UI/UX case study
Zoom Redesign
Designing a screen-shot embedded note-taking feature for Zoom
Problem
Users of Zoom often experience a cognitive overload or encounter slips easily due to such a tedious workflow and many interactions ends up being counterintuitive and counterproductive. If a user wants to note-take during a Zoom meeting often involves switching between multiple applications. These complicated interactions are required in order to achieve very simple intentions.
Goal
Reduce cognitive overload and slips by facilitating easy note-taking and better context based-communication by designing a screenshot-enabled note taking feature.
Sketches
Note taking menu bar the right side of the window
Screenshot and editing menu
Competitive Analysis
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Advantages
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Easy to convert into PDF or other file types
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Live collaboration
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Online storage for the documents
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Limitations
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Split-screen in order to take notes (difficult to view/note take while in the conference call)
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Constantly switching between windows (Zoom to watch → Google Doc to note take → Back to Zoom → Back to Google Doc)
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Tedious functioning on smaller devices when on Zoom and Google Doc (mobile, iPad)
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Must go back and open both Zoom recording and Google Doc to review past video
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No synchronization between specific note section and Zoom time frame
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Snapstream
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Advantages
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Easy screenshot and annotation to facilitate live streaming process
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Allows direct communication between participants and host: send screenshot to chat function
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Limitations
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Does not allow screenshots to be used personally: compiling and editing them into notes
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Does not extract image or transcript separately
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Mostly beneficial for visual art related streaming process
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Wireframes
Note-taking Features
Advantages
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Allows for direct screenshot inputting
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Simultaneous note-taking alongside Zoom call
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No switching between Zoom and note taking
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Especially useful on smaller devices
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Limitations
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No collaborative functions
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Limited fonts and colors to save the space
Notes Collection Features
Advantages
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Creation of multiple notes
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Notes synchronize with the timestamp of Zoom call
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Easy to convert into PDF or other file types
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Send notes to another user
Limitations
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Selecting and using features takes too many clicks
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Single notes may be preferred over having multiple notes
Screen-shot menu Features
Advantages
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Real-time screenshot for editing
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Easy to compile into notes or files and sends to chat
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Easy to convert into PDF or other file types
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Extracts transcripts
Limitations
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Menu overlays on the of the Zoom window
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May be slower than Windows snipping tool
Hi-fi Prototype
Next Step
For our next steps, we’ve thought about further improving our design first by doing more user testing for an even more efficient note-taking system and flow. Also we would want to experiment more with the potential HCI technology used to facilitate a smoother Zoom experience, for example, using natural language processing to detect critical date and event information for setting automatic calendar events.