About Slack
An efficient communication platform for businesses of all sizes
An efficient communication platform for businesses of all sizes
Slack is a leading team collaboration platform that improves communication and boosts productivity. It offers real-time messaging, organized channels, and integrations with various tools. With over 20 million active users and 2,600+ app integrations, it helps businesses, startups, and remote teams stay connected. However, despite its many advantages, some Slack users experience information overload, making it harder to stay organized and productive.
Slack is a leading team collaboration platform that improves communication and boosts productivity. It offers real-time messaging, organized channels, and integrations with various tools. With over 20 million active users and 2,600+ app integrations, it helps businesses, startups, and remote teams stay connected. However, despite its many advantages, some Slack users experience information overload, making it harder to stay organized and productive.
Problem Statement
Many Slack users struggle with information overload, excessive notifications, and after-hours messages, which negatively impact focus, productivity, and work-life balance.
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Slack is great for team communication; however, it can be overwhelming due to information overload. With so many messages and updates, it’s difficult to keep track of important information. Key details often get lost in the sea of conversations, making it challenging to stay organized and focus on what truly matters. Additionally, constant notifications disrupt focus and reduce productivity. Receiving work messages after hours further blurs the line between professional and personal life, leading to stress and burnout.
Solutions
Introducing AI Summarization, Smart Search, Custom Notifications, and Scheduled Messaging to improve users’ Communication and efficiency on Slack.
Introducing AI Summarization, Smart Search, Custom Notifications, and Scheduled Messaging to improve users’ Communication and efficiency on Slack.
Our solution introduces AI-driven features and an improved notification system, helping users stay organized, focused, and maintain a healthier work-life balance. Key features include AI Summarization, which quickly generates conversation summaries and highlights key updates; Smart Search, enabling users to find messages, files, and people with AI-powered search; Custom Notifications, allowing users to prioritize important messages by filtering alerts based on user, keyword, or channel; and Scheduled Messaging, which lets users delay messages to respect after work hours and maintain balance.
Our solution introduces AI-driven features and an improved notification system, helping users stay organized, focused, and maintain a healthier work-life balance. Key features include AI Summarization, which quickly generates conversation summaries and highlights key updates; Smart Search, enabling users to find messages, files, and people with AI-powered search; Custom Notifications, allowing users to prioritize important messages by filtering alerts based on user, keyword, or channel; and Scheduled Messaging, which lets users delay messages to respect after work hours and maintain balance.
Problem Statement
Many Slack users struggle with information overload, excessive notifications, and after-hours messages, which negatively impact focus, productivity, and work-life balance.
13
Slack is great for team communication; however, it can be overwhelming due to information overload. With so many messages and updates, it’s difficult to keep track of important information. Key details often get lost in the sea of conversations, making it challenging to stay organized and focus on what truly matters. Additionally, constant notifications disrupt focus and reduce productivity. Receiving work messages after hours further blurs the line between professional and personal life, leading to stress and burnout.
Success Metrics
Improve information management & reduce distraction
Improve information management & reduce distraction
A series of targeted UX/UI solutions that enhance message organization, minimize distractions, and create a more structured communication flow, resulting in higher productivity, reduced stress, and improved work-life balance.
A series of targeted UX/UI solutions that enhance message organization, minimize distractions, and create a more structured communication flow, resulting in higher productivity, reduced stress, and improved work-life balance.
Assumption
Understanding the user’s perspective: from seamless collaboration to daily frustration
Understanding the user’s perspective: from seamless collaboration to daily frustration
As Slack users, we began by identifying assumptions about factors that hinder productivity and disrupt effective communication on the platform. These insights shaped our research and next steps.
As Slack users, we began by identifying assumptions about factors that hinder productivity and disrupt effective communication on the platform. These insights shaped our research and next steps.
Channel Overload
Channel Overload
Channel Overload
Teams often create multiple channels, leading to information overload and difficulty in tracking important conversations.
