problem
The problem that I am trying to solve at Subway is to streamline employees work and reduce the hostile work environments. I have worked at multiple Subways throughout the Austin, Texas area for four years. Every Subway still uses paper for scheduling, task lists, etc. There are a lot of problems involving schedule confusion when the managers rely on employees to go into the store every week to check their schedule and write it down or take a picture of it. Throughout the day, there are checklists that need to be completed by the employees. The lists are handwritten and can lack information. This lack of consistency and direction cause a lot of problems between employees. (ie. wrongly accuse one another for not doing their jobs correctly, causing more work for someone else or not getting the schedules correct).
empathy map
I went back to my last store and interviewed people I worked with and asked their opinions about the store, and what daily problems they face. Each employee is a different age and each have different views about his or her job. I then took all responses and created a detailed empathy map.
Angelica is in her 20’s and this is her main job at the moment. She does not intend on making Subway her career; she would to get a better paying job in the future. Angelica is very dedicated because this is her income and a smooth environment makes the workplace more enjoyable. She will consistently try her best to help others and will always do her tasks properly. She gets involved with employee drama because when employees do not work as hard as her and does not get in trouble, she gets frustrated. She feels like her manager does not notice or acknowledge her hard work.
Jessica is in her 40’s and has worked in fast food her whole life. She works two different jobs and Subway is not her main job. Jessica does her own work and that is it. Jessica may help out others on rare occasions but she feels like you need to pull your own weight. She thinks that employees who do not do his or her job should be docked more hours or fired. She thinks the manager does not see the problems at hand and allows bad behavior to slip by too often.
Dylan is in high school. He works at Subway part-time and is not fully committed to his job. He has school and other problems teenage problems to worry about. Dylan will do his work properly, however he sometimes forgets what he needs to do. He does not think it is a big deal when mistakes happen. He does not want to get involved with other employees bickering since this is not going to be his future.
solution
The solution I came up with for Subway is an employee app. The Subway app will contain a lot of the basic necessities for Subway tasks. In the app, managers can update the weekly schedule in a matter of seconds, and everyone can now see exactly when they work with no excuses. The task lists will now all be operated on the app, and every store can add or subtract tasks based on their location and store size. The app is also able to keep track of food dates and will be able to add food dates so employees can focus on other tasks in the store. Additionally, employees will be able to request time off on the app. The request will go directly to the manager and he or she can approve right away. Then when the manager creates the schedule, the employee will not be able to be put on the schedule since they are off.
Paper Prototypes
I started my app by creating paper prototypes. The basic layout on the app I put the main screen options down below. Based on the employees responses, I decided on a basic home screen for notifications and alerts, a schedule screen, a food date screen, a checklist screen for all tasks to be marked off and completed, and a messaging screen for all employees and managers to contact each other easily. The checklist screen will sometimes require a picture for employees to take of their completed task, so the manager can review it and coach them if needed. This will reduce any employees from skipping tasks or doing them incorrectly. I user-tested my paper prototype with my classmates and people were having a hard time understanding how the functionality of the schedule worked. Everyone thought it was a too complicated and and they could not figure out how to request time off.
wireframes
I fixed the functionality issues with my wireframe; spacing things out better to make sure not all the options are hung up at the top with a bunch of negative space at the bottom. Each main screen is divided into three categories for people to select. I started labeling symbols to make sure people understand what they are selecting. After I user tested my wireframes, classmates were still having trouble navigating throughout the app. There was too much back-and-forth movement between screens.
wireframe prototype
This is the wireframe prototype I created using Adobe XD. Feel free to navigate throughout it.
final outcome
I corrected the screen navigation. I decided to make each screen have a navigation bar up top. Previously, there were three sections to each main screen, so the user would have to navigate back to the main screen by using the back button. The user can now go through the app without tapping so much.
The next step is to user test with subway employees to see if the app will be useful to them, and to see if there should be anymore improvements.
final prototype
This is the final prototype I created for the app. Feel free to navigate through it.