Optimising the Four Day Work Week Through AI Scheduling.

Team
Celinna Huynh, Angela Duo

Year
May 2022

  • In this case study, the team embarked on a journey to explore the concept of a four-day work week. Our objective was to uncover the potential benefits and drawbacks associated with this work schedule. Through empathising, research and analysis, we unearthed a critical challenge: the potential for scheduling conflicts among team members, where one person's day off might not align with another's.

  • To tackle this challenge head-on, we embarked on a journey of technological exploration, pushing the boundaries of what was previously considered possible. Our primary focus was on harnessing the potential of AI-driven scheduling, even venturing into the realm of cutting-edge, yet-to-be-realized technologies.

  • Our approach embraced a diverse array of human-centered methodologies, each meticulously tailored to help us understand the user’s experience:

    Discover
    2 hour Generative Focus Group Session | Sensitising Activity Exercise | Context Mapping Exercises

    Define
    Research Visualisation Infographic Poster | Card Sorting

    Ideate
    Storyboards | Decision Matrix | Competitor Analysis

    Test

    Customer Journey Mapping | Video Prototyping

UX Research Methodology 🔬

Our research team followed a human-centered design approach where we involved our users – including full-time, part-time or casual workers – in the design process to gain a deeper contextual understanding of their needs and desires. Through the research we gathered, we employed the Double Diamond design model created by the Design Council (2019) to define, develop and deliver.

👀 Discover.

Sensitising Exercises 💘

As the target demographic of our research are full-time, part-time or casual employees, our sensitising exercises were designed to be a profound reflective activity for the participant to express their experiences about working. The 6 creative exercises our team created allowed participants to write, draw, graph and use emojis which assisted them to become more aware of their experiences.

Generative Mapping 🗺️

The generative mapping session was held on Miro which consisted of 2 context mapping exercises. This required users to to fill out various templates and timelines with images and words (i.e. users were asked to create collages).

Setting Up the Generative Sessions 🍽️

  • We gathered participants who are currently or have worked in full-time, part-time, or casual positions to get the most valuable insights. We included people who have worked in the past as we believe that knowing about why they may have left will help answer our research questions. Most of our participants are in the 20s, with one participant being in their 40s. We have two male and five female, who work in a range of sectors including health, education, technology, engineering, business, and science.

  • Due to the coronavirus, we conducted one session face-to-face and two through zoom. By mimicking the face-to-face experience in a digital sphere, we believed it would yield similar results that would be as rich as if we were to conduct this offline. Conducting this online can also allow participants to take part in these sessions in a comfortable environment for them. This gives them a sense of familiarity and more motivation to spend doing their activities.

    We conducted 3 context mapping sessions with 2-3 people in each as that number is manageable for 1 facilitator to handle.

    The facilitator is:

    • Responsible for keeping the session in order and guiding participants on tasks.

    • Manages the session as they are the one who have gathered the participants; hence they are more familiar with one another.

    Since Zoom enables the facilitator to record the session, the recording can also be archived and be sent to all researchers to reevaluate in order to gather overlooked insights. With the rise of technology, it has become a lot more convenient for video recordings to be stored and transcriptions can be automated with high accuracy.

  • Digital tools were used to carry out the generative sessions. The main tool used was a device of choice and Miro as it is capable of real-time collaboration. Additionally, it is an inexpensive tool capable of mimicking real-life user research session as it allowed for users to create drawings, add post-it notes, move around images and add stickers with a click of a button.

Generative Sessions 🧠

  • We introduced ourselves to the participants, providing an introduction when unfamiliar with them and explaining the purpose of their presence. We presented a concise overview of the activities they would engage in. In instances where participants were not acquainted, we facilitated a brief ice-breaking activity. For instance, one ice-breaker was for participants to say their name and an activity they loved to do.

  • Given the likelihood that our participants were unfamiliar with Miro, we taught them the fundamental aspects of the Miro interface to help them become acquainted with the platform.

  • For our sessions, we first introduced participants to the sensitising exercises they completed prior to the session. Having each participant explain their answers in detail allows us to have deep insight into their feelings and experiences. It also serves as an ice breaker as each member reveals who they are and serves to prompt an open dicussion with the rest of the group.

  • In the second part of the session, we asked participants to participate in cognitive mapping exercises, which incentivised them to think about their ideal work week if a four-day work week was employed. Through layering, we can clearly see their emotions and reasoning and point out trends by comparing other participants’ timelines.

    In asking users to reflect on their dreams, fears, aspirations and ideas, we would be able to learn about their possible future experiences.

    This collaging activity is powerful as we are able to see whether our participants feel their schedules align well with the current work model or whether they prefer the four-day work model.

    We selected more than 100 unique images and words that either offered a unambiguous or ambiguous interpretation and positive, neutral or negative associations to allow participants to capture the full extent of their dreams, feelings and experiences.

  • We expressed our gratitude to the participants for their valuable time and then invited them to share any additional thoughts or comments they might have.

Key Takeaways 🔑

Lack of Participant Diversity 👯

We acknowledged limited diversity in generative sessions due to small, related groups, resulting in fewer unique experiences. The lesson is to include participants from diverse cultural and work backgrounds for broader insights.

Facilitator Inexperience 🐣

We recognized our inexperience as facilitators. We've learned the importance of better preparation, including introducing participants in advance, clarifying activity schedules, and managing time effectively to keep discussions on track.

Lack of Effective Questioning ✍️

The team missed potential insights by not asking probing questions. The lesson is to enhance questioning skills using frameworks like Aristotle's 5Ws for more comprehensive responses.

