Swit, launched in 2017, is a global productivity tool now used by over 37,000 teams and companies worldwide. However, the initial design faced challenges in scaling alongside the rapid growth of the company, leading to fundamental usability issues. At one point, the issues became so numerous that it was difficult to determine how to add new features effectively. The goal of the project was to implement a major overhaul with Swit 2.0, addressing the problems that had been developed and designed haphazardly during the early stages, and to build a strong foundation that would support Swit's long-term growth, quickly evolving business, and diverse user base.
The mission of Swit Product Team
The project spanned 12 months, from August 2022 to August 2023. We worked with the product team to analyze all legacy features and design assets, assessing the current design state. After determining the direction for changes, we discussed priorities with leadership. We then broke the project down into individual tasks, starting with user research and moving on to product renewal.
My Role
As the sole lead designer for Project Management, I led efforts to introduce new features and enhancements for Swit's major 2.0 update, making task management more intuitive and efficient. My objective was to enable seamless document creation, information gathering, and management within tasks, as well as integrate AI features into projects, thereby fostering a smoother collaboration process. Considering the scale and complexity of a large SaaS product, I also co-developed a design system that allowed for integrated management.
Defining the Entire Product
As the project management design lead, I worked with 9 Swit designers on the 2.0 renewal. It was essential for the entire team to collectively understand the full product flow and the existing legacy systems. This was necessary to ensure that the user journey remained aligned with the product's flow, maintaining optimal usability.
Given Swit’s large scale as a productivity SaaS, we conducted a thorough analysis of the product flows and captured all design assets to get a complete understanding of the current situation. With a product of this size, it was crucial for the entire team to stay aligned and have a unified understanding of its current state.
Problem Definition Process
Our user base includes CEOs, HR managers, frontline workers, and general employees across various industries. They use our platform primarily for project management, managing and discussing business communication, enterprise-wide OKR management, revenue tracking, and collaborating on projects within tasks both online and offline.
To prepare for the renewal, we gained insights into how these organizations handle project management and tailored our features to meet their specific needs. Based on these insights, we prioritized and categorized the features to be included in the 2.0 roadmap.
Core Problem 1
User Needs Highlights
Switching Between Chat and Tasks
Project managers found it inconvenient to switch back and forth between chat channels and tasks while trying to manage projects efficiently.
Easier Way to Track Task Progress
Team leaders needed a simpler way to track the progress of tasks assigned to their team members, as checking each task individually was difficult.
Core Problem 2
User Needs Highlights
Improving File Attachment Accessibility
Users wanted an easier way to attach files, such as OKRs, emails, and information from third-party apps, to tasks, with the ability to attach up to 100 files at a time.
AI for Task Management
Users wanted an AI feature to quickly organize tasks, as they believed integrating AI into productivity tools would greatly improve task management efficiency
Core Problem 3
Previously, the focus was too much on adding new features, and when different designers worked on separate features, they tended to only consider their own projects. This resulted in an overall imbalance when viewed collectively.
The task cards also had inconsistent elements, such as text fields and layer forms that appeared with the add button, which all had different designs. This inconsistency caused significant issues with quickly entering task information and reduced the readability needed for efficient project management. To improve Swit 2.0, we collaboratively developed a comprehensive design system to address these inconsistencies and enhance the overall user experience.
Strategy & Hypothesis
Design Direction
Final Design
The existing features have been transformed into a right panel, allowing users to maintain their current tasks while simultaneously accessing other information. This improvement enables a type of multitasking where users can continue chatting while checking work-related information shared by colleagues in the right panel.
Key feature 1
A key improvement in the Swit 2.0 major update is the standardization of design, which includes the enhancement of task registration logic and the integration of components. This allows for easier creation and management of tasks across various projects, ensuring consistency and ease of understanding. Additionally, we have focused on usability by improving the visibility of essential task information such as the hierarchy between primary and additional information, status, priority, and assignee.
Key feature 2
Users can now sort project attachments by type for easier access. The attachment space now includes an area to link attachments, personal goals, and third-party apps. This enhancement enables adding files, emails, and messages to tasks, along with checklists, subtasks, and assignees. Users can also refine priorities and timelines, setting clear expectations and plans for projects.
Key feature 3
Real-time conversations with coworkers are a vital component of collaboration. In Swit, we've closely integrated task management with chat functionality. Utilizing the Light Panel, a hub for work, tasks can be effortlessly shared to chat channels with simple drag-and-drop actions. This allows for easy updating of progress, as well as facilitating feedback, revisions, and queries.
Key feature 4
To enhance the user experience for extended work experiences across multiple organizations, we have improved the system to allow for work sharing and project follow-ups between workspaces. By linking projects to channels, any changes or updates in ongoing tasks are immediately visible in the respective channels. This enhancement ensures transparency in team collaboration and enables asynchronous communication.
Key feature 5
I meticulously designed user experiences tailored to various devices ranging from desktop apps for Mac and Windows, to Chrome accessibility, mobile devices, and dual-view on Galaxy Fold, and tablets. This process involved collaborative development with engineers to optimize view modes, ensuring seamless functionality and user-friendly interfaces across different devices.
Key feature 6
Users can leverage AI functionality within tasks to add content and modify writing styles and structures. This feature helps reduce work time, enhancing overall productivity.
Design System
We began the process of restructuring the system by manually listing all the assets used in the existing service in a spreadsheet and visually distinguishing the components that needed to be matched.
After going through this tedious step, we were able to somewhat componentize the system and proceeded with the creation of system documentation files and variations for the mobile iPad system.
Impact
89% Growth in DAU
Task Card Click Engagement
Boosted engagement with streamlined workflows.
30% increase in
Task card creation
Simplified processes for higher task creation.
Product Hunt Golden Kitty Awards 2023
Swit achieved significant recognition at the Golden Kitty Awards 2023 by Product Hunt, securing 1nd place in the Team Collaboration category.
Takeaways
SaaS Product Improvement and Business Impact
Improving the entire SaaS product over a year, based on significant business impact and both qualitative and quantitative data, was a new experience for me. It involved adjusting the roadmap to align with the pace of each team, leading to a successful overhaul.
Design Solutions for Various OS
Working on design solutions compatible with various operating systems, including desktop, tablet, mobile, and dual-fold phones, enhanced my understanding of device-specific environments.
Swit, a project and work management platform for medium and large enterprises for enterprise-wide collaboration, integrates email, calendar, document management, and video conferencing features, and helps users work in a more human and fundamental way.
This enables more efficient collaboration than traditional methods. As part of a major overhaul to Swit 2.0, I improved the extended work experience for several organizations.