vs. information density:

I used a swipeable daily/weekly toggle so students get immediacy (today's schedule at a glance) with the option to dive deeper (full week view) when planning ahead.

Speed vs. thoughtfulness:

The approval interface surfaces critical context (requester name, coverage impact, conflicting shifts) directly in the action panel, so supervisors can make informed 15-second decisions rather than rushed ones.

Validation vs. flexibility:

I designed smart validation that flags potential issues but doesn't block submissions, allowing supervisors final judgment.

Real-time visibility vs. privacy:

I balanced this by showing supervisors aggregated coverage data without exposing individual student activity in real-time. Students control their own schedule view, and supervisors see operational needs – not surveillance.

Simplicity vs. information density:

I used a swipeable daily/weekly toggle so students get immediacy (today's schedule at a glance) with the option to dive deeper (full week view) when planning ahead.

Speed vs. thoughtfulness:

The approval interface surfaces critical context (requester name, coverage impact, conflicting shifts) directly in the action panel, so supervisors can make informed 15-second decisions rather than rushed ones.

Validation vs. flexibility:

I designed smart validation that flags potential issues but doesn't block submissions, allowing supervisors final judgment.

#1 - Improved Interest Filtering Screen

#1 - Improved Dashboard Screen

User testing revealed that participants found the original toggle interface overwhelming. The subtle color contrast between selected and unselected states created uncertainty, with users frequently losing track of their choices.

Before

After

We reimagined the interest selection interface with:

Colorful, distinct icons for each category
Larger, more visually engaging buttons
Clear labeling and visual hierarchy
Progress indicator at the top
Limited selection (up to 5) to prevent choice overload

I elevated the dashboard experience by:

Restructuring information hierarchy to prioritize what matters most

Adding clear visual cues for task timing, duration and location
Creating a swipeable interface for seamless daily/weekly views
Introducing team presence indicators to enhance collaboration

I elevated the dashboard experience by:

Restructuring information hierarchy to prioritize what matters most

Adding clear visual cues for task timing, duration and location
Creating a swipeable interface for seamless daily/weekly views
Introducing team presence indicators to enhance collaboration

FINALIZED DESIGNS

The Final Product

REFLECTION

Tripartite Methodology Framing

Conceptual: I investigated the values at stake which include: autonomy, efficiency, fairness, work-life balance. For these values I explored how they applied to this scheduling context. I also considered the meaning of "good" schedule visibility and what it means for a system to respect users' time.

Empirical: My interviews and surveys gathered real-world data on how stakeholders experienced the current system and what they valued. My usability testing provided empirical feedback on whether my designs supported those values.

Technical: I investigated the material properties of mobile interfaces (touch targets, contrast ratios, information hierarchy) and how they could support or hinder the values I identified. My accessibility considerations (4.5:1 contrast, 44x44pt touch targets, 12px minimum text) are technical choices that support the value of inclusivity.

REFLECTION

Learnings and Future Plans

One of the most fruitful parts of this project has been learning about the ways product informs design and vice versa. Moving forward, I'm most curious to see how new problems within the space I want to explore will continue to evolve my design.

What I Learned

This redesign challenged me to balance complex workflows with an intuitive interface. Through the process, I gained valuable insights:

#1

Research Drives Outcomes

Deep user insights led directly to meaningful solutions that addressed real pain points rather than surface-level symptoms.

#2

Iterative Testing Works

Multiple feedback cycles transformed good designs into great ones, particularly with navigation and dashboard elements.

#3

Simplicity Wins

Ruthlessly prioritizing features based on impact-effort analysis ensured we built the right solution rather than the most complex one.

What's Next?

While Daisy has significantly improved the scheduling experience, there's still more to explore:

How might I integrate predictive scheduling to anticipate staffing needs?

How might I integrate predictive scheduling to anticipate staffing needs?

How might I integrate predictive scheduling to anticipate staffing needs?

What additional mobile features would benefit supervisors who are frequently away from their desks?

What additional mobile features would benefit supervisors who are frequently away from their desks?

What additional mobile features would benefit supervisors who are frequently away from their desks?

How could I expand this solution to other university departments with similar challenges?

How could I expand this solution to other university departments with similar challenges?

How could I expand this solution to other university departments with similar challenges?

What analytics could help leadership make better long-term staffing decisions?

What analytics could help leadership make better long-term staffing decisions?

What analytics could help leadership make better long-term staffing decisions?

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