Pencil Pro
Transformative resource scheduling SaaS platform for the TV and film production industry
Role
Product Design Lead
I was approached by the founder to take their initial concept into development-ready designs.
Over a three month period I leveraged Figma and FigJam to meticulously map, wireframe, prototype, test, and iterate—defining a comprehensive suite of product features. I orchestrated the creation of a robust design system and responsive component library tailored for both the web app and its accompanying mobile counterpart.
My efforts not only crafted a considered UI and transformed the user experience but also significantly shaped the proposition of Pencil Pro.
In the tv and film production industry, crew diaries play a crucial role in managing the availability of individual crew members. Currently, many services store physical diaries, leading to challenges such as storage issues, missed or delayed booking confirmations, and uncovering potential clashes. Pencil Pro digitises the crew booking system, introducing a comprehensive online platform for the diary managers, and a supporting mobile app for the crew.
I began by stepping into the world of a diary manager and of the crew who they manage. I mapped out the terminology into a hierarchal structure to understand the dependancies of the data. For instance, each crew has a minimum of one grade; In cases where the crew has multiple grades, one will be their primary grade; Crew do not request time off—they schedule the time off whenever they wish, since they are freelancers; A booking begins as a First Pencil, progresses to a Second Pencil, and becomes near-contractual once it progresses to a Confirmation—it would be bad-form to pull-out of a confirmation for both parties.
This exercise gave me empathy for the diary managers attempting to source and schedule crew with particular abilities. It became apparent that a way to log the quirks of a crew's abilities as well as the quirks of a booking could become a powerful and sticky feature. For the initial launch I created a free-text notes field on profiles and on bookings as this satisfied the needs of the diary manager. However, once the product launches, I would track interaction with the notes feature. Exploring any similes between booking requirements and crew abilities as this may unearth more matching opportunities.
Once I'd built this solid understanding of the formats, processes and quirks that occur in the real world, I was able to get to work outlining the core flows of the system; Creating a crew profile; Adding a booking to a calendar; Entering an availability check. And then consider how these various inputs of data could interact and impact eachother. I thrive in this holistic system overview type of work.
I proceeded to begin sketching the requirements of the platform. Beginning with the attributes of a crew member — they'll need a calendar, a profile, and a way to contact them. Of course the calendar needs to support all the quirks of the modern world—indicate today, weekends, and holidays; customisable week start day (who starts a week on a Sunday?!), and a controller to allow us to move through months and years. And in the end, this calendar is just the canvas, it must fade into the background and allow the star of the show to shine. As events are the reason to look at the calendar since they house all the important details.
The platform consists of three main sections accessible via the left rail navigation. The Roster component presents a digitized version of individual crew member diaries, allowing for easy access to crew availability and schedules. The Planner is a calendar-based oversight tool designed to prevent clashes and ensure efficient scheduling, offering the ability to sort the view by least booked crew members. In the Availability Search feature, the sourcing and booking process is streamlined, offering search functionality for specific grades, dates, and requirements. Additionally, the system enables seamless sharing of profiles, CVs, and links with production companies.
The digital transformation of crew diaries not only addressed existing challenges within the industry but also introduced innovative features to enhance usability and efficiency. The combination of the SaaS management platform and crew-facing mobile app ensures real-time communication, eliminating common issues and ultimately leading to a more streamlined and effective scheduling process in the film industry.
