Time Tracker

for Jira

Presentation of the creation process for the time tracking integration with Jira. Created for Devexpert, consulting IT-company.

My role: UX/UI Designer

Year: 2022

About

What?

Web extension for tracking working time spent on projects and other tasks.

Why?

As a consulting company IT-company, Devexpert earns a significant portion of its income from billable hours. It means that consistent and timely tracking of time contributed directly impacts cash flow.

Market analysis

Checking existing features and analysing why client is not happy with using any of those and prefers to build their own product for the inside use.

Browser extensions

WorkLog Tracker

Browser extensions+timer button inside Jira

Time tracking

Full screen web app built in Jira

Tempo Timesheets

Full screen web app + integration window in Jira issue

Harvest

Tmetric

Full screen web app + browser extension + timer button in Jira

Most of the time trackers also usually have not only desktop, but mobile versions too.

Tempo | Worklog | T-metric | Toggl | Harvest | Clockify | Timeneye | TimeCamp | TrackingTime | Planyway | Tick Time Tracking | Tempo | Worklog | Tmetric | Toggl | Harvest | Clockify | Timeneye | TimeCamp | TrackingTime | Planyway | Tick Time Tracking |

Targeted audience

Who: Jira users, managers and implementers

Occupations: developers, analysts, designers

They use both internal task tracker tools and third-party time trackers. More often they enter time after the fact, because they experience difficulties when working with existing time trackers, or they do not have a timer function. They prefer full-screen web applications.

Research method:

In-depth Interview

User quantity:

9 users

Main conclusion:

A time tracker should fit into the user’s work as comfortably as possible so as not to disrupt the workflow. Most of the existing time trackers have to be turned on and, most importantly, off manually in another browser page or window. However, users often forget about it.

😫

😵‍💫

User pains

1

Using a time tracker takes up work time

2

When entering time after the fact, it is difficult to remember the time actually spent

3

It’s inconvenient that you need to monitor the timer status

4

It's difficult to keep track of time when constantly switching between tasks.

5

There are not enough notifications about insufficient recorded time.

Solutions

  • Simplify recording and editing time (quick entry fields)

  • Simple timer in quick access (Integration, Extension, Floating button)

  • Reminders/Notifications

  • Visual statistics

  • Partial automation

User tasks

User journey

Understand at what stage of work user encounters a time tracker and how he implements it into the workflow

JTBD

Based on confirmed hypotheses

Hypotheses

Before conducting research

Task Flow: manual timer start process

if we consider the integration window in Jira

If clarification is required
to the task

Open task

Open

Jira

Execute the task

Close
task

Read the task

Switch to the
integration window

Start timer

Stop timer

End

Start

Cycle

First designs

Fullscreen web-application

Integration in a task card in Jira

Settings

Reminders/Push notifications

UX tests

Research method: Semi-structured usability test

Who: Jira users. Important: not everyone uses time tracking

Occupations: developers, analysts, testers, engineers

Quantity: 8 users


The full-screen web application presented virtually no difficulties. More problems arose when testing integration in Jira.

Conclusions:

  • Shorten user paths

  • Simplify integration/consider options

  • Easy access to timer with obvious status

  • Work out the states of elements and colours

Integration vs Extension

Integration window in a task:

  • start timer button

  • add time manually is in immediate access

  • total logged time of an open task is visible

  • switch to full screen application with one click

Browser extension:

  • start timer button

  • recent and future tasks visible, which allows to quickly switch between them

  • total logged time for the current day is visible

  • switch to full screen application with one click

  • the timer status is visible in the browser at any page

Downsides:

The user does not see the timer status if he is outside of a specific issue in Jira

Additional steps required to access the time tracker

Different UI and UX than Jira (is it a downside at all or will it differentiate features and make it less confusing for users?)

Downsides:

More time spent on development

Automation

After consultation with developers, our team made the choice for the simplest solution:

Push notifications based on Jira

webhooks that encourage action

Julia, don’t forget to track time!

This is your reminder that you haven’t tracked time today.

Remind me later

Go

Examples:

  • changing task status (“Active”, “Done”...)

  • activating a task without starting a timer

  • closing the task tab (it can even stop the
    timer automatically)

  • attempt to run two timers simultaneously

Full screen web application

Browser extension with button in the issue in Jira

In-issue button

Browser button

Final decision

UI&Design system

Logo

Main

Secondary

Colors

Web App: Navigation

Return to Daily Timer to current date

Application navigation

Settings

User Manual and FAQ

Day-by-day time display

Week-by-week time display

Total time display by the team

Time reports to download

Calendar navigation

Main features

Web-application: Daily Timer View

Sort by

Group by task if different time periods are recorded

Select a task
(the project name is pulled up automatically)

Quick time enter/edit

Delete time entry

Re-start the timer

Timer activation and manual time addition

Favourites

Web-application: Weekly Timer View

Favourites

Group by project

Select a task
(the project name is pulled up automatically)

Select date and period

Enter time and period

Manual time addition

Repeat and assign random dates

Sort by

Delete time entry

Quick time enter/edit

Web-application: Team Time View

Search for a team member by name

Bulk action: Select multiple team members by checkbox to send them email

Group e-mail notifications for the chosen users

Send an individual email notification

Sort by

Web-application: Time Report View

Group by and filter information

Date and time period navigation

Print

Select a period to display (week/month/custom period)

Export

Web-application: Settings

Set up personal reports

to receive by email

Set up

push notifications

Select time zone

and date format

Enter work hours per day. This input is responsible for the Whole Day checkbox when adding time manually

Link to a browser

extension instalation

Browser Extension

Quick access to Start button in Jira next to the issue

Switch to fullscreen web application

Switch between recent and all tasks

Quick start of a timer for a recently tracked task

Total logged time for the current day to help user to self-control time tracking

Task selection.

When a user opens an extension over an open issue in Jira, the issue name is pulled up automatically.

The extension icon in the browser shows the timer status: active or not

Notifications: Push&E-mail

Conclusion

By the end of the project, our team got following design results and handed the project over to the inside product team.

By the end of the project, our team got following design results and handed the project over to the inside product team.

The accuracy of recorded time for each task is ensured by using a timer

The accuracy of recorded time for each task is ensured by using a timer

Minimum effort to start a timer is achieved with a button in a task in Jira and a browser extension

Minimum effort to start a timer is achieved with a button in a task in Jira and a browser extension

Web application helps to easily visualise time tracking for different periods and to create time reports

Web application helps to easily visualise time tracking for different periods and to create time reports

Motivating employees through push notifications or forced reminders through the application helps managers to stay on top of the billable hours reports

Motivating employees through push notifications or forced reminders through the application helps managers to stay on top of the billable hours reports

Thank you!

Thank you!

Julia Demianetc

2022