Litespace Coffee Chat
Effortless team connections with Coffee Chat
Project Type
Professional
Timeline
2 weeks (September 2023)
Team
Design Lead, 1 Engineer
Responsibilities
Research, Prototype, Testing
OVERVIEW
Bridging the gap between structured meetings and casual interactions
This project, following the rebranding, introduced a shift from a greenish color scheme to a more blueish palette while incorporating new elements into the design system. Coffee Chat is an innovative solution designed to foster spontaneous, meaningful conversations in hybrid and remote work environments. It bridges communication gaps, transforming traditional meetings into casual yet purposeful interactions that build stronger teams. I led the design and experience iterations, adapting to development progress and evolving requirements.
PROBLEM
Remote teams lack casual social interactions
To improve team connection and collaboration in hybrid and remote environments, we identified key challenges through internal observations and feedback from enterprise customers. Addressing these issues is essential to fostering meaningful interactions and stronger team cohesion.
Lack of Spontaneous Interactions
In hybrid and remote work environments, opportunities for spontaneous, meaningful conversations are limited, leading to reduced team cohesion.
Sense of Disconnection
Traditional work models often create a disconnect among team members, particularly in settings where remote and in-office work are mixed.
Ineffective Communication Channels
Existing meeting structures tend to be formal and rigid, making it difficult to foster casual, purposeful interactions that build stronger team relationships.
CONSRTAINTS
Building an MVP with limited resources
Given the company's resource limitations, I collaborated with the team to develop the first version as a minimum viable product (MVP), focusing on pairing one coffee chat per week. For this initial release, the design prioritizes core functionality while remaining adaptable for future growth. If the MVP proves successful, we will refine and expand the design to incorporate meetings and additional features in the next iteration.
DESIGN GOALS
Ensuring seamless pairing, scheduling, and engagement
After conducting team interviews, analyzing competitive tools like Donut for Slack, CoffeePals, LEAD.bot, and RandomCoffee, and researching human behavior in workplace interactions, we established key goals to achieve during this MVP.
Automated Pairing with Purpose
Automatically match employees for coffee chats and provide context on why they are paired, fostering relevant and meaningful interactions.
Smart Scheduling
Allow users to select preferred times and automatically schedule chats within available time slots, ensuring flexibility and seamless integration into their workflow.
Cross-Department Matching
Enable connections between employees from different teams or departments to break down silos, encourage collaboration, and foster company-wide networking.
Conversation Starters
Suggest engaging topics or icebreakers to help participants initiate conversations, making interactions more comfortable and productive.
CHALLENGE 1
Creating meaningful pairings
Through my research on ChatGPT-3, I identified its potential to enhance user pairings by improving both the matching process and explanations. Traditional matchmaking often feels arbitrary, so I persuaded the team to explore integrating the ChatGPT-3 API to refine pair selection and provide meaningful context. By leveraging natural language processing, ChatGPT-3 can help analyze user data and generate insights to make connections more intentional and engaging.
CHALLENGE 2
Mapping the user flow
A key challenge was mapping different user scenarios, as participants may see different screens based on their actions. This flow ensures a seamless scheduling experience by minimizing direct communication, reducing pressure on users. The conversation widget was intentionally excluded to focus on core scheduling interactions.
CHALLENGE 3
Simplifying coffee chat's interface
Faced with a complex UI in Coffee Chat, I initially designed a multi-functional widget. User testing revealed its high cognitive load, leading me to divide it into two simpler widgets for availability and reasons, which received more positive feedback during internal A/B testing. I also added a mutual availability tool for easier scheduling in remote or hybrid environments.
Before
After
CHALLENGE 4
Optimizing meeting format selection
I explored the option of letting users choose between virtual and in-person meetings, but A/B testing showed it caused delays and confusion without direct communication, and in-person meetings were rarely chosen in our remote and hybrid setting. Based on these findings, we removed the selection to simplify scheduling, reduce cognitive load, and improve efficiency by focusing only on availability.
Before
After
FINAL DELIVERABLES
Seamless scheduling with contextual matchmaking
The Coffee Chat feature automatically pairs users each week based on their availability, integrating with Google Calendar. Matches include context on shared interests and suggested topics to facilitate conversation. The chat is set to "Going" by default, ensuring a seamless scheduling experience. Users can reschedule or decline if needed. Upon both users' confirmation, the system generates a Google Meet link and adds it to their calendar, making it easy to connect and engage in meaningful conversations.
Handling chat declines without friction
If either participant declines the scheduled coffee chat, both users will see a notification widget informing them that the chat has been canceled. To reduce pressure and maintain a seamless experience, the system does not require a reason for declining. Users will simply be notified that their next coffee chat will be scheduled in the following cycle.
Flexible scheduling for better availability
If user wants to reschedule, he can choose from alternative time slots automatically recommended based on both users' availability. This simplifies the process by providing quick, pre-selected options, allowing for a smoother scheduling experience. Once both users agree on a new time, the chat is confirmed.
If the other user proposes new times, user can review and select a slot that works for both. This ensures flexibility while maintaining a structured approach, reducing the need for back-and-forth coordination and making it easier to finalize meetings.
If none of the other user's suggested times work, users can propose their own availability for the other person to review. This flexible approach simplifies scheduling and increases the likelihood of finding a mutually agreeable time.
REFLECTION
The Coffee Chat feature was the first major project successfully launched after our rebranding, marking a significant milestone for the team. This process deepened my understanding of ChatGPT and its role in refining pair selection and generating meaningful match explanations. I was excited to propel the team forward in this direction, ensuring that AI-supported matchmaking felt more intentional and meaningful. Building and testing this MVP allowed us to assess its impact, explore future expansion, and evaluate its effectiveness in improving scheduling efficiency and user engagement.
Thanks for reading! 😊
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