The problem
Remote teams can experience communication issues and feelings of isolation due to the lack of in-person interactions. Struggles with technology, collaboration difficulties, and managing time zone differences can hinder smooth operation and project management.
- Inefficient communication
- Isolation and loneliness
- Lack of team cohesion
- Insuficient access to tools & resources
Discovery & Research:
Narrowing in
the problem
13
Focus
groups
117
User
interviews
2641
User
insights
After conducting user interviews, gathering information, reviewing analytics, and user feedback, we reached a clear understanding of user needs and pain points. Research also validated the initial hypothesis about the problems Welo is trying to solve.
Feelings of isolation, disconnection from the team, online meeting fatigue, overscheduling, miscommunication and misinformation, collaboration inconsistencies, low productivity, and lack of consistency in company culture were among the most relevant issues research brought to light.
Strategy & Design:
Rethinking the
Welo experience
Welo’s new user experience was reconceived from the ground up, strongly backed by extensive user research, and fueled by strong user empathy.
Collaborative sessions were instrumental in identifying user personas and customer journey maps. Innovative design solutions led to the creation of new features that effectively addressed user problems, enhancing the user experience while maintaining alignment between Welo’s business goals and user needs.
The solution
At its core, Welo aims to bring back “the feeling of being together” in remote and hybrid teams by creating a virtual platform that promotes human connections and seamless collaboration. Welo’s interactive workspace draws inspiration from the familiar dynamics of office collaboration, seamlessly bridging the gap between physical and digital interactions.
Inefficient
communication
- Integrate with Zoom to ensure reliable voice and video communication
- Promote asynchronous communication
- Integrate with Slack to expand communication channels
Isolation
and loneliness
- Design visually engaging spaces that feel familiar
- Maintain a constant presence of all team members in the space
- Build features that allow users to express their identity
Lack of team
cohesion
- Foster team culture with spontaneous conversations
- Design rooms suitable for specific types of meetings like daily standups, all hands, etc.
- Build in features that promote team building exercises
Insufficient access to
tools & resources
- Robust space and room resources functionality
- Integrate with Google Calendar, Jira, Miro and other collaboration tools.
- Create space interaction hotspots that allow quick access to resources and additional layers of information
New branding
& design system
To match the new UX Strategy, a new branding was conceived and designed. The new icon conveyed the concept of diversity and togetherness, reinforcing the letters of the name while at the same time establishing an association with “the breakout rooms”, one of Welo’s strongest and most popular features in the Zoom platform.
The new branding was followed by the complete redesign of the user interface and design system, constantly evolving and maintained.
Space design:
Spaces that build
emotional connections
Familiar surroundings help build a sense of belonging and togetherness. Users can form stronger emotional connections, and bond with other team members, when the spaces promote interactions and positive experiences.
- Every space and room was sketched and designed from scratch
- A game-like style that is clean, modern, and achieves the right balance between playfulness and seriousness
- Consistent look & feel of 3D assets that matches Welo’s branding
- Isometric perspective to ensure modularity for adaptability and scaling
Avatars:
Presence, Identity
& Self-expression
Personal identity is paramount to achieve “the feeling of being together”, as well as maintaining a constant presence in the space.
Avatar new features:
- Status badges: on call & multi-platform availability.
- Animated reactions: emojis, stickers and gifs.
- Name and location tags.
- Additional layers of information: user’s recent activity, detailed availability, and access to user actions.
Communications:
Real-time
& asynchronous
The messaging features were redesigned to expand functionality and meaning. Users can invite others into a room, send request for collaboration with a directly link to resources, and maintain a natural flow of conversation. Slack integration allowed persistency across communication channels.
Information:
Interactive layers
of meaningful information
The new features of interactive trigger points allows the spaces to add additional layers of meaning, creating a more “social experience”.
In addition to recent activity and availability, users can share with others more aspects of their personality like the books they are reading or the music they are listening to.
Tools & Resources:
Ease of access
The new redesigned communication bar incorporates direct access to essential collaboration tools, available via integrations. Users are able to quickly take notes using Google Docs or open a Miro board without leaving the space window.
This expanded functionality has also a great impact in use cases like: large scale events, workshops, showrooms, and support centers.
Integration Concept:
Welo & Zoom Events
A proposed new redesign of Zoom Events with a strong integration with Welo. The concept was created and presented as a part of an acquisition pitch, designed intentionally to seamlessly integrate with Zoom’s interface and as enhancement of Zoom Events’s user experience.