When designing Office Timesheets, we wanted to ensure that although all of the features and options that the application offers are endless, the application itself needed to remain easy to use and understand. With that in mind, we looked to what type of applications that many users already know and comprehend. The result was designing a software application that mimics Microsoft Office, which translates into a familiar platform environment and less training time for end-users. Thus, it's no surprise to see that Office Timesheets is designed with the same look and feel of Microsoft Office .

In the majority of programs that most people are familiar with, menus and sub-menus are the way of navigating in and around the application. However, users often discover that the functions that they need are hidden too deep in sub-menus and dialog boxes to be found easily. The Office Timesheets interface does the exact opposite; there are no hidden menus. Instead, Office Timesheets is organized into tabbed sections with each tabbed section exposing all functions in a grouped ribbon. So forget searching through endless sub-menus to find what you need; Office Timesheets quickly reveals all the functions you need to achieve what you need done more efficiently.

Office Timesheets' easy web interface encompasses many useful features, all of which are centered design-wise using the Office fluent-style interface. Here are some of the key features which make Office Timesheets easier to use:

Out with the old and in with the new. You probably never realized it, but finding functions embedded deep in drop-down menus probably took more time than you think, which in turn took time away from accomplishing important daily tasks. Office Timesheets breaks all the functions you need into groups, and those groups are organized into separate tabs. The tabs appear clearly on your screen so finding a particular relevant function is quick and easy. For example, by clicking on “Reports” a user can immediately see all the functions available that relate to reporting.

The functions that display within a ribbon in Office Timesheets are completely dependent and relative to which tab is active. For example, the “View Sheets” tab displays a ribbon with all functions related timesheets, expense sheets and their entries. This promotes quicker user acceptance and understanding of the application, which renders a more productive environment with faster results. No functions are hidden from view (dependent upon a user’s security policy), so there is no guess work involved in the process.

In addition to tabbed sections and visible ribbons of functions, the options that show within these functions are dependent upon other options chosen. For example, if you choose the "Mass Update" function, several options appear within the interface which offer additional options under those if you choose its appropriate parent option. In this particular example, you would see many options, one being to "Modify time entries." Normally, nothing appears below its checkbox. However, if you check the "Modify time entries" checkbox, a variety of additional options appear that relate to modifying time entries. This feature not only eliminates a cluttered view; it also creates easier user experience and prevents any confusion.

These unique features that support Office Timesheets’ intuitive web interface guarantee that users will be comfortable with its clear-cut design and navigation. The goal of Office Timesheets is to deliver quick and accurate time and expense data management by offering the application’s powerful features in an understandable format. Ribbons, tabs, and contextual functions have replaced the out-of-date menus that hide even the most frequently used functions, so users can achieve what they need quickly and easily.