--- name: leave-request-experience type: experience journey: workflow persona: Warehouse supervisor (58); manager Clare; HR administrator Tess domain: HR · time off technology: Mobile app and shared kiosk; web for managers and HR core: "1.0" description: "Experience skill: Requesting time off with balances, team cover and approval — the best-practice workflow for a warehouse supervisor (58); manager clare; hr administrator tess in HR · time off on Mobile app and shared kiosk; web for managers and HR. Use when designing, building, reviewing or writing copy for any step of this journey. Brand-agnostic: pair with any Celestial design skill for the look. Also use it for decks, research readouts, specs and documents about this journey. Outputs: PowerPoint / Keynote / Google Slides decks, Word and Google Docs documents, PDF reports, emails, social posts, charts and diagrams." --- # Requesting time off with balances, team cover and approval An employee checks their balance and team cover, requests time off, and their manager approves it with the information they need. **Outcome** — Employees submit leave requests in under a minute and get a decision within two working days, with balances always correct. This skill says *what happens and in what order*. It never specifies colour, type or spacing: describe screens as compositions of Celestial core v1.0 components and patterns, and let the active design skill render them. --- ## Persona — Hamid, Warehouse supervisor (58); manager Clare; HR administrator Tess > “Show me how many days I've got and whether anyone else is off, then just let me ask.” Works shifts; plans leave around family abroad; reads English as a second language and uses a shared kiosk and his own phone. **Goals** - See his balance accurately - Know if cover is available before asking - Get a quick yes or no **Pains** - Balances that don't match payslips - Requests lost or forgotten - Jargon about accrual and carry-over **Behaviours** - Plans leave months ahead - Checks on his phone during breaks - Asks colleagues before requesting **Access needs** - English as a second language — plain words, translations - Presbyopia — larger text on phone --- ## Domain — HR · time off - Balances follow contract and statutory minimums; part-time entitlement is pro rata - Reasons for sickness or family leave are optional and visible only to those who need them - Managers see team cover, not other employees' leave reasons - Statutory leave types (e.g. parental) follow their own notice rules and cannot be refused on cover grounds - Decisions and changes are recorded and notified to the employee Vocabulary to use: `balance`, `allowance`, `carry-over`, `team cover`, `half day`, `public holiday` ## Technology — Mobile app and shared kiosk; web for managers and HR Inputs: Touch, Keyboard, Screen reader - Integrates with rota and payroll - Shift patterns, not just 9-to-5 days - Kiosk sessions end after 2 minutes idle and show no personal data afterwards --- ## Journey (5 steps) | # | Step | Goal | Compose with | Copy | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | **Balance** | See days available now and after planned leave | `dashboard · empty state` | “You have 14 days left this year · 3 expire on 31 March” | | 2 | **Pick dates** | Choose dates and see team cover | `detail` | “2 of 8 on your shift are off that week” | | 3 | **Request** | Send the request | `form` | “This uses 5 days · 9 left after” | | 4 | **Decide** | Manager approves or declines | `inbox` | “Approve 5 days for Hamid, 10–14 Nov?” | | 5 | **Confirmed** | Employee knows the outcome | `confirmation` | “Approved: Mon 10 – Fri 14 November · 9 days left” | ### 1. Balance - Balance in days or hours as per contract - Explain carry-over and expiry in plain words - **empty:** No leave booked yet this year ### 2. Pick dates - Calendar shows shifts and public holidays - Team cover shown as counts, not names or reasons ### 3. Request - Leave type, dates, half days; reason optional - Show days used before submitting - **error:** You have 4 days left. Shorten the dates or choose unpaid leave. ### 4. Decide - Request with balance, cover and rota impact on one screen - Decline needs a reason and a suggested alternative - **empty:** No requests waiting ### 5. Confirmed - Decision, dates and new balance in large text - Add to calendar; cancel or change link --- ## Principles 1. Balances are accurate and explained 2. Cover information helps decisions without exposing private details 3. Requesting takes under a minute on a phone 4. Every decision is fast, recorded and explained 5. Statutory rights are applied by the system, not left to judgement ## Do / Don't **Do** - Show balance after the request before submitting - Offer translations of the interface - Let managers suggest alternative dates **Don't** - Show colleagues' leave reasons - Use “accrual” without explaining it - Leave requests pending without reminders ## Accessibility - Date picker has a typed alternative and announces selected range (WCAG 2.1.1) - Text scales to 200% on mobile without loss (WCAG 1.4.4) - Kiosk timeout warns with an option to continue (WCAG 2.2.1) - Language of page set correctly when translated (WCAG 3.1.1) Core minimums always apply: 4.5:1 text, 3:1 UI and focus, visible focus on every control, 44px touch targets, no meaning by colour alone, reduced motion respected. ## Content and voice - Use plain words: “days left”, not “remaining accrued entitlement” - Decline copy is respectful and specific: “Declined — 3 people already off that week. 17–21 Nov looks clear.” - Dates always include the weekday: “Mon 10 November” ## AI interactions - No AI in approvals because leave decisions affect rights and must be made and explained by a manager; optional suggestion of clear weeks based on team cover only ## Edge cases - Statutory leave requested at short notice — apply legal rules; cover is not a reason to refuse - Balance disputed — show calculation and route to HR - Request spans a public holiday — exclude it from days used and say so - Manager away — request routes to deputy after 2 working days - Shared kiosk left logged in — auto sign-out and clear screen --- ## Measures | Measure | Target | How | |---|---|---| | Time to request | < 1 min | Median, mobile | | Decision time | ≤ 2 working days | Submitted to decided, median | | Balance queries to HR | −50% | Tickets about balances vs previous system | | Request completion on kiosk | ≥ 90% | Started vs submitted | Research: Usability tests with shift workers on kiosk and phone, including second-language speakers; Payroll reconciliation test of balance calculations; Manager interviews on cover information needs. --- When building this journey: follow the steps in order, compose each screen from core components and patterns only, keep the persona's access needs and the domain rules non-negotiable, and take every visual value from the active design skill. ## Using this journey in other outputs - **Deck or readout**: one slide for the persona (name, role, quote, goals, pains), one per step (goal, screen, the principle that matters most, its error state), then measures with targets. 16:9. - **Spec or document**: a section per step with goal, screen composition, copy, states and acceptance criteria; principles and accessibility rules as a checklist at the end. - **Look and feel**: this skill is brand-agnostic. If a design skill is named or installed (e.g. "in Mars"), take every colour, font and shape from it; otherwise use plain neutral styling and say which design skill would apply.