Convay Notifications
To create a centralized notifications system within Convay, allowing users to receive updates related to meetings, chats, and file activities. The notifications are categorized by type—Meeting, Chat, and Files—enabling users to easily filter and view relevant updates.
CATEGORY:
Web Design,
Product Design
ROLE:
UX Designer,
UI 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 centralized notifications system within Convay, allowing users to receive updates related to meetings, chats, and file activities. The notifications are categorized by type—Meeting, Chat, and Files—enabling users to easily filter and view relevant updates.
Problem Statement
In Convay, users need a centralized system to stay updated on meetings, chats, and file activities. Without organized notifications, important updates can be missed, affecting productivity and team coordination. Convay required a clear and categorized notifications feature to ensure users can manage information efficiently.
Goal
The goal of the Notifications feature is to provide users with a streamlined way to stay informed about important updates in Convay. By categorizing notifications into Meeting, Chat, and File types, the system aims to make it easy for users to access relevant information quickly and avoid missing essential updates, enhancing productivity and team coordination.
My Role and Responsibilities
As the UX Designer for the Notifications feature, I was responsible for designing a user-friendly interface that organizes notifications by type, ensuring clarity and ease of access. My tasks included creating wireframes and UI designs for different notification states, such as “No Notifications,” “All Notifications,” and categorized views for Meeting, Chat, and File notifications.
User Interface Designs
No Notifications Yet: This screen provides a clean and minimal design, letting users know that there are no new updates. A subtle illustration and message create a welcoming, non-intrusive experience when there are no notifications.
No Notifications Yet
All Notifications: This view displays all notifications in a single feed, combining updates from meetings, chats, and files. Users can mark all notifications as read or view updates chronologically.
All Notifications
Meeting Notifications: This category filters notifications related to meetings, such as reminders, invitations, and updates on recorded meetings. This allows users to stay organized with their meeting schedules.
Meeting Notifications
Chat Notifications: This view focuses on chat-related updates, including direct messages, group mentions, and replies in ongoing conversations, helping users keep track of important interactions.
Chat Notifications
File Notifications: This section organizes notifications related to file uploads, edits, or shared files, ensuring users are informed of changes in shared documents and resources.
File Notifications
Design Evolution
Previous Version
Final Version
Mark as Read Button
Previous Design: The “Mark as Read” feature was represented by a simple circle icon, which users found unclear and confusing. The icon didn’t intuitively convey its function, causing hesitation when marking notifications as read.
Current Design: We replaced the circle with a checkmark icon, which is universally recognized as a “done” symbol. This change made the feature immediately understandable, aligning with user expectations and making it easier to manage notifications.
Design Rationale: The checkmark is a widely recognized symbol, and using it enhances usability by clearly communicating that the notification can be marked as read. This design choice reduces cognitive load, allowing users to take action with confidence.
Distinct Icons for Notification Types
Previous Design: Notifications for Meetings, Chat, and Cloud were visually similar, making it difficult for users to quickly identify the type of each notification. This lack of differentiation led to scanning delays and increased cognitive load.
Current Design: In the final design, we introduced unique icons for each notification type (Meeting, Chat, Cloud), making it easier for users to recognize the category of each notification at a glance.
Design Rationale: Adding distinct icons for each notification type improves visual hierarchy and helps users filter information more efficiently. By providing clear visual cues, this design choice streamlines navigation and enhances the user experience by reducing time spent identifying notifications.
Challenges and Solutions
Challenge 1: Lack of Clear Action Indicator
In the Initial Concept, the “Mark as Read” button used a simple circle icon that didn’t clearly convey its function. Users found this unclear and often hesitated, unsure of its purpose.
Solution: In the Refined Design, we replaced the circle icon with a checkmark, a universally recognized symbol for completion. This change made the action instantly understandable, helping users manage notifications confidently and improving usability.Challenge 2: Difficulty in Differentiating Notification Types
The Initial Concept presented all notifications with a similar visual style, making it difficult for users to quickly identify Meeting, Chat, or File-related updates. This led to scanning delays and increased cognitive load as users had to read each notification to determine its type.
Solution: In the Refined Design, we introduced distinct icons for each notification type (Meeting, Chat, Cloud). These visual cues made it easier for users to identify the notification category at a glance, improving efficiency and reducing the mental effort required to process information.
Challenge 3: Cluttered and Overloaded Interface
With all notifications in a single list, users found the interface overwhelming, as it lacked organization and categorization. The absence of filters forced users to scroll through all notifications to find relevant updates.
Solution: To address this, we added categorized tabs (All, Meetings, Chat, Files) in the Refined Design, allowing users to filter notifications by type. This organizational change enabled users to access specific notifications quickly and reduced the sense of clutter, resulting in a more organized and user-friendly experience.
Outcome and Impact
The improvements made in the Refined Design led to several positive outcomes for Convay’s notification system:
Enhanced Usability The checkmark icon for “Mark as Read” provided a clear visual cue, making it easier for users to understand and interact with the feature. This small change significantly improved the intuitiveness of the notification system.
Faster Information Processing By introducing distinct icons for Meeting, Chat, and Cloud notifications, users could quickly identify notification types at a glance. This visual differentiation reduced the time needed to scan and locate relevant updates, improving overall efficiency.
Streamlined Notification Management The addition of categorized tabs allowed users to filter notifications by type, creating a more organized experience. Users no longer had to scroll through unrelated notifications, resulting in quicker access to important updates and a cleaner interface.
Increased User Satisfaction Feedback from usability testing indicated that users found the Refined Design more intuitive and user-friendly. They appreciated the clearer organization and visual hierarchy, which made it easier to stay updated without feeling overwhelmed.
Takeaways
Designing the Notifications feature for Convay highlighted the importance of clear visual cues and organized information. The transition from a simple circle icon to a checkmark for “Mark as Read” reinforced how small design changes can significantly improve usability. Additionally, categorizing notifications and adding distinct icons for each type emphasized the value of reducing cognitive load for users, making the system more intuitive. This experience underscored the importance of iterative improvements based on user feedback, enhancing my approach to creating user-centered designs.