Zoom

Overview

Our team did a study on 'Zoom' as part of a course project for Humber College's User Experience Design postgraduate program. The goal of this research was to find areas where the 'Zoom' platform may be improved, based on how these areas failed to satisfy user needs and expectations. We also wanted to figure out how to recognize patterns in user experience, which helped us find out where users' pain points were when using the platform.

Analysis

Based on the research findings, we concluded that several parts of the Zoom platform were unsatisfactory to users. To continue, we identified questions that we wanted to address with our design solutions.

• How can the Zoom experience be more user-friendly for all?
  ‍Users, regardless of tech literacy or what plan they subscribe to, should feel that they can adapt to using Zoom without feeling stressed. As researchers, how can we employ solutions that simplify the user experience?
• How can users be notified of important updates without feeling overwhelmed?
  ‍The balance between keeping the user informed and not wanting the system notifications to be obtrusive is important. How can we form the best solution for addressing this concern?
• How can Zoom help users be more organized?
  ‍Zoom is a collaboration tool. Rather than simply providing a medium of communication, as researchers, we should consider how new features could be included to facilitate better meetings.

Personas

Based on our findings, we created two personas: one for the more professional Zoom user who holds meetings on a regular basis, and the other for the more casual Zoom user who has less familiarity with the platform.

Rithik, 27

Project Manager at Tech Firm

“For me, time is very important. I like to be productive and save time where I can. I also love technology that helps me achieve this with ease.”

Needs:
- Regularly host & run effective meetings with clients & co-workers
- Share ideas, feedback & goals with co-workers

Pain Points:
- Teaching how to use zoom to novice users due to complex onboarding process
- Lack of effective notifications causing to miss important updates

Sofia, 48

Home-maker

“I like the slow paced life & prefer to live in the country-side, just like where I grew up in East Germany. Spending time & working in my kitchen -garden is the favourite part of my day.”

Needs:
- Stay connected with family & friends back in her home country
- Attend online workshops related to kitchen-gardening & pottery

Pain Points:
- Cannot meet family & friends in-person due to the ongoing pandemic
- Takes too much time to understand & figure out how to use the interface

Journey Maps

Using our two personas, we also constructed journey maps for each persona. Each journey map details how the different user would use the Zoom app.

Fig. 3. Journey map for the host.

Fig. 4. Journey map for the attendee.

Problem Statement

How might we help Zoom users be more organized and never miss important notifications during their meetings?

Solution

To solve the challenges identified above, we were able to come up with the following solutions. These solutions were determined to be the most effective means of improving the Zoom user experience.

Fig. 5. Proposed design solutions to improve user experience of Zoom.

Task Flow

A linear representation of the flow of tasks and the different steps that a person would take to get to a specific goal or end point. We created this task flow (see Figure 6) based on available data to map out the basic journey a user takes in the zoom app.

Fig. 6. Task Flow for joining/creating a meeting a on Zoom.

Wire Flow

We used low-fidelity wireframes to create a wire flow mapping out a quick overview of the user experience when hosting a meeting on Zoom. The objective was to identify what key features should be augmented or implemented in a potential redesign of the platform to make this process more efficient for users.

Fig. 7. Wire flow created using low-fidelity wireframes for Zoom's desktop client.

Wireframes

We used wireframes to visually add more detail to our user journey flow after completing the task flows and wire flows. The wireframes are laid out in a way that follows the user's journey. They also assisted in highlighting certain features that we have included in this redesigned user experience and have underlined with blue number marks.

Sign In Page & Homepage

Fig. 8. Wireframe of Sign In page.

Fig. 9. Wireframe of the homepage.

New Zoom Meeting

Fig. 10. Wireframe of the updated action bar & main screen.

1. At the start of a meeting, users are prompted to go through a tutorial if necessary (they can decide). This would help new or inexperienced users feel more at ease by providing an option that introduces them to the interface step-by-step, making Zoom more accessible.
2. The previous Meeting Details/Settings icon has been replaced by three icons that are clearer in indicating their purpose. Meeting Information and Meeting Settings have been separated into two separate icons for ease of access. The record button has been moved to this position so it is not crowded by the icons in the lower bar, and can be seen more clearly.
3. The action bar has been reorganized to group items more logically, making it less difficult for users to understand where to find certain features. Settings' icons have been grouped on the left and named accordingly so users know where to go for audio/visual effects or for security options. The icons that would be accessed the most often are grouped in the middle, with the three key ones (audio, video, end meeting) emphasized more to the user. Chat and participant icons have been moved to the right because that is where the panel for those sections lies.