Teams often create multiple channels, leading to information overload and difficulty in tracking important conversations.
Teams often create multiple channels, leading to information overload and difficulty in tracking important conversations.
Assumptions
Assumptions
Message Visibility Issues
Message Visibility Issues
Message Visibility Issues
Important messages and updates can get lost in busy channels, reducing their visibility and impacting team communication.
Important messages and updates can get lost in busy channels, reducing their visibility and impacting team communication.
Notification Fatigue
Notification Fatigue
Notification Fatigue
Too many notifications from constant messages and channels can cause distractions, and make it difficult for users to focus on important tasks.
Too many notifications from constant messages and channels can cause distractions, and make it difficult for users to focus on important tasks.
Blurry Work-Social Boundaries
Blurry Work-Social Boundaries
Blurry Work-Social Boundaries
Mixing social and professional channels without clear boundaries can lower productivity. Getting work messages after hours also makes it harder to disconnect, leading to stress and burnout.
Mixing social and professional channels without clear boundaries can lower productivity. Getting work messages after hours also makes it harder to disconnect, leading to stress and burnout.
Underutilized Features & Onboarding Gaps
Underutilized Features & Onboarding Gaps
Underutilized Features & Onboarding Gaps
Users may not be fully utilizing existing Slack features like channel grouping and custom notifications due to complexity or lack of awareness. New users also face challenges with workspace setup, highlighting the need for better onboarding.
Users may not be fully utilizing existing Slack features like channel grouping and custom notifications due to complexity or lack of awareness. New users also face challenges with workspace setup, highlighting the need for better onboarding.
Validating Our Assumptions
Let’s see how we validated our assumption
Let’s see how we validated our assumption
Desk research
Voices of the users
Voices of the users
We began validating our assumptions by analyzing user feedback from platforms like Reddit, Google Play, the Apple App Store, and Slack’s Community Forum. Here’s a summary of our findings.
We began validating our assumptions by analyzing user feedback from platforms like Reddit, Google Play, the Apple App Store, and Slack’s Community Forum. Here’s a summary of our findings.
User Interview
A deeper understanding of Slack users' challenges and motivations through interview
A deeper understanding of Slack users' challenges and motivations through interview
The insights of interview:
Smarter Notification System
Smarter Notification System
A system that ensures urgent messages stand out without unnecessary distractions.
Needs
Needs
Healthy Work-Life Boundaries
Healthy Work-Life Boundaries
A balance between staying inform and disconnecting from work when needed.
Optimize Task & Channel Management
Optimize Task & Channel Management
A structured and efficient way to manage team communication and collaboration without distractions.
Faster Navigation & File Access
Faster Navigation & File Access
An intuitive file management system for easy access and retrieval of important documents.
Difficult File Access & Search
Difficult File Access & Search
Challenges in locating shared documents slow down work and create frustration.
Pain points
Pain points
Blurred Work-Life Boundaries
Blurred Work-Life Boundaries
Continuous notifications outside work hours make it hard to unplug, increasing stress and burnout.
Overwhelming Notifications
Overwhelming Notifications
Difficulty in distinguishing high-priority alerts from less important messages disrupts focus and workflow.
Message Organization Issues
Message Organization Issues
Unclear distinctions between channels, threads, and direct messages lead to miscommunication and inefficiencies.
The insights of interview:
Smarter Notification System
A system that ensures urgent messages stand out without unnecessary distractions.
Needs
Healthy Work-Life Boundaries
A balance between staying inform and disconnecting from work when needed.
Optimize Task & Channel Management
A structured and efficient way to manage team communication and collaboration without distractions.
Faster Navigation & File Access
An intuitive file management system for easy access and retrieval of important documents.
Difficult File Access & Search
Challenges in locating shared documents slow down work and create frustration.
Pain points
Blurred Work-Life Boundaries
Continuous notifications outside work hours make it hard to unplug, increasing stress and burnout.
