Convay Integrated Chat

To create a versatile chat feature within Convay that enables direct messaging, group chats, and instant meeting initiation. The chat interface is organized into three categories—Meeting Chat, People (direct messages), and Rooms (group chats)—offering both public and private room options. This feature aims to provide users with a streamlined and flexible messaging system that supports quick communication, team collaboration, and easy transitions between chat and video conferencing.

CATEGORY:

Web Design,

Product Design

ROLE:

UX Designer,

UI Designer,

Interaction Designer

TOOLS:

Figma

About Convay

Convay is an innovative video conferencing platform that redefines virtual collaboration by integrating tools for seamless communication and teamwork. Designed with the needs of modern businesses in mind, Convay goes beyond traditional video calls by offering a unified platform that manages all aspects of meeting lifecycles—from preparation and execution to post-meeting follow-ups.


The platform provides enterprise-grade security, ensuring data privacy with end-to-end encryption and secure cloud storage. Key features include high-quality audio and video conferencing, automatic transcription, real-time collaboration tools, and centralized file management through Convay Cloud. Users can organize meeting files, access chat logs, and navigate through media and documents effortlessly. Additionally, Convay supports complex requirements with scalable architecture, making it suitable for organizations of all sizes.


With specialized solutions like AI-powered transcription and summarization, cloud storage for document management, and an intuitive interface for navigating content and activities, Convay aims to create a truly cohesive virtual meeting experience that enhances productivity across teams.


For more details, visit Convay.

Feature Overview

To create a versatile chat feature within Convay that enables direct messaging, group chats, and instant meeting initiation. The chat interface is organized into three categories—Meeting Chat, People (direct messages), and Rooms (group chats)—offering both public and private room options.


This feature aims to provide users with a streamlined and flexible messaging system that supports quick communication, team collaboration, and easy transitions between chat and video conferencing.

Problem Statement

In a collaborative platform like Convay, efficient communication is essential to keep teams connected and ensure smooth project workflows. However, without a dedicated chat system, users often struggle to maintain context and continuity in their conversations, leading to fragmented communication across different channels. This lack of integration can result in scattered messages, disjointed discussions, and inefficiencies in accessing important information shared in chats or meetings. Convay needed an intuitive, centralized chat solution that would allow users to seamlessly communicate in individual, group, and meeting-specific contexts without losing valuable information or interrupting collaboration.

Goal

As the UX Designer for the Integrated Chat feature, I was responsible for designing the interface and ensuring that the chat system was intuitive and user-friendly. My role involved creating the user flow for direct messaging, group chat, and meeting-based conversations, with an emphasis on smooth navigation between chat categories. I designed UI for each interaction, including landing on the chat page, creating new rooms, and setting up instant meetings. Additionally, I collaborated closely with the development team to address technical considerations and incorporated user feedback to refine the design.

User Interface Designs

Landing on Chat App: The chat app opens with options for direct messaging, group chats, and meeting-specific chats. Users can click on a conversation to open it or use the search bar to locate specific chats, providing quick access to ongoing discussions.

Step 1: User lands on chat

Step 2: User clicks on a conversation

Step 3: User can search

Creating a New Room: Users can create a new room by clicking the "+" icon. Rooms can be either public, allowing anyone to join, or private, restricted to invited members only. Users can explore public rooms, search for specific rooms, and initiate a new group chat by filling in details like room name and privacy settings.

Step 1: User clicks on the '+' icon beside Group

Step 2: User clicks on the '+' icon beside Rooms

Step 3: User fills the boxes for private room and clicks 'Create Room’

Step 3.1: User fills the boxes for public room and clicks 'Create Room’

Step 3.2: User explores public rooms

Step 3.3: User can search to explore public rooms

Step 4: User creates a new private room successfully

Step 4.1: User creates a new public room successfully

Inside a Group Chat: Once in a group chat, users can invite others to join, search within the chat for specific messages, and access group information. Each member can engage in real-time conversations and view shared files for ongoing collaboration.

(User 1) Step 1: User is inside a newly created group

(User 1) Step 2: User can invite new people to the group

(User 2) Step 3: User 2 receives the invitation

(User 2) Step 4: User 2 joins the group and starts chatting

(User 1) Step 5: Users keeps chatting

(User 1) Step 6: User can search in chat

(User 1) Step 6.1: User can view group information

Exploring Multiple Options in a Group Chat: A dropdown menu provides options for managing the chat. Users can invite people, adjust notification settings, view existing participants, access shared files, and modify settings under categories such as General, Security & Privacy, Roles & Permissions, and Notifications. Additionally, users have the option to export the chat history.

