Making enterprise-grade HR software feel as intuitive as a consumer app.
The Context
UBIQHR is a next-gen HR platform designed for the hyper-digitized workplace - handling payroll, attendance, time-off, and core HR data in one place. It serves fast-growing companies in the UAE that need localized compliance built-in.
The Problem
HR software has a reputation for being painful. Existing tools were rigid, lacked localized UAE compliance features, and required massive training manuals just to request a day off. HR managers dreaded opening their software every morning.
My Approach
Discovery
Interviewed HR managers to map out the most painful monthly workflows (usually payroll and leave reconciliation).
Key Insights
Employees only log in for two reasons: to get paid, or to take time off. HR logs in to fix errors.
Principles Set
1. Self-service first. 2. Automate the predictable. 3. Humanize the language.
The Design Journey
Focused heavily on the Employee Self-Service (ESS) portal first. If employees could easily request leave and view payslips, HR's ticket load would drop. Built high-fidelity prototypes and tested them with non-technical staff.
Key Design Decisions
- 1.
We initially hid payroll breakdowns behind a 'details' accordion. Users kept calling HR. We redesigned the payslip view to be fully expanded and visual by default.
- 2.
Replaced standard form fields for leave requests with a natural language sentence structure (e.g., 'I want to take [Sick Leave] from [Date] to [Date]').
The Outcome
5x faster than legacy HR tools. Increased employee self-service adoption by 65%, drastically reducing the HR team's manual query load. Built for scale from day one.
What I Would Do Differently
I would have spent more time simplifying the initial onboarding wizard for HR admins, as data migration from legacy systems proved to be the biggest friction point in adoption.