Overwhelming Notifications
Difficulty in distinguishing high-priority alerts from less important messages disrupts focus and workflow.
Message Organization Issues
Unclear distinctions between channels, threads, and direct messages lead to miscommunication and inefficiencies.
Creating Archetypes
Consolidating our key insights into 2 goal-oriented archetypes
Consolidating our key insights into 2 goal-oriented archetypes
Based on our research findings, we gained a clear understanding of our target audience.
Based on our research findings, we gained a clear understanding of our target audience.
Comparative Analysis
Identifying Opportunities for Slack’s Improvement and Differentiation
Identifying Opportunities for Slack’s Improvement and Differentiation
We conducted a comparative analysis of Slack’s main competitors to understand their strengths and weaknesses. By comparing features, and functionalities, we identified opportunities for improvement and areas where Slack can differentiate itself in the market.
We conducted a comparative analysis of Slack’s main competitors to understand their strengths and weaknesses. By comparing features, and functionalities, we identified opportunities for improvement and areas where Slack can differentiate itself in the market.
Learning from the Market
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams
Discord
Discord
Telegram
Telegram
Goals:
Goals:
Goals:
Understand how leading collaboration tools handle group communication, task organization, and file management.
Discover opportunities to enhance Slack’s features based on competitor insights.
Identify strengths and pain points to improve Slack’s usability.
Understand how leading collaboration tools handle group communication, task organization, and file management.
Discover opportunities to enhance Slack’s features based on competitor insights.
Identify strengths and pain points to improve Slack’s usability.
Understand how leading collaboration tools handle group communication, task organization, and file management.
Discover opportunities to enhance Slack’s features based on competitor insights.
Identify strengths and pain points to improve Slack’s usability.
Results:
Results:
Results:
Discord: Great for casual communication and community building but lacks task management and productivity tools.
Telegram: Efficient and fast messaging with interactive features, but lacks in-depth work collaboration tools.
Microsoft Teams: Strong integration with Microsoft 365 but has a steep learning curve and cluttered UI.
Discord: Great for casual communication and community building but lacks task management and productivity tools.
Telegram: Efficient and fast messaging with interactive features, but lacks in-depth work collaboration tools.
Microsoft Teams: Strong integration with Microsoft 365 but has a steep learning curve and cluttered UI.
Discord: Great for casual communication and community building but lacks task management and productivity tools.
Telegram: Efficient and fast messaging with interactive features, but lacks in-depth work collaboration tools.
Microsoft Teams: Strong integration with Microsoft 365 but has a steep learning curve and cluttered UI.
Learning from the Best
Notion
Customizable workspace for tasks, notes, and projects, offering a more integrated experience.
Customizable workspace for tasks, notes, and projects, offering a more integrated experience.
Trello
The visual approach to task management can be a model for improving Slack's channel and thread organization.
The visual approach to task management can be a model for improving Slack's channel and thread organization.
Redefine
With a clearer understanding of user’s needs, paints, and frustrations, we conducted brainstorming sessions to explore creative solutions to address their concerns.
With a clearer understanding of user’s needs, paints, and frustrations, we conducted brainstorming sessions to explore creative solutions to address their concerns.
HMW help users stay updated with numerous messages without compromising their efficiency and productivity?
HMW design a notification system that prioritizes important messages and minimizes distractions, allowing users to focus on critical tasks?
HMW help users manage after-hours messages to reduce stress and prevent burnout?
HMW guide users in tailoring their Slack experience without feeling overwhelmed?
HMW improve the accuracy of search results to ensure users find the most relevant files quickly?
HMW help users stay updated with numerous messages without compromising their efficiency and productivity?
HMW design a notification system that prioritizes important messages and minimizes distractions, allowing users to focus on critical tasks?
HMW help users manage after-hours messages to reduce stress and prevent burnout?
