Geofencing
Increasing timesheet accuracy with location-based time tracking in TSheets.
Client: TSheets (acquired by Intuit)
Role: Product Designer
Date: Apr 2018 – Jun 2019
TL;DR
As the lead designer, I delivered TSheets' #2 most requested feature, geofencing, which boosted trial conversions and reduced timesheet edits by over 40%.
Overview
By early 2018, geofencing was the second most requested feature from user feedback, reflecting a significant demand among users. TSheets recognized an opportunity to enhance the app’s value for workers by reducing the need to correct missed punches, as well as requiring manual corrections from admins (over 60% of accounts did not allow workers to edit their own timesheets).
By positioning geofencing as a tool for workers to easily clock in and out based on their location, TSheets sought to improve user convenience, accuracy in time tracking, and overall satisfaction with the mobile app.
The solution
A significant amount of the work for implementing the geofencing feature set relied on how to efficiently use background location tracking to detect when the device was entering a job site with an assigned geofence radius.
As the lead designer on the location aware team, I led the brainstorming, iteration, testing, and final specs for the geofencing experience, which had workflows across web and mobile between admin and worker roles.
The admin experience
In the TSheets web product, we introduced a new location-specific panel that allows admins and managers to assign a physical address to a job. This panel also provides customization options for the geofence radius, enabling admins to specify the exact size of the geofence surrounding the job location. This ensures that employees are automatically clocked in or out based on their proximity to the designated job site, offering greater accuracy and control over time tracking.
The worker experience
In the TSheets iOS and Android mobile app, workers that had location tracking enabled would receive a notification when entering or exiting a geofence around a job site. The time at which they interacted with the geofence would be saved, so when the app was opened they had the option to retroactively clock in or out, eliminating the need to correct a missed punch.
Outcomes
We launched the geofencing beta experience in August 2018, where it remained in that state until being included in the launch of the TSheets Elite product in the summer of 2019. Prior to full release, we had tracked the following success metrics from accounts that had enabled the geofencing feature:
Only 8% of timesheets that were created through geofence activity required time corrections. (targeted 10%)
63% of employees that clock in or out with a geofence will continue using that method to track time on a weekly basis. (targeted 40%)
Accounts that have geofencing enabled saw a 40% reduction in timesheet edits requiring an admin or manager to correct.
New company accounts that enabled geofencing during their trial period were 1.2x more likely to convert.
Geofencing
Increasing timesheet accuracy with location-based time tracking in TSheets.
Client: TSheets (acquired by Intuit)
Role: Product Designer
Date: Apr 2018 – Jun 2019
TL;DR
As the lead designer, I delivered TSheets' #2 most requested feature, geofencing, which boosted trial conversions and reduced timesheet edits by over 40%.
Overview
By early 2018, geofencing was the second most requested feature from user feedback, reflecting a significant demand among users. TSheets recognized an opportunity to enhance the app’s value for workers by reducing the need to correct missed punches, as well as requiring manual corrections from admins (over 60% of accounts did not allow workers to edit their own timesheets).
By positioning geofencing as a tool for workers to easily clock in and out based on their location, TSheets sought to improve user convenience, accuracy in time tracking, and overall satisfaction with the mobile app.
The solution
A significant amount of the work for implementing the geofencing feature set relied on how to efficiently use background location tracking to detect when the device was entering a job site with an assigned geofence radius.
As the lead designer on the location aware team, I led the brainstorming, iteration, testing, and final specs for the geofencing experience, which had workflows across web and mobile between admin and worker roles.
The admin experience
In the TSheets web product, we introduced a new location-specific panel that allows admins and managers to assign a physical address to a job. This panel also provides customization options for the geofence radius, enabling admins to specify the exact size of the geofence surrounding the job location. This ensures that employees are automatically clocked in or out based on their proximity to the designated job site, offering greater accuracy and control over time tracking.
The worker experience
In the TSheets iOS and Android mobile app, workers that had location tracking enabled would receive a notification when entering or exiting a geofence around a job site. The time at which they interacted with the geofence would be saved, so when the app was opened they had the option to retroactively clock in or out, eliminating the need to correct a missed punch.
Outcomes
We launched the geofencing beta experience in August 2018, where it remained in that state until being included in the launch of the TSheets Elite product in the summer of 2019. Prior to full release, we had tracked the following success metrics from accounts that had enabled the geofencing feature:
Only 8% of timesheets that were created through geofence activity required time corrections. (targeted 10%)
63% of employees that clock in or out with a geofence will continue using that method to track time on a weekly basis. (targeted 40%)
Accounts that have geofencing enabled saw a 40% reduction in timesheet edits requiring an admin or manager to correct.
New company accounts that enabled geofencing during their trial period were 1.2x more likely to convert.