#web
#mobile
#Figma
My favorite component, that will never be
I've designed and built a lot of components. Buttons, fields, lists, tables, you name it. In the data world, there are a lot of fields, especially when it comes to date and time. Any engineer will tell you that time zones are the bane of their existence. It also turns out that customers hate having to deal with them, so I made it my mission to fix the way we choose dates and times. Introducing the one-stop-shop date, range, time, timezone, and relative time picker you'll never need.
It's much easier to make a component look interesting compared to a whole enterprise dashboard
August 2020 - Present
Timeline
10 Years Too Soon
Key Metric
Design Fanatic
Role
TL;DR
Executive Summary
I wanted to make it easy for developers and customers to communicate their intentions about the date and time. Do we use their browser time zone? What is the time zone of their localized language?
After hours of research building and user testing, it is not the right time to incorporate this component into any design system. Or maybe I haven't nailed it yet… I'm not giving up hope on this one.
Today, you have to fill out every field separately to properly convey your meaning of, "Choose a date"
Goals
1
Simplify date and time selection
Having been around the block in the enterprise design space, it will eventually come up that there is a problem with time. It will happen whether it is a database issue or a customer ticket. How can this problem be eliminated so a customer never has to worry about it (I still need to figure out how to solve the backend problems)?
2
It has to be easy and straightforward
The problem is that it needs to be simplified today. So, whatever the result is, it needs to be cleaner than the abomination above.
Explorations and ideas
Solutions
1
Precision fit multiple fields into one
Or, in other terms, cram as much as you can into a small space. The complexity of multiple fields can be condensed by utilizing dropdowns and typing fields.
2
One component to rule them all
I love that line from Lord of the Rings. It has always stuck with me. In this case, by squishing and containing the date selection experience, we can improve the user experience by introducing hierarchy and order to an otherwise disordered mess. But I'm sure Sauron also thought the same thing about Middle Earth...
It's state so far
Conclusion
This project isn't over yet. It has been a valuable exercise in challenging the status quo of design, and exploring the unknown interactions of the internet. I've learned there is a line, somewhere out there, where the balance of integrating multiple functionalities and maintaining simple experiences exists. This has helped deepen my understanding of design decisions and functional usability.
I’ve been working with Josh for a number of years, and can confidently say his design skills are unrivaled by anyone I’ve met. He has always been prompt in his work, paying close attention to detail. He has a valuable ability of being able to listen and understand your requirements, but then be creative and deliver something that always exceeds expectations. I would absolutely recommend him for any project you may be working on!
Maxwell Isley
Director of BI & Analytics at LiveNation
