Punch Records Made Easy: Streamlining Employee Time Management for a National Chain

Designing a streamlined employee punch tracking system, improving operational efficiency and payroll accuracy for a large nation-wide fried chicken franchise.
COMPANY

HotSchedules for Raising Cane's

ROLE

UI / UX Designer

EXPERTISE

UX Design

YEAR

2023

Project Goal

To transform a basic, static employee punch report spreadsheet into a user-friendly, interactive page on the backend dashboard, improving operational efficiency and payroll accuracy for restaurant managers.

The Challenge

Raising Cane's restaurant managers relied on a basic, non-interactive spreadsheet for tracking employee punches. This report was difficult to navigate, lacked features for actionable insights, and was cumbersome, especially with large datasets, making it hard for managers to quickly extract necessary information for labor cost management.

The Solution

I redesigned the report into a beautiful, fully interactive backend page. The focus was on improving readability, adding essential data points, and ensuring ease of use. Key features like simplified filters, dynamic resizing, and different view options were implemented, built within the modern BaseWeb design system.



Before and after the redesign of the Punch Records Report

My Role & Process

I led the design of the report from concept to completion, employing a user-centric approach:

  1. Research & Planning: Conducted market research to understand labor tracking challenges for managers. Planned the transition of the design to the BaseWeb system for a modern and consistent interface.

  2. Building the Table: Designed a row-based layout focused on glanceability, presenting essential data points clearly while adhering to clean design principles to avoid overwhelming users.

  3. Filters & User Control: Collaborated with the product team to develop simplified filters that offered necessary control without adding complexity, allowing managers to quickly find specific data.

  4. User Feedback & Validation: Presented the design to the client (Raising Cane's), who provided feedback that validated key design decisions and praised the improved readability and added data.

  5. Handoff to Developers: Provided detailed documentation for seamless implementation.

Outcome & Impact

The redesigned Punch Records Report became a user-friendly, editable in-browser tool that significantly enhanced restaurant managers' ability to manage labor data. By focusing on clarity, readability, and key interactive features, the new report made labor tracking easier and more efficient, directly impacting operational workflows. The project also served as part of HotSchedules' strategic push to implement the BaseWeb design system.

Key Takeaways

This project underscored the importance of transforming static data into interactive, user-centric tools to improve operational efficiency. It demonstrated the impact of usability on daily workflows for users like busy restaurant managers. Leading the design within the transition to a new design system (BaseWeb) highlighted the importance of consistency and scalability for future product development.


Key Features Implemented

  • Improved, Simplified Table Layout

  • Increased Visibility of Key Data Points (Missed Punches, Total Hours, etc.)

  • Auto-Layout for Dynamic Resizing and Reordering

  • Simplified Filtering Options (Time Range, Employee Name, etc.)

  • Multiple View Options

  • Different Print Options

  • Modernized Design System (BaseWeb Implementation)

Design System & Aesthetic

The design was built utilizing the BaseWeb design system, providing a modern, consistent, and scalable aesthetic for the report interface.

Deliverables

  • Redesigned Interactive Punch Records Report (Backend Page Design)

  • Design Specifications and Documentation for Development



Collaboration

Collaborated internally with the product team on feature scope (filters) and externally with the client (Raising Cane's) to gather feedback and validate the design. Worked with developers for implementation using the BaseWeb system.

Challenges Faced

A key challenge was transforming a basic, static spreadsheet into a dynamic, interactive tool while ensuring the interface remained intuitive and not overwhelming, despite the large datasets involved. Integrating the design seamlessly within the new BaseWeb design system was also a factor.

Measuring Success

Success was measured by positive client feedback on the improved readability, usability, and added data points. The design's impact on making labor tracking easier and more efficient for restaurant managers was the primary goal and measure of success.