HMW guide users in tailoring their Slack experience without feeling overwhelmed?
HMW improve the accuracy of search results to ensure users find the most relevant files quickly?
Journey Map
How are these groups interacting with Slack?
How are these groups interacting with Slack?
To better understand the experience of our personas on Slack, we created a user journey map that highlights key pain points and areas for improvement. The journey focuses on how users engage with Slack during their workday, from receiving notifications to searching for important files and managing their tasks.
To better understand the experience of our personas on Slack, we created a user journey map that highlights key pain points and areas for improvement. The journey focuses on how users engage with Slack during their workday, from receiving notifications to searching for important files and managing their tasks.
Storyboarding
The productivity battle: Mary’s struggle to regain focus
The productivity battle: Mary’s struggle to regain focus
We created a storyboard to understand how our personas interact with Slack throughout their workday. It highlights their journey, from managing constant notifications and joining conversations to searching for files and handling urgent tasks. By visualizing these pain points, we can identify opportunities to improve focus, reduce distractions, and streamline their overall experience.
We created a storyboard to understand how our personas interact with Slack throughout their workday. It highlights their journey, from managing constant notifications and joining conversations to searching for files and handling urgent tasks. By visualizing these pain points, we can identify opportunities to improve focus, reduce distractions, and streamline their overall experience.
Lisa, a Product Manager, was on vacation and made sure to update her Slack status to indicate she was away. Despite this, she kept receiving countless Slack notifications. Feeling stressed and unable to relax, she decided to turn off notifications for a few days to truly disconnect.
Five days later, Lisa returns to work. As soon as she opens Slack, she's overwhelmed by a flood of unread messages from various channels and DMs. She knows she has urgent tasks to complete, but before she can even start, she's pulled into a team meeting.
During the meeting, constant notifications keep distracting Lisa. She struggles to stay focused as messages from various channels and DMs continue to pop up.
A team member needs an important file that was shared a while ago and has been searching for it for 20 minutes. They ask Mary for help and they don’t remember the file's exact name. She tries using the search filter however, the lack of precise details about the file name and when it was shared forces her to spend even more time scrolling through hundreds of messages and files. Frustrated and needing to focus, she pauses notifications.
While concentrating on her work, Lisa takes a short break. When she checks her messages again, she realizes the CTO scheduled an urgent meeting. Because her notifications were off, she completely missed it.
Lisa struggles to catch up after missing the meeting. Constant distractions and lost files have slowed her down, making her feel frustrated and overwhelmed. After a long, exhausting day at work, Lisa goes home hoping to relax. But even during her off-hours, Slack notifications and messages keep coming in, disrupting her personal time and adding to her frustration.
Lisa, a Product Manager, was on vacation and made sure to update her Slack status to indicate she was away. Despite this, she kept receiving countless Slack notifications. Feeling stressed and unable to relax, she decided to turn off notifications for a few days to truly disconnect.
Five days later, Lisa returns to work. As soon as she opens Slack, she's overwhelmed by a flood of unread messages from various channels and DMs. She knows she has urgent tasks to complete, but before she can even start, she's pulled into a team meeting.
During the meeting, constant notifications keep distracting Lisa. She struggles to stay focused as messages from various channels and DMs continue to pop up.
A team member needs an important file that was shared a while ago and has been searching for it for 20 minutes. They ask Mary for help and they don’t remember the file's exact name. She tries using the search filter however, the lack of precise details about the file name and when it was shared forces her to spend even more time scrolling through hundreds of messages and files. Frustrated and needing to focus, she pauses notifications.
While concentrating on her work, Lisa takes a short break. When she checks her messages again, she realizes the CTO scheduled an urgent meeting. Because her notifications were off, she completely missed it.
Lisa struggles to catch up after missing the meeting. Constant distractions and lost files have slowed her down, making her feel frustrated and overwhelmed. After a long, exhausting day at work, Lisa goes home hoping to relax. But even during her off-hours, Slack notifications and messages keep coming in, disrupting her personal time and adding to her frustration.
