Bringing together virtually disconnected teams
In summer of 2023, I worked on Zoom Huddles, alongside designers from the design technology team to conduct research, ideate, prototype, and gather feedback. In the winter, I documented product requirements and worked with our project manager to ensure the engineering team stayed on course to deliver the Minimum Viable Product in time for Zoomtopia 2023. Additionally, I devised a protocol for the internal beta launch and conducted UX research for Zoom Huddles on mobile.
Product Designer, User Experience Researcher, Lead Product Manager, Design Technologist, Senior Developers
Product Designer, User Experience Researcher, Lead Product Manager, Design Technologist, Senior Developers
8 months
Problem
Do you feel disconnected from your remote colleagues?
The workplace was amid a massive platform shift from in-office workplaces to various remote and hybrid models. Pre-pandemic only a fraction of jobs were either remote or hybrid but the pandemic significantly accelerated the rate of distributed businesses.
While it didn’t affect productivity as much as the world feared, it did diminish the connection between co-workers, contributing to a significant decline in employee engagement.
The objective was to solve the puzzle for the hybrid world. Before diving in, it was essential to consider some of the exclusive advantages and challenges that Zoom faces in the realm of video conferencing.
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...our customers did
One of the most interesting insights from the interviews I conducted came from a member of a community of video editors.
"We run a Zoom session for 24 hours"
We run a Zoom session for 24 hours every day, creating a virtual workspace where we can all collaborate. It's set up like office hours, allowing anyone from our community to join at any time that suits them. We mostly work silently, focusing on our individual video editing projects, but the setup allows us to quickly unmute ourselves and ask for help or share ideas whenever needed. It's an effective way to stay connected and support each other, no matter where we are in the world.
Video Editor, Member of a content creator community
This insight was particularly enlightening as it highlighted a unique use of Zoom that went beyond typical business meetings––and that there was a need for what we were attempting to create. I also met with our enterprise customers like Humana, Walmart, and FedEx, to understand how different types of users leverage virtual spaces for collaborative work, across different sectors.
Research
Exploring what is out there
I created a Google Sheet which captured extensive information regarding the product features, pricing, target audience, branding, customer reviews, and distribution channels. I also recruited interns from other teams at Zoom to test these products in real-time. By doing this exercise, I recognized how competitors addressed comparable usability problems, ways to avoid potential obstacles, and insights into the latest trends.
How do groups form in real life?
Over a period of three days, during lunch time I conducted an ethnography at the Zoom head office. I chose to conduct an ethnography because we wanted to understand how employees interact with each other in real life; how they communicate, how they enter/exit conversations, and how they form groups.
This helped me develop hypotheses and theories about why these patterns existed and how they can be replicated to create a worthwhile virtual office experience.
The ethnography revealed that overtime employees develop cliques with unspoken rules that prevent others from participating in the conversation, often communicated through gestures, body language, and facial expressions. These discoveries were essential in designing an experience that resonated with our customers' mental models.
✴️ In face-to-face communication, nonverbal cues allow us to engage and disengage from conversations.
Solution
Setting product principles to fall back on
I worked with the leadership team to develop product principles, namely––worthwhile, human, and optional.
Our aim to replicate the dynamics of an open office for predictability and collaboration. We focused on a human-centered design that supported natural workflows through personalization and creative tools while enabling spontaneous conversations. Lastly, to protect privacy we introduced flexibility, allowing users to choose between scheduled meetings and quick chats based on their needs.
Design exploration
I sketched a few ideas to explore different directions we could take when designing the interface. The quick and dirty sketching helped visualize important aspects of the experience.
I also examined how to categorize and group different departments [fig 3], considering the needs of large enterprise customers and accommodating thousands of avatars on screen.
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Next, I used Figma to develop low-fidelity prototypes, outlining the flow of Huddles. It was crucial to ensure they integrated seamlessly into Zoom’s existing Meetings and Chat functionalities without overshadowing them. By collaborating with a Senior Design Technologist, I was able to quickly prototype and refine these designs based on leadership feedback, moving us toward actionable, shippable design recommendations.
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We visually represented rooms as 'Spaces' within Huddles, corresponding to a user's department. This also provided a quick overview of who was "in the office".
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A user could enter a room without immediately joining the conversation, similar to working at your desk while colleagues discuss work nearby. If desired, you could easily become part of the conversation by clicking 'join conversation.
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At the time, Zoom had just introduced the Whiteboard feature in its Enterprise solution. Recognizing its potential to enhance user collaboration and benefit the business, I experimented with displaying a whiteboard alongside user avatars.
Small changes that made a huge impact!
Although Zoom Huddles was launched after my departure, it was well-received at Zoomtopia 2023 by our customers and even made headlines. You can see what the final product looked like in the video below.
