Replicon: Employee Scheduling Application
Sample wireframe (PDF, 1.3 MB)
Full-size screenshot (new window)
Objectives
The ability for a manager to schedule their employees' time was key functionality to the suite of time management software offered by Replicon. The manager had to be able to schedule multiple shifts which repeated for any number of days (not just a week).

Challenges
The interaction allowing schedules to repeat at any interval of days caused space and clarity challenges. In addition, the manager needed to be able to understand the schedule at a glance, as well as see the specifics about each shift. They also needed to see how a repeating schedule looked on a sample calendar.

Solution
I came up with a way to display repeating schedules, displaying the number of repeating days but similar to a regular calendar so they could be easily digestible. Shifts were shown both as blue lines, for easy viewing at a glance, and as a numeric display for digesting the details of the day. Below the day-by-day view was a sample calendar, showing how the schedule would repeat, based on the starting date specified by the pattern length.

Modifications I Would Suggest
The screenshot shown at left shows a couple elements that I believe should be changed, but they were not mocked up prior to me leaving. (These can be better seen in context in the PDF file linked above.) First, the blue lines are meant to indicate the number of shifts per day. The circles on the end were meant to indicate what type of shift it was (either defined by start / end times, or simply as a number of hours). This visual treatment is not clear and needs to be further explored. Second, the "Pattern Start Date" field is shown above the days schedule. It would be more relevant to place it near the Sample Calendars, probably by their heading.