20% Time Saved for Cleaners with a Visual Scheduler
N E A T
Product Designer
StakeholdersĂ—2, Software EngineersĂ—2
1 Month
Background
As a contractor for Neat, I was brought in to help cleaning companies that were running their operations on brittle, chaotic spreadsheets. This wasn't just inefficient; it was actively costing them time and money. A single typo could cause a double booking, and visually confirming availability was a nightmare of scanning endless rows.
My goal was to design a scheduling solution that could replace these manual processes, eliminate costly errors, and scale with their business. The challenge was to create something not just better, but fundamentally more reliable.
From user pain-points to design principles
Through user interviews, I identified the core problem: the existing system was reactive, forcing managers to spend their days fixing problems instead of preventing them. To reverse this, I worked with the team to establish three key design principles that would guide the project:
- Clarity above all: The interface must provide at-a-glance information without ambiguity.
- Control through guidance: The system should make it easy to do the right thing and hard to make a mistake.
- Confidence in the tool: Managers should feel confident that the schedule is accurate and reliable.
Key design decision #1: a visual calendar to make time tangible
The biggest breakthrough was in how we visualized time. Instead of relying on color-coding or simple lists, I designed a calendar where the physical length of an event card represents its duration. This direct visual mapping made potential conflicts and availability gaps impossible to ignore. It transformed scheduling from a stressful cognitive puzzle into a simple, intuitive visual exercise.
Key design decision #2: component-based design for scannability
To combat information overload, I designed a custom job card component in Figma. By prioritizing clear iconography and a strong visual hierarchy, the card provides managers with all the critical, at-a-glance information they need—like job status and team assignment—without overwhelming them with secondary details. This component-based approach ensured the interface was both clean and highly functional.
Validating the experience with interactive prototypes
Because the interactions were so critical, I built high-fidelity prototypes in Figma to test and refine the drag-and-drop functionality. This allowed the entire team, including engineers, to get a real feel for the experience and provide feedback long before any production code was written. It was an essential step to ensure the final product was not only beautiful but also intuitive and robust.
/w=2048,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
The Outcome: A Command Center for Growth
The final design is a clear, error-proof command center that frees managers from the stress of spreadsheet management. By reducing errors, empowering users, and creating an indispensable tool for daily operations, the new scheduler provides a scalable foundation that allows cleaning companies to focus on what matters most: growing their business.
Quantifying the impact
The new design resulted in a 20% reduction in scheduling time, which we measured by comparing task completion times during user testing sessions.
Reflection: The power of a focused problem statement
This project was a powerful reminder that a deep understanding of the user's core problem is the most critical part of the design process. By anchoring every decision in the need to eliminate errors and provide clarity, we were able to create a solution that was not just a new set of features, but a fundamental improvement to our users' daily work lives.