DynamiCo
Scope - 4 weeks
Team - 5 people
Role - UI Designer
Tools - Figma
A mobile application for dynamic online team collaboration with the aim to enhance active contribution and creative thinking
Background
As working remotely becomes increasingly common, the demand for well-developed online collaboration tools has increased. The aim of the group project in the 2023 graphical interfaces course was to create a versatile platform suitable for various types of projects, adaptable to different situations, and capable of meeting diverse user needs. The application was required to include video and audio calls, break-out rooms, and synchronous text messages (both personal and group). Additionally the group had to choose at least one more feature, where we chose to add the ability to share work and customise the layout of calls, including repositioning of participants.
With our solution we also aimed to create a more dynamic space that mimics the real world, where multiple activities can occur simultaneously, encouraging more active contribution and creative thinking.
Process
Benchmarking
To explore already existing online collaboration tools and their features the project began with testing five well-known and widely used applications. For each application, each team member identified strengths and weaknesses, which were then discussed within the group. These findings worked as the base for defining the requirements and desired features of our solution.
Flowchart
To get a clear and unified overview the steps required, we created a flowchart describing all possible actions.
Ideation
The project continued by brainstorming ideas of how to visualise the application and the desired features. We explored how to tackle the problems found during benchmarking as well as how to integrate interesting features to achieve a dynamic and encouraging environment.
Wireframing
Further, the ideas were visualised through wireframes. Various layouts, components, and functions were explored, combined to find new solutions, as well as evaluated to ensure they met the requirements.
Designsystem
Final design
DynamiCo is a mobile application offering a virtual space for creative and engaging collaborations. The user can easily create new meetings, schedule future ones, join existing meetings, or call any of their contacts. In DynamiCo the user has the freedom to change between three different participant layouts, create and move between break-out rooms, share their work, and chat with one or several other participants.
To accommodate users with varying habits and work schedules, DynamiCo offers both a light and dark mode.
Homepage
Upon entering the application, users have the option to create a new meeting, schedule future ones, join an existing meeting, or call any of their contacts. These options are easily accessible, with profile pictures visible to enhance the feeling of being in a physical office.
Drive mode
Create, schedule, and join meeting
When creating a new meeting the user can add a title, select participants, and either start the meeting or copy the link to send.
Similar to creating a meeting, when scheduling one, the user can add a title, description, start and end times, and either schedule the meeting or copy link to send.
When pressing join, the user can either paste a meeting link or join an upcoming one.
The meeting options were aligned with those of other meeting applications, as they are familiar to users and proven to work well.
Create meeting
Schedule meeting
Join meeting
Meeting layout
The user can switch between three meeting layouts; Gallery, Pinned speaker, and Dynamic view. Additionally, the host has the option to set a specific view for all participants.
Gallery view is a traditional view where all participants are the same size independent of the speaker.
The pinned speaker view is as it sounds an ordered view where the speaker becomes bigger on the screen.
Lastly, in the dynamic view all participants can move around in a space by swiping on their phone where the most active participants are shown bigger.
Gallery
Pinned speaker
Dynamic
Share content
As Meeting space encourage creativity and sharing ideas several sharing options are included in the app. Before one shares their content they are able to preview, choose layout, and decide if they want to share sound. When a participant is sharing their screen one has the option to expand the screen to take a closer look or keep it small to see all participants. If more than one person is sharing their screen at the same time one can swipe between them in gallery view or move between them on the screen in the dynamic view.
Sharing options
Preview share
Sharing screen
Breakout rooms
To enable collaborations and group work it is possible for the host to create breakout room by tapping and holding the screen. The host can then either assign the participants randomly or manually to each room. When they are created they can easily add new rooms and move people around by dragging them between the rooms.
Create
Assign people
Breakout rooms
Additional features
Additional features in the app is a chat that the users can easily access through the bottom bar, and driver mode which they access by sliding to the right. In the chat the user has the option to either send a message to all participants or a specific one. The driver mode only contains one big button that the user taps to speak.
Learnings
This relatively short group project required an efficient and structured workflow to achieve a result that everyone was pleased with. With different educational backgrounds, we managed to combine our skills and learn from each other. Additionally, integrating all the desired features in a coherent and user-friendly way was a challenge we tackled.
© 2024 Lovisa Tholén All rights reserved