Step 1: User is inside a group chat

Step 2: User opens the dropdown for more options

Step 3: User clicks on invite to invite people to the group chat

Step 3.1: User can change notification settings

Step 3.2: User clicks on people and view the existing people in chat

Step 3.3: User clicks on 'Files' and view the existing files in the chat (Not Uploaded Version)

Step 3.3.1: User clicks on 'Files' and view the existing files in the chat (Uploaded Version)

Step 3.4: User can change the Settings - General

Step 3.4.1: User can change the Settings - Security & Privacy

Step 3.4.2: User can change the Settings - Roles & Permissions

Step 3.4.3: User can change the Settings - Notifications

Step 3.5: User can Export Chat

Sending a Direct Message: Users can initiate a direct message by clicking the "+" icon beside People, searching for a contact, and sending an invite. Once the invitation is accepted, users can engage in one-on-one conversations.

(User 1) Step 1: User 1 clicks on the '+' icon beside People

(User 1) Step 2: User 1 types a name and clicks 'Send’

(User 1) Step 3: User 1 invites User 2 for direct message

(User 1) Step 4: User 1 sends a text to User 4

(User 2) Step 5: User 2 receives the invitation and accepts

(User 2) Step 6: User 2 joins the direct messaging

(User 1) Step 7: Users keep chatting

Exploring Multiple Options in a Personal Chat: Similar to group chat options, users in personal chats can access the dropdown menu to manage settings, view shared files, adjust notifications, and export the chat history.

Step 1: User is inside a personal chat

Step 2: User opens the dropdown for more options

Step 3: User can change notification settings

Step 3.1: User clicks on 'Files' and view the existing files in the chat (Not Uploaded Version)

Step 3.1.1: User clicks on 'Files' and view the existing files in the chat (Uploaded Version)

Step 3.2: User can change the Settings - General

Step 3.2.1: User can change the Settings - Security & Privacy

Step 3.2.2: User can change the Settings - Roles & Permissions

Step 3.2.3: User can change the Settings - Notifications

Step 3.3: User can Export Chat

Challenges and Solutions

  • Challenge 1: Organizing Chat Categories for Easy Access

    With different types of conversations—individual messages, group chats, and meeting-specific chats—users needed a clear way to navigate and access each chat type without confusion.

    Solution: To provide clarity, we separated the chat categories into three distinct sections: Meeting Chat (conversations originating from Convay meetings), People (direct messages), and Rooms (group chats). This organization allowed users to quickly identify and access the type of conversation they needed.

  • Challenge 2: Simplifying Room Creation and Management

    Managing public and private rooms required a balance between flexibility and simplicity, as users needed to easily create rooms and join public discussions without cluttering the interface.

    Solution: We designed a streamlined UI for creating new rooms with a "+" icon next to Rooms, allowing users to choose between public and private settings. A search feature and “Explore Public Rooms” option helped users discover available public rooms, improving accessibility without overwhelming the interface.

  • Challenge 3: Providing Comprehensive Chat Settings and Permissions

    Users needed tools to manage notifications, privacy, file sharing, and export options within each chat, particularly in group settings.

    Solution: We implemented a dropdown menu within each chat, enabling users to adjust notification settings, view group members, access shared files, and customize roles and permissions. This provided users with a flexible but intuitive way to personalize their chat experience and maintain privacy and control.

  • Challenge 4: Ensuring Smooth Transition Between Chat and Meetings

    The ability to start an instant meeting from within the chat required a seamless transition to maintain communication flow without interrupting the user experience.

    Solution: We incorporated an option to initiate an instant meeting directly from the chat interface, taking users directly to the video call while keeping the chat session accessible. This functionality ensured continuity, enabling users to elevate conversations to a video meeting with ease.

Outcome and Impact

The Integrated Chat feature added significant value to Convay:

  • Enhanced Communication Flexibility Users could now communicate individually, in groups, or within meeting chats, all in one place. This flexibility improved collaboration and ensured all conversations were easily accessible.

  • Improved User Engagement The ability to create and join rooms increased engagement and supported diverse collaboration needs. Public rooms encouraged open discussions, while private rooms allowed secure group interactions.

  • Efficient Management of Chat Settings The dropdown menu with detailed settings helped users customize their chat experience, leading to increased satisfaction with Convay’s chat functionality.

Takeaways

Designing the Integrated Chat feature for Convay was a valuable experience that deepened my understanding of user-centered design in collaborative tools. One of the most important lessons I learned was the need for clear organization in a multi-functional chat system. By creating distinct categories for direct messages, group chats, and meeting-specific conversations, I was able to simplify user navigation and enhance accessibility.


This project also emphasized the importance of flexibility in communication tools. Users needed both public and private rooms for varied types of interactions, from open discussions to focused team meetings. Incorporating these options highlighted the value of adaptable communication spaces within collaborative environments.


Finally, working closely with the development team on integrating instant meeting initiation from the chat interface underscored the technical and design challenges of providing seamless transitions within a single platform. This experience reinforced my commitment to designing solutions that prioritize continuity and ease of use. Overall, the project strengthened my ability to balance structure and adaptability in a UX design, ensuring that users can communicate effectively and intuitively.