Worker Profile Management
Workday VNDLY
Due to NDA purposes, this project contains limited information and imagery - please contact for additional details.
Role
Lead UX Designer, Workday VNDLY
Product Strategy, UX Research, Stakeholder Interviews, UI Design, Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Accessibility Audits
Background
Workday VNDLY is a cloud-based software platform that helps companies manage their contingent workforce, including contractors, freelancers, and temporary staff. It streamlines the entire process from hiring and onboarding to payment and offboarding, offering a centralized system for managing non-employee labor.
Worker Profile Management (WPM) or Worker Tracker refers to the processes and systems used to create, maintain, and manage information about workers, whether they are employees, contractors, freelancers, or other types of workers. It encompasses a wide range of data and activities, all aimed at effectively managing the worker lifecycle.
Worker profile management in contingent workforce management systems is essential because it:
Centralizes worker data: Creating a single source of truth for all employee information.
Streamlines key processes: Automating HR and operational workflows like onboarding, offboarding, performance reviews, talent management, and workforce planning for efficiency.
Boosts collaboration: Improving communication and data sharing across teams. This promotes transparency and alignment, leading to increased productivity and efficiency.
Team
1x UX Designer, 1x PMs, SDE Team
Tools
Figma, Miro, UserTesting, Dovetail, Pendo
The Problem
Right after VNDLY’s acquisition by Workday, the current Worker tracking functionality- a legacy VNDLY feature that was not fully evolved was identified as a major gap that was deterring potential customers.
The decentralized approach to worker data management also led to inconsistencies, making it difficult to track worker information throughout their lifecycle. The current WPM system also lacked robust collaboration features, making it difficult for multiple stakeholders (HR, managers, vendors) to efficiently contribute to and review worker profiles, leading to delays and inaccuracies.
Thus the need to create a new Worker Profile Management Module that would allow stakeholders to create, track and maintain worker data.
Design Process
Research
Plan
Gather insights from Support, Implementations, and CSMs regarding common customer pain points and support trends.
Conduct user interviews especially with Vendor users to explore user needs, behaviors, and pain points related to the current functionality within WPM.
Synthesize interview findings, cluster insights, generate ideas, and validate them with users.
MVP and iterate longer-term strategy.
Research Goals
Identifying what functionality is currently lacking within the WPM module
Identify enhancements needed for the WPM module to add additional value to our customers
How can we make creating and managing a WPM easier for our stakeholders and customers
Built a Research Canvas to keep track of the research process as well as identify key Objectives, Target participants, Session flow for user testing and timelines.
Research Canvas
Qualitative User Interviews
User research was quintessential. In order to achieve that, we gathered as much as I could from the end users to understand the challenges they face and how they see the WPM module, making a difference in optimizing pain areas.
10 Interviews with multiple stakeholders including Hiring Managers, Managed Service Providers and Vendors.
Every stakeholder owns different areas and aspects of the WPM creation and maintenance process
Hiring/ Resource Managers
Vendors
Managed Service Providers
Gathering Interview Insights
We used Dovetail to create a repository by tagging the transcript of each interview to common themes we saw evolving.
Using these themes we were able to:
Gather key pain points that both our Client and Vendor users were facing
Identify new processes and missing gaps that would be valuable additions
Principal Findings and Top Selected Features
Access Individual Worker Information and maintain Worker History
Collaborative Worker Management and Access Control
Allow Vendors and Program Team to manage Worker Profiles
Participant Visibility, Activity Log and Version History
Worker status oversight
Onboarding and off-boarding checklist status tracking
Configurable Settings and custom fields
Key Stakeholders
The research made it evident how different users would use the WPM feature differently.
