Streamlining Compensation Planning with Worksheets Templates
How might we transform compensation planning into a secure, integrated workflow within Worksheets? How might we simplify complex data tasks while maintaining enterprise-grade security and permissions? How might we help managers and HR partners save time?
Worksheets is Workday's native spreadsheet solution that allows users to access, manipulate, and collaborate on data directly within the system. Unlike traditional methods requiring data exports to Excel, Worksheets provides a secure environment where users can work with live Workday data while maintaining the security and permissions structure of the Workday platform.
I owned Worksheets design while collaborating on a strategic feature set that helped improve compensation planning by transforming disconnected Excel processes into secure, integrated workflows within the Worksheets.
Problem Space
Managers and HR Business Partners struggled with time-consuming, error-prone, and insecure compensation planning processes using Excel and Workday. The disconnected workflows created data security risks and inefficiencies.
Our goal was to leverage Worksheets' secure integration with Workday data to create a streamlined compensation planning solution. As the primary Worksheets designer and design stakeholder, I collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop Templates—a feature allowing authors to create custom workbooks with Workday data integrations, formulas, and formatting that respects user permissions.
Research
We identified this high-value use case through Workday Community feedback, then conducted multiple generative research interviews with users to understand the problem space. Technical discussions with developers helped clarify implementation constraints.
Identifying knowns and unknowns after initial research
Design Process
Our goal was to create a UX that enabled users to convert, publish, and distribute Worksheets as templates, while ensuring consumers could generate instances containing only their data.
The primary design challenges included:
Helping users understand the concept of a template
Building trust in the security model
Creating a simple UX within technical constraints
Our iterative design process involved:
Multiple design workshops and whiteboarding sessions
5+ rounds of usability testing
Continuous refinement based on user feedback
Key Insights
Users needed clarity on:
The template generation process
Relationship between instances of a template and original templates
Differences between distribution and sharing
Terminology and its implications
Images of the countless workshops and brainstorms we had trying to get the solution right
Old (left) vs. new (right) template state UI in Worksheets after receiving feedback in usability testing and iterating on designs
Comparison of the old conversion modal (left) and new conversion modal (right) with changes made based on user feedback
Results
After shipping to preview and validating with users, we launched to production with significant positive outcomes:
"Works like magic" feedback from users
Reduction in process time from days to under an hour
Enhanced workflow through formula and note columns
