ProWatch: Optimizing Shift Configuration & Shift Rotation
CATS4U
Company
Product Designer
Role
Workflow Optimization, Data Entry Simplification, System Intelligence, User Guidance
Focus Areas
4 WEEKS
Timeline
Introduction
ProWatch is a shift-management platform used by operations teams to configure, schedule, and automate workforce rotations. The goal was to streamline an overly complex process that required users to juggle dozens of interdependent shift variables with little system guidance. The redesigned experience introduces a structured, intuitive workflow that reduces cognitive load, prevents configuration errors, and gives users a clear, visual understanding of how their shift patterns will unfold across time.
Timeline
8-week engagement covering research, analysis of the existing configuration flow, redesigning shift creation, building the shift rotation experience, and producing high-fidelity screens.
Background
My role involved understanding how teams currently create and manage shifts, synthesizing interview insights, identifying where errors and delays occur, and restructuring the workflow to reduce manual workload. The goal was to produce a clearer, more guided experience that aligned with operational needs while making the system easier for first-time users and daily schedulers alike.
HIGH-LEVEL PROBLEM
The existing shift creation process required users to manage several parameters spread across multiple screens, making it difficult to configure shifts accurately and confidently. Users frequently struggled to understand how different inputs affected the final outcome, especially when defining working hours, breaks, and rules. The lack of clarity and contextual guidance resulted in repeated back-and-forth adjustments, misconfigurations, and longer setup times. For teams handling multiple shift types, this created operational delays and increased cognitive load.
RESEARCH INSIGHTS
User interviews revealed clear patterns in how administrators approached shift creation and where they encountered the most difficulty. Across sessions, participants consistently described the process as time-consuming, fragmented, and heavily reliant on prior knowledge. Through these conversations, it became evident that the system needed to better support users by reducing mental load, clarifying dependencies, and making the flow more intuitive end-to-end.
Users often felt unsure about how their inputs would influence later steps.
The volume of required fields created hesitation and slowed progress.
Many relied on personal notes or past examples to avoid misconfiguring shifts.
Difficulty understanding how new shifts connect with existing schedules
Repetitive actions required for similar shift types
Lack of contextual help during setup
No preview mechanism for validating configurations early
NEW SHIFT CREATION
The redesigned shift creation flow breaks the process into clear, sequential steps, giving users a structured path instead of overwhelming forms. Each step focuses on a specific part of the shift, reducing cognitive load and making it easier to review details before moving forward. By separating shift details, working hours, breaks, and rules into modular screens, the interface becomes more approachable, predictable, and easier to learn for new users.
DESIGNING SHIFT ROTATION
Shift rotation was one of the most complex parts of the ProWatch workflow. Users needed to assign multiple shifts across a cycle, ensure correct sequencing, and then map employees into those rotations without losing track of what was configured earlier. The redesigned experience breaks this complexity into two clear phases creating shift groups and assigning users to rotations giving users a logical, guided path that prevents misalignment and reduces rework.
Creating a Rotation Structure
Shift groups allow users to bundle multiple shifts into a coherent rotation cycle. This step gives structure to patterns such as Morning → Evening → Night or other operational combinations. The interface uses simple cards, labels, and sequential placement of shifts so users can clearly understand how each shift contributes to the complete rotation.
Configuring Group Details
Each group includes : Shift order, Cycle length, Repetition logic By visualizing shifts as ordered blocks, the system provides instant clarity into how the rotation will unfold over days.
User Rotation
What it means User Rotation defines how groups of employees move across different shifts based on the rotation cycle. Users rotate → shifts stay fixed. This rotation focuses on the people, not the shift structure.
Assigning Users to the Rotation Cycle
Shift groups allow users to bundle multiple shifts into a coherent rotation cycle. This step gives structure to patterns such as Morning → Evening → Night or other operational combinations. The interface uses simple cards, labels, and sequential placement of shifts so users can clearly understand how each shift contributes to the complete rotation.
Configuring Group Details
Each group includes : Shift order, Cycle length, Repetition logic By visualizing shifts as ordered blocks, the system provides instant clarity into how the rotation will unfold over days.
Impact
The redesigned workflow brought clarity and structure to a previously fragmented shift management process. By introducing guided steps, visual previews, and organized rotation logic, the experience now supports faster decision-making and minimizes costly configuration errors. Users can now move through shift creation and rotation setting with confidence, supported by a cleaner hierarchy and a system that reveals information progressively instead of overwhelming them upfront.
Reduced Cognitive Load
Breaking complex tasks into logical steps made the process easier for both new and experienced users.
Clearer Understanding of Shift Logic
Visual grouping and sequential ordering helped users see how each shift fits into the rotation cycle.
Fewer Errors During Configuration
Better field organization and guided inputs minimized mistakes that previously required frequent corrections.
Faster Setup Across Teams
With improved clarity and predictability, teams could complete shift creation and rotation mapping more efficientl
Key Learnings
Designing for operational workflows reinforced the importance of clarity, structure, and progressive disclosure. Even when users are familiar with the domain, overly dense or unstructured interfaces slow them down and increase the likelihood of errors. Breaking the experience into guided steps, grouping related inputs, and showing users how each action impacts the larger configuration proved to be crucial in reducing confusion and improving accuracy.
What I Learned
1. Simplifying complex systems starts with reordering information, not reducing it. The right grouping and sequence can turn a heavy process into a manageable one. 2. Visual hierarchy is essential for confidence. When users can immediately understand what belongs where, they move faster and make fewer mistakes. 3. Previews and summaries reduce uncertainty. Allowing users to see outcomes before saving improves both trust and efficiency. 4. Guided flows benefit both new and experienced users. New users learn faster, and expert users complete tasks with fewer corrections. 5. Operational tools require future proof structures. Designing components & flows that scale ensures teams can extend the system without redesigning it each time.Users often felt unsure about
