Tesla - Track
Tesla Track — Internal Timekeeping System Redesign
Role: UX/UI Designer → Lead Designer
Tesla needed to replace Kronos, a third-party system costing $3M annually that failed to meet operational needs. Employees avoided it, managers reverted to Excel, and errors created payroll and compliance risks.
I joined as the second designer and soon became lead for desktop and tablet flows, inheriting 18 incomplete screens with only three months to MVP. I rebuilt the IA, partnered with HR, compliance, and operations, and guided the design process from research through high-fidelity handoff.
The redesign introduced badge-scan logins, streamlined punch flows, and simplified time-off requests across kiosk, desktop, and mobile. Rolled out to multiple Tesla factories, it cut kiosk wait times by 76%, increased time-off submissions by 23%, and improved attendance visibility by 46%.
Client
Tesla
Type
Product Design
Year
2021 - 2023
Process
Conducting in-depth user research
The design process began with user interviews, field studies, and factory visits to understand how employees and managers interacted with the Kronos system. We uncovered long kiosk wait times, inaccurate PTO visibility, and widespread reliance on Excel or verbal requests instead of the official tool.
Redesigning employee and manager workflows
Based on these insights, I redesigned role-specific experiences across kiosk, desktop, and mobile. For employees, this meant faster badge-scan punch-ins and simplified time-off requests. For managers, it included dashboards highlighting missed punches and exceptions, reducing manual tracking and payroll errors.
Adapting to system and compliance constraints
Midway through the project, we migrated to Tesla’s internal design system (TDS). I created custom components such as multi-select calendars and accrual summary cards to support payroll workflows. I also collaborated closely with compliance to ensure audit trails and labor regulations were reflected in the final designs.
Delivering measurable business impact
The MVP launched across Tesla factories in Buffalo, Nevada, and Fremont. Results included a 76% reduction in kiosk wait times, a 23% increase in time-off requests submitted in-system, and a 46% improvement in attendance visibility — driving both adoption and operational accuracy.
Outcome
The redesign delivered measurable improvements. We achieved a 76% reduction in kiosk line wait times for punching in and out, and a 23% increase in time-off requests submitted directly through the system.
The MVP was successfully rolled out across multiple Tesla factories, including Buffalo, Nevada, and Fremont, where it received positive feedback from both managers and employees, leading to strong adoption.
In addition, the new design system components and templates proved scalable, later being reused by other teams and adapted for global regions with more complex payroll rules.
