Multitask with Anyone, Anywhere

Creating an inclusive and adaptable space to connect remotely

We can all agree that the circumstances 2020 has thrown us in have been less than ideal.

Who would have thought that empty airports, routine nose swabs, wearing a face mask, and limiting our physical interactions was going to be the new norm?

It might not be what most of us prefer, but these circumstances have opened the floodgates to incredible technology developments, all because we are craving face to face connection.

When doing initial research to understand what people are struggling with in this new space, the first thing we did was Hypothesize and create Assumptions regarding what frustrations we needed to prioritize.

This brought us to our initial problem statement — “How might we enhance an already widely used app to allow users to connect more meaningfully?”

We kept this in mind while navigating our User Interviews. These allowed us to condense key concerns and preferences through Affinity Mapping and Synthesizing the data. To ultimately create our Persona, who we will keep in mind when developing our features.

Sam the Multitasker is always busy, constantly hoping between projects, relies heavily on his peers when making decisions in his personal and professional life, and considers his time his most valuable asset .

Sam helped us validate our hypothesis and re-define our initial problem statement, now we are focusing on:

“How might we provide users a more seamless way to socially engage through a universally accessible virtual platform?”

Once we had a solid idea of what frustrations to prioritize, we turned our Insights into Features.

• Frustration: Need to view/do multiple things on their phone while still maintaining virtual “eye contact”.
• Feature: A swipe up feature where the user can add and remove what applications they would like to see in their Zoom meeting screen.
• Frustration: Making collaborating with others easier regardless of type of device or operating system.
• Feature: The addition of an “SMS Invite” button that will send a link to the meeting and the ability to join from any device.

Through low fidelity and high fidelity wireflows, we conducted two rounds of Usability Tests.

The tests were conducted over the course of one day with a total of 5 participants. Each test lasted ~10–15 minutes and they were conducted via Zoom. For us to see their behaviors, the participants were asked to share their screen to understand how they would navigate the app prototype built on Figma. Each task was timed, evaluated, and asked to be rated for easiness between 1–5 (5 being the easiest)

During the first round of usability tests, with low-fi sketches, we quickly learned that users have natural muscle memory when navigating an app, especially a well known one like the Zoom Mobile, which was affecting the completion time of the tasks as seen below:

Usability Test Results — Round 1

We adjusted some of the initial wireflow iterations so it was more intuitive to find the new feature, which drastically improved the time on task.

Usability Test Results — Round 2

Even though the second round of testing showed improved numbers, the time on task was still on the longer side, and the feedback we received and saw was that users had trouble finding where to find the new tool, which needless to say, defeats the purpose of adding it at all!

This is considered a Significant Issue when thinking about next steps. Adding copy and clear colors that guide the user to find the tool is vital to the success of the feature.

The closing of screens also caused some friction, however, this is a Minor Issue that can be addressed by making the exit button a bit larger/brighter.

Now you might be asking, what do we do with all these data points, findings, and information? It can get overwhelming if we don’t narrow down our recommendations and next steps.

For immediate app testing purposes, we recommend:

• Creating a “hover over” notice that will serve as another reminder or hint for the user to be better guided in the right direction.
• Evaluate the feasibility (and further need from target audience) on connecting personal accounts into the Zoom app.
• Include a small blurb near the feature on the app to explain the full breadth and functionality of the functionality of the added tool.

These updates will require us to conduct 1–2 more rounds of usability testing to make sure we are building the optimal iteration of the new feature.

And as an overall mentality, when building tools that have the potential to ultimately revolutionize the way we use things, we, as UX designers, have to remember that we are NOT trying to reinvent the wheel here.

We need to prioritize and keep in mind:

• Implementing a way for users to better utilize their current tools will change the way remote working AND remote living happens.
• Giving users the ability to stay in the same platform and still getting all functionalities will help alleviate frustration from non integrated systems.
• Instead of focusing on making more tools that cater to different systems, implement one new feature that will allow different systems to connect in the same place.

There is still a long way to go to be able to even come close to in person interactions, and we will most likely never be able to fully mimic it. However, we have made great strides towards creating a more inclusive and accessible space.

We need to keep moving forward, rely on each other to make sure everyone is heard, and embody the phrase “necessity is the mother of invention”.