Don’t Overextended Solo Facilitator’s Role 🧑‍🏫

One facilitator leading the session while the other observes and analyzes maintains balance and prevents missed or misinterpreted details, enhancing insights.

✍️ Define.

Converging Data with Card Sorting

We used transcription apps to convert data, with errors corrected by the session's facilitator. Collaboratively, we reviewed the transcriptions, extracting micro and macro themes. Trello aided efficient organisation, allowing us to create statement cards and categorise them by theme. Additionally, Trello's colour tags linked quotes to participants.

🫢 Finally, we unveiled the key macro themes …

⬇

Countries like Ireland and Belgium have successfully trialled and implemented the four-day work week with government programmes ensuring no pay cuts for employees. Inspired by this global trend, we aim to design an innovative solution to counteract negative workplace trends in Australia.

We defined the key problems and themes of a four-day work model

  • Transitioning to a four-day work week offers a significant advantage—more leisure time, a remedy for fatigue and workload associated with the traditional work week. Our research consistently shows employees desire reduced hours, aligning with broader trends. However, some express concerns about increased workload, particularly in essential sectors like healthcare, where demand outpaces the workforce.

  • Collaboration is vital for productivity, but a four-day work week creates scheduling complexities due to flexibility, impacting teamwork and social connections. Differing day-off preferences hinder social planning, affecting communication and relationships.

  • Reducing working hours may seem counterintuitive, but it can boost productivity. Many participants believe it alleviates work pressure, reduces concerns about "wage slavery," and enhances workplace productivity. While a minority expressed concerns, academic research, like a 1970s U.S. study (Henderson, 2015), supports increased productivity and more leisure time with a four-day workweek. Hartman and Weaver (1977) found it also reduces absenteeism, lowers turnover, and increases job satisfaction.

  • The 4-day work week boosts employee flexibility but burdens supervisors and bosses with navigating diverse employee schedules, potentially leading to decreased productivity. In one multinational company's experiment, 53% of surveyed supervisors found the 4-day workweek detrimental to their work area, while only 17.5% reported benefits (Goodale & Aagaard, 1975).

In light of the recent pandemic, the detrimental effects of a relentless hustle culture have become clear, where prioritising work over personal well-being led to overwork. This has fuelled the rise of the anti-work movement, challenging wage slavery and burnout, and advocating for work models that prioritise employees' health and well-being over profits.

We chose to focus our efforts on addressing the scheduling challenges of the four-day work model.

“I find it really hard because I don’t have time to focus on [playing the piano], because all my time is dedicated to looking after kids, working, or house chores, and I always get distracted.”
— Annie, 42 years old, Healthcare worker

💡 Ideate.

✨ Design Goals

  • Reshape the four-day work week's perception as a practical solution for work-life balance.

  • Create a seamless digital experience for users to manage schedules and professional boundaries.

  • Ensure accessibility for diverse backgrounds, seniority levels, socio-economic statuses, and disabilities.

Idea Generation With Stories 📗

We chose storyboarding as our concept generation method because it offers a visual and user-centric approach to idea development. Storyboards enable us to explore various scenarios, improve the user experience, and align concepts with user journeys. They also promote collaboration within the team and facilitate clear communication with stakeholders. Additionally, storyboarding supports an iterative process, allowing us to refine and innovate our ideas effectively.

The Best Design Solution 🤔

We used Kepner and Tregoe's Decision Making Process to improve decision-making. After storyboarding, we reconsidered the Hololens as the primary solution, recognising its limitations in addressing user scheduling needs and accessibility across socio-economic backgrounds.

We shifted to a more inclusive approach, combining software AI with an app and a smart hologram device, offering accessibility to all through the app while enhancing the experience for those opting for the smart device.

Integrating Gamifi-cation

Gamification enhances user motivation and productivity by incorporating game-design elements into products and services. However, it should complement the main task rather than becoming a distraction. In HOLLO, users can:

  • Set task-related goals, such as weekly exercise hours.

  • Earn badges for completing tasks.

  • Customise their AI character with unlocked items.

Analysing our Market Competitors

👨‍🔬 Test.

Stepping into our User’s Shoes Through Journey Mapping

Experiential prototyping 

Our team used video prototyping to vividly illustrate how our persona, Christine, would interact with HOLLO after coming home from work. We meticulously crafted a narrative that depicted the user's journey, interactions, and experiences as well as simulating the product's functionality, interface, and user engagement in a realistic and immersive manner.

Final Takeaways 🔑

Not Widely Affordable 💸

Our product's affordability is impacted by the costs of holographic technology, limiting our current audience to middle to high-income consumers. If we were to re-design this, we should prioritise innovation and cost efficiency to broaden access without compromising quality.

Privacy Concerns 🔐

Users may encounter privacy considerations when they prefer not to share their schedules with specific individuals. To address this, we propose implementing a privacy control feature for scheduling and events.

Successfully addresses manual scheduling inefficiencies ✍️

HOLLO would be able to optimise the schedules of individuals embracing a four-day work week while prioritising time with family, friends, and co-workers. By leveraging AI-driven scheduling, we are to streamline and balance work commitments with personal and social activities.

Accesibility 🧑‍🏫

Utilising voice control, hand gestures, and a touch interface enhances the accessibility of our product for users from diverse backgrounds. However, we do acknowledge a potential challenge with the touch interface, which may be less visible from a distance.

✨ We Are Always Learning ✨

The key takeaway is the need for ongoing learning and research design improvement. Recognising both successes and areas for growth, we intend to apply these lessons to future research for a better understanding of user experiences.