Workday Labs
Workday
Role: Lead Product Designer
Team: 1 Researcher, 3 Product Managers, 7 Engineers
Workday Labs is envisioning the future of work with emerging technologies.
"What might work look like 5 to 15 years into the future?" That's the question that created Workday Labs, an incubation R&D team that conducts research on emerging technologies.
The following are a few featured projects I led — many of which were showcased at the 2019 Workday Rising conference.
Due to NDAs, I cannot publicly share all details of my work. The information below is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of Workday.
Featured Project 01
TEMI workplace assistant
Research topics: robots, voice assistants
In order to support frontline workers beyond their responsibilities, we explored TEMI*, a robot that proactively reminds workers to clock in and out, schedule time off, and many other tasks to help them stay compliant and informed.
*Disclaimer: TEMI is not a product of Workday. Our project is an app built into a TEMI robot.
Character concepts
Many robot assistants felt too artificial, rigid, and sometimes frightening — especially for something that might be observing or working with you.
We wanted to create a face that was friendly and approachable, so I used organic shapes and softer expressions. I explored various character designs, with the final version inspired by Toothless from the animated film, How To Train Your Dragon.
Concept designs for TEMI's face
Animation tests
I created various expressions for looking, thinking, and speaking. These expression clips were exported from After Effects via Lottie and then mapped to a TEMI action.
Eye-tracking animation (Video: Jedan Garcia, Workday Labs)
Speaking animation (Video: Jedan Garcia, Workday Labs)
The big day
The TEMI assistant was brought on stage during the Workday Rising conference, where it performed in a skit we had prepared.
It was well received by the audience. In fact, many of our workmates enjoyed it so much that they asked to reserve TEMI for their team events.
TEMI on stage at Workday Rising 2019 (Photo: Workday Labs)
Featured Project 02
Expensie App
Research topics: optical character recognition (OCR), facial recognition
No one enjoys itemizing receipts and creating expense reports after a fun team outing. We came up with the concept, Expensie, which is what it sounds like — expenses and selfie.
Making expenses less painful
When the user records a video of their receipt and lunchmates through the Workday Expenses app, it will parse the receipt with OCR and label all the faces via facial recognition.
What could have taken 10 minutes of an employee's time now takes seconds so everyone can get back to work.
Prototype of OCR and facial recognition (Video: Tony Orciouli, Workday Labs)
Featured Project 03
Gesture research
Research topics: computer vision
We were in the early stages of researching gesture recognition technologies and wanted to study how people used it. Instead of building a use case around it, we created a demo so we could observe Workday Rising attendees interacting with it.
Swipe, wave, pinch
An Xbox Kinect was mounted on top of a TV to record movements. Using different motions, participants were able to view videos from Workday Labs and play mini-games.
Prototype of different gesture interactions (Video: Ed Jones, Workday Labs)
Featured Project 04
AR wayfinder
Research topics: augmented reality (AR), smart devices, internet of things (IoT), voice assistants
Navigating an office, finding teammates, and reserving a hot-desk as a new or prospective hire can be daunting.
This concept encourages users to feel comfortable exploring new spaces on their own when their hiring manager, orientation leader, or teammates are unavailable.
Original prototype
While this app had already been prototyped before I joined the team, I was tasked to redesign it and introduce new ideas.
(Video: Workday Labs)
Wayfinding
Use wayfinding to get directions to desks, meeting rooms, and around the office.
(Video: Workday Labs)
Interconnected devices
The app is connected to smart devices throughout the office, allowing users to book hot desks and meeting rooms.
Future concepts
We conceptualized voice commands to reduce the amount of time required holding a phone at eye-level, virtual pets to personalize and gamify the workspace, as well as curated videos and tours to welcome new-hires and visitors.
New UI designed around voice interactions
Reflection
Being a part of the Labs team has by far been my favorite and most unique experience at Workday. These projects challenged me to think beyond the 2D canvas and explore a variety of unique interactions.
Although not shared here, I also had the opportunity to explore other technologies like mixed reality, blockchain, NFCs, wearables, wellness tech, and more.
This team of visionaries never failed to impress me with their deep knowledge, passion, and curiosity. Many teams at Workday and customers look to Labs for inspiration and technical advice. Some of our research has directly influenced Workday products.
I'm extremely proud to have contributed to some of Labs' success and achievements.