Schedule Solver
A case study about a nurse scheduling solution.
This application helps users manage the creation of shift schedules. The previous experience was fragmented and inconsistent, relying mostly on physical edits after printing the schedule.
As one of the designers for the nurse manager experience, I collaborated closely with PMs and developers to create a scheduling system by gathering user research insights and expanding our existing design system. I joined in spearheading this design-driven initiative to create a more seamless application, setting the foundation framework for future applications in the Commure OS.
Role
Product Designer
Responsibilities
UX/UI, prototyping, research
Timeline
2022
Status
Pilot, Shipped
Problem
HCA needed a way to transform their scheduling and staffing process to improve employee satisfaction, provide equitable and balanced schedules, and have the ability to match prospective patient volume to staff.
They already had developed a staffing optimization algorithm, so it was up to us to operationalize it via a new UI.
Solution
blurb
Research & Discovery
This project came with a clear set of requirements and expectations, but we also made it a priority to gather insights first hand. We had the opportunity to send team members to different facilities to shadow nurses and get a direct understanding of their needs as the end users of our product. Our goal was to observe their current scheduling process, make note of clear pain points, and analyze their makeshift solution to display the staffing optimization algorithm.
Once we had a first iteration of a few essential workflows, we held two design feedback sessions at different HCA facilities where nurses could drop in throughout the day and leave comments. The participants were very engaged and excited to see us working on improving their scheduling process. They were pleased with the direction our solution was taking, with the most frequent requests being to change how we alert of staffing issues, offer a more comprehensive view of all shifts, and to provide an easier method of matching nurses with a needed skill set to an open shift. We translated their sticky note suggestions into clear goals for our next iterations.
highlight week they are under and show options for best shift
cancel / call off reasons drop down
also search other nurses on roster
important for shifts to be balanced - different skill levels
MVP
#1 Show a more comprehensive display of shifts
Originally we were displaying shifts as AM and PM, but nursing shifts overlap and have several different start times throughout the day. We needed a way to show gaps and surpluses in available staff by shift window. This was accomplished by introducing a collapsible section listing each shift window showing the value of targeted staff - scheduled staff = delta in each table cell. This equation had been included in the client's makeshift solution, so we knew displaying the information this way was already familiar to our users.
#2 Update shift error indicators
In our first iteration we highlighted the date of each shift that was imbalanced, with priority placed on understaffed shifts in the case an AM shift had too few employees and a PM shift too many. After our feedback sessions we understood from nurse schedulers that it is common for shifts to be understaffed, and it wouldn't be helpful to see every day highlighted in red. What would be most helpful for our users is to know which shifts are overstaffed so they can reallocate those nurses.
We tried to solve this by changing the hierarchy of alerts to place most importance on overstaffed shifts, but found this still created a lot of cognitive load and stress on our users. Having our users see a newly completed schedule already full of alerts and icons telling them things are wrong isn't a pleasant experience. Instead we opted to adjust our summary periods accordion to include the value of nurses needed along with smaller indicators to show if each window was over or understaffed. This way the schedulers can decide to look for information regarding staffing numbers and at a glance decide which shift widows to tackle first.
#3 Match needed skill sets
The last adjustment we made was to match nurses with a needed skill set to an open shift. We did this by separating shift needs by skill and showing only employees that match that needed skill set. Users also have the ability to search within that list for a specific employee.
Reflections
This project offered a lot of opportunity for me to learn and grow as a designer. I was able to collaborate closely with different roles such as UX researchers, product managers, and developers. I'm grateful that our team got the opportunity to observe users in their usual work environment and gather direct feedback from them on our ideas. It's rewarding knowing that our solution helped an HCA facility adequately staff their nurses, allowing them to provide better quality care to patients.
This solution went live in one HCA facility before the project was put on hold. I would have loved to continue working to bring other requested features to life and see this app go live in more locations.
Other Projects
Coming Soon
A usability test of alternative menu designs.
