Communication Dashboard

Overview

Effective communication in a work environment is critical to maintaining productivity and reducing stress. However, many organizations struggle with fragmented communication systems that require employees to juggle multiple platforms. This report explores the design and development of a centralized communication dashboard aimed at streamlining communication, reducing information overload, and improving collaboration.

Role

Designer & Researcher

Timeframe

3 months

Tools Used

  • Figma
  • Qualtrics
  • UserTesting
  • Dovetail

Skills

  • Interview
  • Survey
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Empathy map
  • Personas
  • Wireframe
  • Prototype

The Project

Challenge

The main issue addressed is the inefficiency and information overload caused by fragmented communication tools. Many employees are required to switch between multiple systems like email, instant messaging, and task management tools, which reduces productivity and increases cognitive load (Corrigan, 2022) . This leads to missed information, delayed responses, and decreased workflow efficiency.
 How might we centralize communication tools to reduce inefficiency and information overload in the workplace?

Part 1

Discover and understand users

This section is all about discovering and understanding the user's needs, goals, and pain points. We set ourself a few research goals before getting started.

  1. Learn as much as possible about our potential users
  2. Determine if and how I can leverage new technology and innovation

Survey

I sent out a user survey Google Forms and received 50 responses. Here is a summary of the average user’s characteristics:

  • How many employees are in your organization?
  • What communication tools do you usually use? (Select all that apply)
  • How often do you use these communication tools?
  • Which collaborations tools do you currently use? How often?

Interview

I interviewed 5 students to get a sense of their understanding the following:

Pain Points

  • What are the biggest challenges you face with your current communication tools?
  • How do fragmented communication channels affect your ability to manage tasks and stay organized?
  • Have you experienced information overload with your current tools? Can you provide specific examples of how this impacts your work?
  • How do you typically manage or mitigate information overload in your daily work?

Integration and Workflow Improvement

  • How well do your current communication and collaboration tools integrate with each other?
  • Can you provide an example of a situation where better integration between tools could have improved your workflow?
  • What collaboration tools do you use most frequently (e.g., shared documents, project management software, virtual whiteboards)? Can you describe how you use each of these tools?

Key user insights

I noticed some common themes and patterns among the survey responses.

  • Demographics: 35% of respondents were aged 35-44, and 62% were female. The majority (73%) held a Master's degree.
  • Industry: The top industries were "Other" (38%) and Technology (35%).
  • Organization Size: 50% of respondents were from organizations with 1001+ employees.
  • Tool Usage: The most commonly used tools were Email, Instant Messaging (Slack, Microsoft Teams), and Video Conferencing (Zoom, Google Meet), used multiple times a day by 70% of respondents.
  • Challenges: The major challenges identified were Information Overload (61%), Lack of Tool Integration (43%), and Difficulty in Tracking Conversations (39%).

User Interview Feedback

Here’s what some of the users said when asked about communication & colloboration tools

  • Demographics: Age between 27-33. Work hybrid (remote and at office). And work with 500 and co above companies.  
  • Fragmented Systems: Separate email and note-taking systems create confusion and inefficiencies.
  • Industry Standards: Users are often attached to established tools despite their limitations.
  • Integration Issues: Inconsistent user experiences arise from tools that require different sign-ups or login credentials.
  • Preference for Real-Time Interaction: Participants preferred real-time communication to avoid delayed messaging.
  • Need for Centralized Communication: A unified platform is desired to streamline interactions and reduce cognitive load.

Competitive Analysis

Here's the breakdown of the competitive landscape.

Microsoft Team

  • Strengths: Seamless Office 365 integration; flexible collaboration.
  • Weaknesses: Feature overload; occasional performance issues.
  • Opportunities: Enhance AI for task prioritization.

Slack

  • Strengths: Intuitive interface; strong integrations; searchable history.
  • Weaknesses: Overwhelming notifications; limited video capabilities.
  • Opportunities: Expand video features; improve notification management.

Zoom

  • Strengths: Reliable video conferencing; breakout rooms.
  • Weaknesses: Limited collaboration tools; security concerns.
  • Opportunities: Strengthen chat and collaboration integrations.

Google Workspace

  • Strengths: Outstanding real-time collaboration (Docs, Sheets, Slides).
  • Weaknesses: Fragmented experience; unintuitive for new users.
  • Opportunities: Unify tool integration for a seamless workspace.

Part 2

Ideation

Personas

Bob struggles with managing multiple communication tools and remembering client preferences. He seeks a centralized platform for all communications and automated tools for tracking client information.

Kathy faces technical issues with Microsoft Teams and Jira, and struggles with managing multiple notifications. She desires reliable tools, effective notifications, and AI-powered insights to streamline her workflow.

Empathy Maps

Bob

Bob, a freelance graphic designer, struggles to manage multiple clients due to fragmented tools, manual tracking, and overwhelming information. He seeks centralized, automated solutions to streamline communication, improve workflow efficiency, and enhance client satisfaction.

Kathy

Kathy, a 27-year-old Web UI/UX Specialist working in a hybrid setup, frequently conducts A/B testing and uses tools like Microsoft Teams, Jira, and Notion for task management and collaboration. She feels frustrated by technical issues, overwhelmed by information overload, and desires reliable, integrated tools to streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and improve collaboration.

User Journey

Bob

Bob’s journey is marked by the struggle to manage communication across multiple platforms. A centralized communication dashboard simplifies his workflow by consolidating messages and automating task tracking.

Kathy

Kathy navigates constant notifications and technical glitches while managing multiple communication channels. A streamlined dashboard with AI-powered insights helps her organize tasks and reduce information overload.

Part 3

Design & Test

Low-fidelity Wireframe

Dashboard

  • Header (Top Bar): Includes user profile icon and logout button for easy access.‍
  • My Apps Section: Lists apps (e.g., Excel, Word, PowerPoint) for quick access.
  • Explore by Category Section: Categories like "Productivity," "Communication," "Collaboration," and "Content Management" allow users to filter apps.
  • Add App Button: Prominently placed for users to expand their app collection.
  • Sidebar Navigation: Includes main navigation links like "Apps," "Feed," "My Contact," and "Schedule."

Feed

  • Header (Top Bar): Contains a search bar for finding specific updates or files.
  • Feed Section: Displays updates (e.g., wireframes, project status) with sender details and timestamps. Filters like "Most Recent," "Communication," and "Collaboration" enable sorting of updates.
  • Right Sidebar (User Info and Connect): My Activity: Displays user's own updates and files.
  • Left Sidebar Navigation: Includes links to "Apps," "Feed," "My Contact," and "Schedule."
  • Dash AI Widget: Provides access to AI-powered task assistance directly from the feed.

Contact

  • Search Bar: Allows quick lookup of contacts.
  • Add Contact Button: Enables users to add new entries efficiently.
  • Table Columns: Displays Name, Company, Email, Phone Number, and Preferred Tools clearly.
  • Action Icons: Edit (pencil) and delete (trash bin) options for managing contacts.
  • Pagination Controls: Navigate through multiple pages with highlighted current page.

UserTesting

The final design iteration introduced several enhancements based on user feedback:

  • Customizable Widgets: Users can arrange and prioritize tools according to their workflow.
  • Task Prioritization: Automated prioritization of tasks based on urgency.
  • Real-Time Collaboration: Integrated real-time collaboration tools for messaging and task updates.
  • Seamless Integration: The dashboard integrates with Slack, Zoom, Jira, and Google Drive, allowing users to manage all communications from one place.

The Hi-fi Prototype

All of these elements finally come together in the hi-fi prototype. Users can manage their communication in real-time with a single dashboard for seamless collaboration and timely response.