Zoom Tutorial

Fig. 11. Wireframe showing the proposed Zoom tutorial.

1. Each section of the tutorial is named so that users are aware of what they are covering before they even read the descriptions. The option to skip tutorial is also still present, to provide greater user freedom in choosing what to do next.
2. The tutorial progress is provided so that users are updated on how many steps are involved, and what stage they are on.
3. Arrows provide a better visual understanding of where certain elements are. They make it less difficult for the users to keep up with the tutorial, which also makes it less time-consuming.

Meeting Agenda

Fig. 12. Wireframe showing the proposed 'meeting agenda' feature.

1. Users can now create meeting agendas to keep track of their discussion topics and the duration for each interval. This would help users be more mindful of how they can plan meetings more efficiently.
2. Users can create as many agenda topics as they want. They can stipulate how long each topic will take, and name them accordingly. All these edit features allow the users to customize their agenda as much as they want.
3. Users can also create timer alerts. At a certain point during the meeting, they can opt to be reminded of how much time is left. This reminder would be useful in case they forget to keep track of the meeting time. It is also optional and can be adjusted in when it appears, making it more convenient for the user to set those settings according to their needs.

Meeting Alerts

Fig. 13. Wireframe showing the new meeting alerts.

Fig. 14. Another wireframe showing the new meeting alerts.

1. The system will recognize if the user is alone and prompt them to invite participants. To limit the confusion in having multiple invite options/links with the current design, users will be given only two options: a specific link they can share or adding participants via email directly.
2. A clear pop-up will appear when participants are waiting to be admitted to the meeting, along with a sound. This is so that the user is instantly informed of the update. Users can decide to admit all participants automatically as well, limiting the stress in having to manage a large waiting list.

Meeting Progress

Fig. 15. Wireframe showing the proposed 'meeting progress' timeline during a meeting.

1. Remaining meeting time is now indicated in the top right. This is so that users are constantly aware of how much time they have left, even before the meeting alert appears. This would limit the number of meetings ending unexpectedly.
2. The current meeting topic will always be indicated on the top left. Therefore, users can keep track of what the current topic should be. There is also an ‘Edit’ icon that can still allow users to adjust their meeting agenda, even in the middle of the meeting. Giving users more freedom to make sudden changes.
3. Meeting progress bar will help users visualize where they are in their meeting, time-wise. It will also highlight the different meeting topics with a thin white bar, so that users are able to keep track of how much time they have left even within different intervals.

Chat Alerts

Fig. 16. Wireframe showing the new chat alerts.

1. New chat messages will appear on top of the chat icon temporarily, before disappearing. Chat messages to the user privately will be a different colour from chat messages sent to the public chat, so that users can distinguish the two immediately. Users can get an idea of what people are saying without having to open the chat, giving them more time to focus on other tasks. Each new message will also be announced by an audio effect, in the case the user is on another window.
2. A number value will appear on the chat icon when there are new messages. This number will remain there until the user opens the chat panel. Therefore, users will always have a constant reminder that there are unread messages.

Ending Meetings

Fig. 17. Wireframe showing the updated 'meeting ending' alert.

Fig. 18. Wireframe of the 'end meeting' screen.

1. According to when they set their reminders, users will be alerted at a certain point during the meeting of how much time is left. Free plan users will also be given the option to extend the duration of their meeting. Clicking on this button will take the free plan users to a pop up or screen where they can buy the premium plan and it will also show other benefits of the premium plan. Therefore, users will still have an incentive to consider a premium plan.
2. In choosing to end the meeting, users will be given the same options as in the current interface. They can either leave the meeting or end it for all participants (if they are the host).

Next Steps

Based on our findings, we recommended design ideas that we feel will improve the Zoom product's overall user experience. Our goal was to figure out how Zoom could be more efficient in adapting to a user's natural workflow, and we hope our design proposals addressed those concerns.

The goal is to continue to show how Zoom can be a useful communication and collaboration tool for everyone. Even in future iterations, the app's functionality, usability, and accessibility should be reviewed and enhanced.

Following this, we would like to test our design solutions with users to get rapid feedback before moving on to higher-fidelity prototypes.