Whiteboard Redesign

Enhance effective collaboration and engagement on zoom whiteboard

Overview

We reimagined the newly released Zoom whiteboard, which initially launched with basic functionality that year (2022). Our goal was to enhance productivity and engagement by improving digital content organization and introducing a subtle nudge mechanism to encourage active participation.

Time:

4 weeks in July, 2022

Team:

Yuanhao Wang, Si yuan Zuo, Zoe, Jerry Hong

Project type:

Desktop, Redesign

My Role

I led the team worked on user research, analysis and ideation together. Then we divided the work. I was focusing on the toolbar, part of pins and the nudge, from design to final prototype.

Design Process

Discover & define problem area

Context

During the pandemic, the nature of collaboration underwent a significant transformation as it shifted online. This change profoundly altered how we engage in collaborative work, a process previously characterized by in-person interactions within office environments. Zoom, as one the leading online meeting and collaboration tool, just launched it's new feature " whiteboard" , with only basic features.

Latest version ( July, 2022 )

Layout was not efficient

Only had basic features and tools

Hard to control the viewport and the location on canvas

Problem

The basic features are far less sufficient to meet the high demands of online collaboration in our daily work.

Teams that once worked closely together through brainstorming sessions, sketching exercises, pinups, show-and-tell activities, and more, found these collaborative rituals disrupted by physical distancing. The screen became the sole interface for connection, marking a departure from the familiar dynamics of office collaboration.

User interview

Understanding user needs

We had interviewed eight people in design and education industry, who replied heavily on whiteboard for online discussion, presentation, annotations and etc. Participants are generally divided into two typical groups, white board session organizer and other attendees.

Facilitator

Pain points

Whiteboard is unlimited but screen size is limited, making it hard to organize the content (manage the content)
it's tough to keep track of everyone's status without physical presence.
( manage the attendee)
Maintaining a meeting’s schedule and productivity is difficult
( manage the whiteboard session)

Whiteboard is unlimited but screen size is limited, making it hard to organize the content
(manage the content)
it's tough to keep track of everyone's status without physical presence.
( manage the attendee)
Maintaining a meeting’s schedule and productivity is difficult
( manage the whiteboard session)

Whiteboard is unlimited but screen size is limited, making it hard to organize the content
(manage the content)
it's tough to keep track of everyone's status without physical presence.
( manage the attendee)
Maintaining a meeting’s schedule and productivity is difficult
( manage the whiteboard session)

Needs

Easily track or search for relevant content.
Display clear time and agenda on the board to enhance meeting efficiency.
Efficiently document the whiteboard session after the meeting
Implement strategies to boost team engagement and productivity.

Attendee

Pain points

it's easier to get distracted by the real world around them instead of focusing on the online meeting.
( feel lost in the meeting )
If the whiteboard is cluttered with numerous pinups and the viewport is limited, finding specific content can be challenging. ( feel lost in the scattered or cluttered content)

Needs

Gentle reminders to refocus on the whiteboard when distracted by surroundings.

Ability to search and sort content efficiently.

Curated templates to convey ideas more effectively.

Identified design tasks

Focusing on the key challenges

Users had a long bucket list of needs during the interview. While we could keep developing all their needs, at this stage, we had to focus on the prioritized tasks.

Goal 1