Project Brief
Goal: retail employees performing job tasks need a way to track their work and performance using checklists.
Problem: users completing a checklist are often interrupted, or lose wifi connection, and discover they've lost their data.
Solution: conduct a 5-day Design Sprint to investigate the issues and validate a solution.
I facilitated the Design Sprint and worked with 6 subject matter experts:
- 1 UX Designer / Facilitator (me)
- 1 Product Manager / Decider
- 1 Mobile UX Designer
- 1 Mobile Product Manager
- 1 Customer Success Manager
- 1 Mobile Engineer
- 1 Implementations Manager
Inkling had a forms product where users could import data to document their work performance. The problem, though, was constant on the job interruptions. Every time users would return to the form they'd be locked out and lose their data. There had to be a more reliable solution.
Final Design
Users log in and begin a new checklist from the home screen.
Data from the user automatically fills preliminary questions (left), then users complete steps as the checklist auto-saves and counts progress (right).
Locked out users will find an easy continuation from the home screen.
Users have a way to report issues to teammates within the flow of work.
Users sign-off completed checklists and have a record of progress.
The Design Sprint Process
I facilitated a team of 6 experts through Jake Knapp's Design Sprint process.
User Personas
There were multiple personas touching this problem area, but we needed to narrow our focus on the most critical problem: the user who struggled to complete checklists due to lost data.
User Flow
Users attempting to complete a checklist were interrupted or timed-out of their tablet as they moved through a series of actions. Our design sprint decider clarified that re-entry was critical.
Sketches/Wireframes
We all proposed our own ideas. I created sketches by hand to explore the core structure of a checklist and how user would flow though it.
Prototype
I worked with a mobile UX designer to craft our prototype to validate with users. We wanted to see how well the save states and step counters would test.
User Testing
The results showed areas of improvement, but overall save state indicators and the auto-save feature seemed to work as a concept. We also received qualitative feedback to inform what about the design should change.
Outcomes
The design sprint was a success, and we developed a concept with a valid business case. There were a few things to address:
- The prototype exposed some minor usability issues with save state.
- Users also clarified some needs around managing an inventory of checklists and needs around sharing checklists between users.
- Reporting issues needed improvements when it came to communicating with recipients and tracking work orders.
This project was handed off to our mobile design team and was prioritized on the product roadmap.