Snag.Work: Design Case Study

Connecting shift workers with small business owners to create the future of flexible work

Alexey Ivanov
4 min readNov 3, 2020

Executive Summary

Snag Work is Uber for shift work. It enables workers to find relevant work shifts and allows managers to quickly hire talent.

My role on the team was end-to-end product design. Partnering with the product manager and key engineers, I was responsible for UX reserch, interaction and visual design. Working closely with developers and PM, we shipped the product and ensured the quality of implementation.

We measured success for Snag Work with a) customer (shift worker and business owner) satisfaction as well as b) organic growth. Every product decision would help us grow customer satisfaction, growth, and retention.

People Problem & User Research

Our goal was to create a product that enables workers to find relevant shifts and allows business managers to hire quality talent fast.

Creating key UX artifacts based of UX research

Together with a UX researcher, we conducted a discovery study with 24 jobseekers across the U.S. The research led us to create persona cards that represent the core users we are serving, as well as the user journey for the product. Key insight: shift workers do need more work, and they are ready for taking hourly shifts if it creates more income for them.

Each interview and discovery session would result in a discovery card, featuring key insights and opportunities drawn from a conversation.

Wireframes

Once the key UX research and target user problems were defined, we could move forward with the UX mockups and wireframes.

Main Page and Shifts Screen
Detailed Shift Screen and Roles Screen

Exploring Design Options

Working closely with Design team, we explored multiple options for implementing brand / comms into our product design.

Exploring various design options #1. Click to zoom in.
Exploring various design options #2. Click to zoom in.

Designing Mobile First

By putting our mobile users first, we’ve been able to start thinking about large problems with small screen experience in mind. This approach allows us to build the design in a responsive way and lay a foundation for native iOS and Android apps.

Final Designs

Home screen — Mobile & Desktop (Responsive Web)
Tracking History and Earnings
Exploring Brands and Positions
Detailed key mobile screens
Detailed shift view

What Could Have Been Done Differently

A few things that could be done differently:

  • Shorter design sprints (1 week instead of 2–3 weeks)
  • More interviews with sales and onboarding teams (not only with business owners and shift workers)
  • More frequent retrospectives to ensure quality communication across teams

Reaching Goals

Snag Work is currently in production, being released to targeted markets (Richmond, VA, North Virginia, D.C.). Shift workers and business owners were very positive: they saw tremendous improvement in design, and are excited to see the product live.

Unlisted

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Alexey Ivanov

Product Design. Ex-@SYPartners, @IDEO, @Philips. Professional Integral Coach via @NewVenturesWest. 📍San Francisco