1. Vendor User: Vendors who provide contingent workforce
Initiate the creation of a Worker Profile that includes important data like Candidate Profile, work experience, as well as sensitive data like Date of Birth; Social Security Status; Work Authorization, Special Accomodations etc. Vendors have limited access to a Worker Profile but can view and track the Profile at most stages
2. Client User: Resource Manager/ Hiring manager
The Resource Manager is responsible for crucial parts of the WPM like Pay, Organization Unit for new requisition, Cost Center, Reason for Hire etc. The Client user is also responsible for the final approval of the Worker Profile. They have access to track the entire lifecycle of the Worker Profile from initiation, onboarding to off-boarding.
3. Program Team: Managed Service Partner (Middleman) Optional
The Program team Stakeholder is optional based on how a client sets up a program. If a Client uses a Managed Service Provider to fill requisitions for them; the Program team is responsible for bringing together the Candidate from a Vendor and setting them up with the Position requested by the Client.
Mapping new workflows
In the context of WPM, mapping new workflows is important because it involves multiple stakeholders with different needs and perspectives
Solution
Worked closely with the PM and designed a brand new Worker Profile Module, where multiple stakeholders can collaboratively create, edit and maintain Worker Profiles.
Some core functionalities included in the solution:
A collaborative form to create a Worker Profile
A form designed to be completed by various stakeholders collaboratively and sequentially - facilitating transparency and also redacting sensitive information like SSN etc from users that don’t have correct permissions.Participants Panel to edit and save permissions
A separate tab on the Worker profile where participants are listed, their permissions can be seen and new participants can be added.Form progress updates and separate views for each user type
A Progress bar to display completed fields, allowing other users to know that there is still time to submit. Views for various user types like Vendors and RMs being different due to permissions and visibility.
These designs showcase a few screens for the WPM feature, focusing on collaborative building of a profile. Due to NDA restrictions, only a limited selection of screens can be displayed at this time.
User Testing and Feedback
We conducted moderated tests on the working prototypes of the new Worker Profile Module with several participants from our Design Partner Groups. The feedback was generally consistent, and there was also interest in additional functionality.
65% of users did not see the need for a separate Participants Tab
The tab felt unnecessary and did not add value to the Worker Profile create hand off flow. Instead we were recommended to just display all the people who were invited to the Worker Profile.Majority users wanted a way to comment and communicate within the Worker Profile
A common feedback amongst all interviews was a way to assign and comment on the form itself so that stakeholders did not have to communicate missing information or discuss other details outside the system.
Improvements
Based on feedback and validating key functionalities from the usability tests, I went back to ideating mode and started to look at what can be improved.
Using Avatars in the header to manage contributors
A participant widget with progress updates was an easier and more robust way to display all participants and also check status updatesA detailed side panel that displays vital information
The side panel can keep track of contributor progress, also comment and assign tasks to various stakeholders assigned to the Worker Profile
Deliveries and outcome
After 2 months of educating and allowing users to understand the new flow, we turned on WPM v2 for all clients wanting this feature.
This new WPM allowed clients to create, maintain, capture baseline data to track their extended workforce and improve information accuracy.
Future plans to bulk upload Worker Profiles and manage duplicates in the system.
We delivered the MVP for Worker Profile Module and released the functionality into test tenants to educate and familiarize our stakeholders with this new module
Get more details on this Data Sheet about Worker Profile Management by Workday VNDLY.
Measuring Impact
CSM and Learning Product Managers saw an overall positive sentiment
Individual stakeholders did not have the full burden to maintain and create Worker Profile, allowing them more time to focus on other areas
Vendor users got more flexibility and autonomy to create and manage Worker Profiles
Do not over complicate an already complex feature
As a designer, we are often lured by attractive, trendy and out of the box designs. But, we must always remember the ‘why’. The primary goal is to understand the user, their problems and then come up with a design that solves it.Simplifying the navigation and focusing on core features significantly improved usability.
Tracking this feature on Workday Ideation Hub- An internal customer platform to share ideas and brainstorms
Future plans to bulk upload Worker Profiles and manage duplicates in the system.