Context
Before the launch of this feature the two types of a messaging spaces in Webex were private and team spaces. From speaking to customers we learned it was key to have a type of space that anyone could find and join themselves. Introducing this was a big mental model shift for our application and we knew before diving into this feature so kept this in mind during the development process.
There was several areas of the client where Public Spaces changed our users behaviour, one of the key areas being the creation of a space. We had to introduce this type of space to a user now amongst a private and team space so this being clear in the creation phase was key.
Learnings
User research and gathering feedback was essential for this feature in understanding the needs and expectations of our users from the get go. Where should Public Spaces live in our client, what should be discoverable, what sort of Public spaces would users create. Talking with customers directly helped us refine the feature to better meet their requirements and get the feature out to users hands.
© Seán Aherne 2024