Poised - Inspiring Clear & Confident Communication in Online Meetings For Career Professionals

Though Poised illuminated users' communication habits, such as the use of filler words (i.e. "um), many users were disappointed in their growth due to the reasons below. Crucially, speech coaches identified a gap: tangible improvement necessitated efforts outside of meetings, a component our tool initially lacked.

As I directed the product and content designers, our collective efforts pivoted Poised from a passive homepage to a dynamically active, user-centric interface, intertwining continuous personalized suggestions with substantive feedback. My strategic emphasis shifted from a purely metrics-focused approach to one that harmoniously melded immediate feedback with anticipatory tips and a balance of qualitative and quantitative insights, thereby notably enhancing user engagement and efficaciously enabling them to refine their communication skills.

Feedback from users paints a vivid picture of the impact: many laud the revamped UI for a smoother user journey, while others highlight how Poised has bolstered their confidence in public speaking, transforming them from meeting bystanders to active contributors. A recurring sentiment is the newfound ability to navigate conversations with clarity, minimizing common pitfalls like hedging or rapid speech, and truly capitalizing on the essence of communication.

I initiated a team exercise to refine our feature set, spotlighting those that were anchors to the user experience. In collaboration with our PM and engineering team, we meticulously evaluated each feature, considering user engagement, technical complexity, and financial implications, leading to a strategic 75% feature reduction. This tactic guided our Product Designer in reshaping the product’s information architecture, crafting a streamlined, intuitive user interface, simultaneously reducing engineering efforts by 10% and decreasing operational costs.

Incorporating the Fogg Behavior Model and motivated by user feedback, we implemented a behavior-change loop strategy to enhance communication habits and user experience in Poised.

From our beta testing, were recognized our initial approach to providing goal-based suggestions during meeting prep was falling short; they were too generic and misaligned with the users’ rapid, free-form preparation style. Our PM proposed relocating our goal-based suggestions from the meeting prep phase to the post-meeting feedback, thereby enhancing their relevance and impact.

With an objective to craft a unified and action-centric experience on Poised's platform, I spearheaded a brainstorming session, ensuring we enhance both homepage actionability and site structure. Mockups are ideas — meant to mirror users' routines and encourage users to take actions like prepping or reflecting — generated from the brainstorm.

A redesigned, engaging design style was introduced and seamlessly executed by our other Product Designer — ensuring engineering efficiency and a cohesive design system. Through rigorous user testing and a shift from a passive interface, we achieved a coherent aesthetic across the platform, with optimized site architecture that prioritizes user actions and streamlines their journey through preparation and feedback.

With an upcoming Product Hunt launch, our focus was a swift yet comprehensive introduction to Poised for new and returning users. In close collaboration with a content designer, we curated clear and engaging onboarding content that underscored the platform's core features. Rather than opting for time-consuming interactive demos, we chose a straightforward onboarding approach to ensure readiness for the launch. Our other Product Designer adeptly crafted the onboarding flow, which, aligned with Poised's rejuvenated style, offered users an efficient gateway to our enhanced platform capabilities.

Our soft launch aimed to gather crucial user feedback on the renovated Poised. Users lauded the goal-based feedback, valuing the insights into the “why” of their behaviors. However, some users found it challenging to locate the option for manual recording and to navigate past feedback, upcoming meetings, and notes in a unified view. In response, I enhanced the discoverability of the manual recording feature and segmented past feedback, upcoming meetings, and notes into distinct tabs, streamlining user navigation and prioritizing feedback review.

Although we've made significant strides, only 30% of users complete the onboarding tour, indicating an area ripe for enhancement. Initial user interviews reveal that while we have solutions to their challenges, many are unaware, underscoring the need for better educational content tailored to specific use cases. Moving forward, our vision encompasses a more personalized experience based on user roles, and a richer display of progress, emphasizing growth and offering more intelligent insights over time. In addition, automated feedback was too costly due to volume of GPT tokens. We decided to automate for the first 5 meetings and discussed the potential of being more intelligent about which meetings to automate.

At Poised, I discovered the multi-faceted power of design. It wasn’t just about shaping interfaces but reshaping our company culture. When our goal-based feedback faltered in its initial stages, the emotional investment felt heavy. Yet, in steering it towards our post-meeting framework, I saw firsthand how repurposing could turn setbacks into successes. This experience was more than a product pivot; it was a personal lesson in resilience and adaptability.

But growth wasn’t limited to design choices. In spearheading brainstorming sessions and deep-diving into one-on-ones, I realized the profound impact of truly listening and empathizing with team members. Our vibrant design discussions weren't just about features—they revived morale and painted a clear picture of our shared mission. And as feedback highlighted the positive shift in our company culture, it became evident that my role as a designer had transcended its traditional boundaries. At Poised, I learned that a designer, armed with passion and purpose, can be a potent force for organizational transformation.