Lisa, a Product Manager, was on vacation and made sure to update her Slack status to indicate she was away. Despite this, she kept receiving countless Slack notifications. Feeling stressed and unable to relax, she decided to turn off notifications for a few days to truly disconnect.
Five days later, Lisa returns to work. As soon as she opens Slack, she's overwhelmed by a flood of unread messages from various channels and DMs. She knows she has urgent tasks to complete, but before she can even start, she's pulled into a team meeting.
While concentrating on her work, Lisa takes a short break. When she checks her messages again, she realizes the CTO scheduled an urgent meeting. Because her notifications were off, she completely missed it.
During the meeting, constant notifications keep distracting Lisa. She struggles to stay focused as messages from various channels and DMs continue to pop up.
A team member needs an important file that was shared a while ago and has been searching for it for 20 minutes. They ask Mary for help and they don’t remember the file's exact name. She tries using the search filter however, the lack of precise details about the file name and when it was shared forces her to spend even more time scrolling through hundreds of messages and files. Frustrated and needing to focus, she pauses notifications.
Lisa struggles to catch up after missing the meeting. Constant distractions and lost files have slowed her down, making her feel frustrated and overwhelmed. After a long, exhausting day at work, Lisa goes home hoping to relax. But even during her off-hours, Slack notifications and messages keep coming in, disrupting her personal time and adding to her frustration.
Ideation
Prioritizing feature improvements for Slack through an Impact/Effort Matrix
Prioritizing feature improvements for Slack through an Impact/Effort Matrix
During the ideation phase, we generated ideas to enhance Slack’s features based on insights from user interviews and comparative analysis. We prioritized these ideas using an Impact/Effort Matrix to assess their value versus implementation effort, focusing on high-impact, low-effort improvements.
During the ideation phase, we generated ideas to enhance Slack’s features based on insights from user interviews and comparative analysis. We prioritized these ideas using an Impact/Effort Matrix to assess their value versus implementation effort, focusing on high-impact, low-effort improvements.
File management
File management
Work-life balance
Work-life balance
Onboarding
Onboarding
Notification
Notification
Search
Search
File management
Work-life balance
Onboarding
Notification
Search
Ideation
Prioritizing feature improvements for Slack through an Impact/Effort Matrix
During the ideation phase, we generated ideas to enhance Slack’s features based on insights from user interviews and comparative analysis. We prioritized these ideas using an Impact/Effort Matrix to assess their value versus implementation effort, focusing on high-impact, low-effort improvements.
File management
Work-life balance
Onboarding
Notification
Search
UI Design
Let's explore our high fidelity prototype and how we've translated our concepts into a functional interface.
Let's explore our high fidelity prototype and how we've translated our concepts into a functional interface.
Our visual design approach prioritizes clarity, modern aesthetic, and brand consistency. This ensures a seamless user experience while maintaining a polished and professional look, effectively enhancing user engagement and usability.
Our visual design approach prioritizes clarity, modern aesthetic, and brand consistency. This ensures a seamless user experience while maintaining a polished and professional look, effectively enhancing user engagement and usability.
Encouraging mindful communication and work life balance in Slack
Encouraging mindful communication and work life balance in Slack
User Test
Did we tackle the frustrations?
Did we tackle the frustrations?
After two rounds of usability testing with 6 participants, we collected valuable feedback, identified key strengths, and refined the design to enhance the Slack user experience.
After two rounds of usability testing with 6 participants, we collected valuable feedback, identified key strengths, and refined the design to enhance the Slack user experience.
After
Before
Relocated the Position of the File Buttons
The “Schedule Message” button was moved to the right side, immediately following the question, to encourage users to select it and emphasize its importance.
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Adam isn’t available until 30 Feb. Want to schedule your message for later, or send it now if it’s urgent?
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