Group is an online meeting tool for remote teams to plan, conduct and follow up meetings more effectively. It considers the meeting process more holistically than existing tools and helps to pursue the actual purpose of the meeting while increasing efficiency through modular components.
In order to get a first overview of existing insights and methods of different companies on the topic of remote work, we reviewed various papers and online sources.
We conducted interviews with remote workers to find out first-hand how users deal with online meetings.
Among others, we asked the following questions:
→ In the following elaboration, we decided to concentrate on the key findings #1 and #2.
To launch our brainstorming, we formulated several HMW questions to work on the problems in a focused way.
In the beginning we used Crazy Eights in order to quickly generate and discuss initial ideas. Afterwards we conducted a more targeted ideation based on our insights from the interviews.
During the research and ideation, a structure quickly emerged around online meetings. This structure, which is also reflected in our tool, can be divided into three areas. The following is a description of our core ideas for these areas.
The purpose of the meeting, the required expertise and the scope can be defined here, as well as the individual participants and their roles.
Participants can add input when receiving the invitation: topics can be suggested, and required content, such as presentations, can be attached to agenda items.
During the meeting, the user interface adapts to the assigned role (moderator, timekeeper or notetaker).
A timeline generated from the agenda items helps manage the time and stay focused.
The notetaker takes minutes which the other participants can view and comment on during the meeting.
After the meeting , the notes are saved in the protocol area, where they can be accessed again at any time. Different view modes allow for quick sorting by categories.
During the iterative process, we went through two rounds of testing. For the first test, our tool was still in a wireframe stage. Within this testing, two areas were considered: First, the creation of the agenda, and second, the functionality of the timeline feature. For this purpose, we created two simple prototypes in Figma.
The overall idea of the agenda and timeline was well received and considered helpful. However, there were problems with the comprehensibility of some UI elements.
Since the timeline is the main feature of our tool, and we still noticed some problems during the wireframe testing, we retested this feature after the visual design.
Our goal was to review the overall understanding of the UI elements as well as the conceptual logic of the timeline and break function.
The moderator can create a meeting appointment in the team calendar provided. Then they can assign the roles of timekeeper and notetaker to the participants. They should also add a description of the purpose of the meeting.
Ater this, the agenda items can be created. One has to define a duration to include an item in the agenda; Optional information consists of the item's owner and possible attachments.
The participant receives the invitation sent by the moderator. He can view the existing agenda and add new items and arrange them. These are then sent to the moderator as a proposal.
The moderator receives the participant's proposal and can accept or reject its change - thus updating the agenda.
If the duration of an agenda item is exceeded, it changes its colour in the timeline. The timekeeper can then extend the item by one or five minutes, or move on to the next agenda item.
Timestamp: 00:00-00:12
If the timekeeper notices that the scheduled time for the meeting is not sufficient, he can either extend the session or postpone an agenda item to the next meeting. For the latter, he has to open the agenda via the sidebar and can simply drag and drop the agenda item.
Timestamp: 00:15-00:33
A spontaneous break can be created with a click on the green coffee cup. This is set to five minutes by default, but can be extended and moved to the desired position. It is also possible to select the agenda items from which the break time should be subtracted.
Timestamp: 00:40-01:15
Participants can give direct feedback to the presenter or the other participants via quick reactions.
We added some of these reactions to make communication easier. For example, you can tell the presenter that you cannot hear them or that their presentation is not visible.
The presenter then receives a notification that he or she cannot be heard.
We have also added animations to the other reactions to make them more visible to the presenter and the rest of the participants.
We wanted to create a more spatial environment to give users a better overview of the different rooms and participants.
We wanted to create a more spatial environment to give users a better overview of the different rooms and participants.
You can add a status to your room to inform others about your progress (e.g. "+ 5 min").
It is then visible to everyone in the overview of all breakout rooms.
You can add a status to your room to inform others about your progress (e.g. "+ 5 min").
It is then visible to everyone in the overview of all breakout rooms.
Here, one person is randomly selected to start speaking and then pass the microphone to the next person.
Things like surveys automatically appear in the protocol. At the same time, the notetaker has the option of writing down important decisions or immediately assigning tasks to specific persons.
Things like surveys automatically appear in the protocol. At the same time, the notetaker has the option of writing down important decisions or immediately assigning tasks to specific persons.
All other participants can view the protocol during the meeting and add private notes or public comments.
All other participants can view the protocol during the meeting and add private notes or public comments.
In the protocol area, the user can view the minutes of all meetings afterwards. The protocol of the desired meeting can be opened with a simple click. You can then switch between two views: Either the information is displayed in chronological order or filtered by type (e.g. decision, news, questions, tasks).
