TidyBot & Simple Mode

Team

Hannah Glazebrook (Senior Accessibility Expert)
Lola Famulegun
Swathi Ram
Binta Moncur
Zelia Liu
Jahnavi Kolakaluri

My role

Assisted in conducting user interviews and contextual inquiries. Participated in ideation, designed wireframes, visuals and final UI prototypes. Facilitated discussions on research findings to design decisions.

Tools

Figma, FigJam, Qualtrics, Dovetail

Timeline

3 months and on-going

context

What is Slack?

Slack is workplace communication tool. A Slack user can message a coworker in the workplace directly through direct messages, or a team through Channels. Because it is in the workplace, there are also tools in Slack to prioritize, plan projects, and search, and file sharing. etc.

Why did we choose Slack?

This is a self initiated project. We chose Slack as our platform as there were many articles and threads online on how ADHD users found Slack difficult to use.

problem space

Despite increased adoption of online workplaces such as Slack post pandemic, there seems to be something about Slack’s interface that is exacerbating ADHD symptoms.

These symptoms include difficulty focusing, sensory overload and task management challenges on the platform.

Research findings summary

2 Expert Interviews, 5 User Interviews & Contextual Inquiries revealed that ADHD users found Slack difficult to use because:

FINDING 01

Despite the presence of helpful features, users are not sure how to find and use them.

5/5 participants had “Aha” moments during contextual inquiry.

FINDING 02

Participants feel the interface is hard to navigate and digest.

2/5 participants expressed decision fatigue and information overload.

FINDING 03

Users have too many channels and DMs, it’s too many to scroll through and gets frustrating.

5/5 participants discussed channels as an area that needs to be optimized.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 01

Guides the user through a feature and makes them aware of benefits.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 02

Simplified UI to Reduce Cognitive Strain.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 03

Effective Channel Management

solution

TidyBot, and inbuilt assistant that automates and recommends channel categories based on user behavior.

Guides users to manage and reduce sidebar clutter through CTAs, text, and highlighting key parts of the interface.

Toggle to simple mode via TidyBot to reduce sidebar clutter during times of high productivity.

Slack recommended simple mode, notifies mentions and DMs, channels shown based on user behavior.

Customizable simple mode, users can set notifications and choose channels they want to view in Simple mode.

user’s thoughts and attitudes

Evaluation conducted with 5 Slack users self-report focus, motivation, and sensory challenges, specifically tied to ADHD. 1-1 Sessions were conducted remote and in-person by guiding users through tasks and collecting feedback post-task completion.

01 research

Research Methods & Goals

Domain Knowledge & Tools

Understanding Users

Understanding the Product

🔬 Expert Interviews

To identify the most suitable tools and resources, and get guidance and proof on findings.

🗣️ User Interviews

Gather insights into the experiences, needs, and practices of neurodivergent individuals in workplace settings.

💻 Contextual Inquiries

Observe firsthand how users with ADHD use Slack in the a work/school context.

📊 Comparative Analysis

Understand Slack as a platform and it’s ecosystem. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing technologies that enhance focus.

My Role

🔬 Expert Interviews

🗣️ User Interviews

💻 Contextual Inquiries

📊 Comparative Analysis

04 design

First Wireframe Iteration

I played an active role in defining interactions, shaping user flows, and creating wireframes. After delving into the details and assessing feasibility, we decided to merge the concepts of Tidy Bot and Simple Mode for our next steps.

05 User feedback

Conducted a feedback sessions on the first iteration of wireframes with the goal to understand to what extent the solutions solves user needs identified. Then iterated the designs to solve for the pain points uncovered during these sessions.

final screens

As we created the final screens, we faced difficulties adapting our wireframes to the Slack UI design system. Because we weren't working with Slack directly, we lacked guidance on optimizing our design for the system. Despite this challenge, we recognized the importance of aligning with the mental model of a Slack user. To address this, we explored UI toolkits on Figma's community and followed steps to grasp Slack's design guidelines.

reflections

1. Inclusive design leads to universal solutions

2. Advocate for user needs while also understanding technology limitations and design tradeoffs

3. To root design solutions in user feedback and research