Calendar for a Traveling Saleswoman
Calendar for a Traveling Saleswoman
Problem Statement
Users often struggle to keep up with their calendars and arrive at the right places on time, especially when dealing with frequent travel, multiple time zones, and packed schedules. The challenge is to create a solution that helps them stay organized and punctual.
Design Challenge
The goal is to design a smart calendar flow and interface that seamlessly integrates meeting schedules across different time zones, adapts to each client’s availability, and proactively assists users in being on time for their commitments. The calendar should function as a reliable assistant, ensuring that users never miss an important meeting due to scheduling conflicts or time zone confusion.
Project Goal
The project aims to develop a calendar planning app that allows users to view and process their schedules at a glance. The app should support the creation of events across different time zones while preventing scheduling conflicts. It should ensure that users reach their meetings on time, regardless of location, and provide a hassle-free experience for sales professionals navigating international travel. Additionally, the app should make scheduling meetings easy, offering dynamic notifications to clients once they are tagged as participants in an event.
Step 1: Build Empathy
When first approaching this task, there was an initial assumption that all calendar apps function similarly, offering the same basic features. Another assumption was that most users simply rely on the default calendar app preinstalled on their devices without exploring alternative options.
To better understand the existing landscape, three major calendar apps—iOS Calendar (mobile and desktop), Google Calendar (mobile and desktop), and Microsoft Outlook (desktop)—were analyzed. While many core functionalities were consistent across these platforms, some surprising differences stood out. Certain highly useful features were exclusive to one app and missing in competitors. Even more notably, some mobile app features were absent from their corresponding desktop versions, and vice versa. These inconsistencies highlighted the gaps in current calendar solutions.
To expand the understanding of personal organization needs, an online survey was developed, consisting of 9–10 multiple-choice and single-choice questions. This survey helped gather diverse perspectives on calendar usage. In addition to the survey, informal interviews were conducted with colleagues through quick desk-side conversations. Three key questions were asked: Which calendar app do you use? What do you like about it? What features do you wish it had? The responses provided valuable insights into how individuals manage their schedules and what improvements they desire in a calendar app.
Step 2: Define
Once the research data was collected, Google Forms was used to generate visual charts and graphs, making it easier to assess the findings. The data revealed that the majority of users manage both personal and business events within the same calendar. A common frustration among users was the difficulty of keeping track of time zone changes while traveling. A smaller but notable group of users also found it challenging to interpret flight details within their calendars. These insights laid the foundation for designing a solution that effectively addresses these pain points.
Next Step: Create a Persona
Pain Points
Before the Journey:
Users often miss meetings or face inconvenient scheduling due to incorrect time zone calculations. Coordinating with clients is a hassle, as they have to go back and forth over email to finalize a suitable meeting time.
During the Journey:
Managing multiple time zones across origin, connecting, and destination cities is challenging. Users need to keep track of the current meeting time to avoid scheduling conflicts. They also find it frustrating to switch between multiple apps—such as chat, email, documents, calendar, ride-hailing, clock, and search—just to manage their schedule efficiently.
User Goals & Needs
User goals should always be framed in the customer’s language, as this provides key insights into their expectations, even if they seem demanding.
Users want a seamless experience where they no longer have to manually track time zones. They need a quick and hassle-free way to schedule mutually convenient meetings without unnecessary back-and-forth communication. When running late, they want an easy way to update clients without additional effort. Additionally, users prefer a unified solution that eliminates the need to switch between multiple apps to manage their meetings and travel plans.
Step 3: Ideate
User Story Map
User Flow Diagram & Sitemap
A key objective of the project was to ensure the app remained intuitive and displayed as much relevant information on a single screen as possible.
Research indicated that the most commonly used calendar views were month, week, day, and agenda—in that order. Since no single view could fully accommodate all organizational needs, survey participants were allowed to select multiple options. The results showed that month and week views were the most preferred, so the primary focus was placed on optimizing these views.
Due to the structured nature of calendars, the user flow diagram and sitemap for the project remained relatively straightforward. Efforts were made to minimize the number of screens and incorporate partial transitions to streamline navigation. The goal was to design a flow where users naturally progressed from the most frequently used pages to the next most relevant sections, ensuring a smooth and efficient experience.
Step 7: Usability Testing
Testing is an integral part of every stage in the UX process, helping to identify and resolve design issues early on. To assess usability, prototypes were tested with random users who were asked to complete key tasks, including:
Navigating the app
Creating a new event
Finding the best meeting time across multiple time zones
Accessing settings
Viewing current meetings
To ensure a well-rounded evaluation, the following testing methods were conducted:
Hallway Testing – Quick usability tests with random users to gather initial feedback.
Expert Review Testing – Evaluation by UX professionals to identify design flaws and areas for improvement.
A/B Testing – Comparing different versions of features to determine the most effective design choices.
Conclusion
Calendars may seem straightforward, but user interactions with them can be surprisingly complex. While some users are highly engaged and meticulous about their calendar usage, others simply stick to the default options available to them. Regardless of the level of engagement, it is essential to present information in a clear and meaningful way to enhance usability and efficiency.
Design Toolkit
The project utilized a variety of tools to streamline research, design, and prototyping. These included Sketch, Illustrator, Google Forms, Google Drive, Xtensio, Lucid Charts, pen and paper, Material Design, and of course, a generous supply of espresso to fuel the creative process.
