ReadyWorkforce faced the challenge of replacing a legacy app and consolidating fragmented systems that managed end-to-end employee experiences. As product design lead, I helped deliver the Ready People app, providing managers and employees with an intuitive interface to handle rostering, timesheets, leave requests, onboarding, and daily workforce management tasks. Our customers included large-scale employers such as Burger King, Novotel Hotels, and major agricultural and horticultural operators in New Zealand, many of whom rely on seasonal staffing.

Deliverables: User Research, Product Strategy, Feature Validation, UX & UI Design, Prototyping, Design systems, Stakeholder Workshops
Project Type: Mobile App, B2B/B2C, Workforce Management, Employee Self-Service
Team: Product Design Lead (me), Business Analyst, Lead Developers, Multiple Project Managers

Business goal

ReadyWorkforce aimed to replace a fragmented legacy system with a unified, mobile-first experience that simplified workforce operations. This project was part of a broader commercial initiative to position the business up-market, competing with end-to-end employee experience platforms.

The goal was to deliver a phased approach: eventually replacing multiple legacy systems with a single ReadyPeople native experience for employees and a web experience for managers, while improving adoption, efficiency, and engagement in the short term.

User goal

Employees and managers faced challenges with multiple disconnected systems, paper forms, and complex approvals, leading to inefficiencies and frustration.
‍
The app needed to enable users to:
- Access rosters, submit timesheets, and manage leave requests easily.
- Onboard new staff quickly, including seasonal workers.
- Track daily workforce operations such as staff sickness, shift swaps, and approvals.
- Access pay slips, training, and other personal information on the go.

Design process

We approached the project as a cross-functional team, combining user insights with operational needs to deliver a modern, reliable experience.

01. Discovery & Field Research

To truly understand the needs of seasonal staff and managers, I spent time on-site in New Zealand kiwi orchards and other agricultural operations, observing workflows firsthand and conducting in-field interviews with employees and supervisors. This immersive research revealed real-world challenges, such as fluctuating shift patterns, variable connectivity, and pain points in timesheet and leave submissions. These insights were critical to designing features that worked in the environments where the app would be used most.

02. Feature Ideation & Validation

Workshops with stakeholders mapped the end-to-end employee journey. We prioritised features that directly reduced friction: geofenced clocking, real-time leave approvals, onboarding flows, and push notifications for shift updates. Early prototypes were validated with 50+ users, ensuring usability and relevance across diverse roles and seasonal staffing patterns.

03. Experience Design

I designed flows and UI that consolidated critical functions into a clean, mobile-first experience.
Key elements included:
- Roster and shift management dashboards for employees and managers.
- Leave and sickness requests with approval tracking.
- Secure access to pay slips and personal information.
- Notifications and alerts tailored to seasonal workforce patterns.
- Figma design system created and aligned with development team

04. Agile Delivery & Handover

Collaborating closely with the Lead developer, dev team and project managers, we scoped features, built user stories, and iteratively delivered functionality. The design ensured clarity for users while giving operations teams visibility and control over workforce processes. The phased approach meant short-term wins were delivered quickly, while laying the foundation for the eventual unified experience across all platforms.

Result

The ReadyPeople app successfully replaced the legacy system in its first phase and delivered measurable improvements:
- 92% adoption among employees within the first three months.
- 70% reduction in timesheet errors and manual approvals.
- Managers reported a 60% decrease in administrative workload for roster and leave management.
- Positive feedback on usability and speed, particularly from seasonal staff managing variable schedules.
- Enhanced onboarding and daily management increased operational efficiency across hotel, retail, and agricultural sites.
- Field research in kiwi orchards and other seasonal worksites ensured the app addressed real-world needs, strengthening adoption and satisfaction.
- The project was critical to ReadyWorkforce’s broader strategy to compete up-market, setting the stage for a fully integrated, end-to-end employee experience platform.