Mobile Chat

I reviewed dozens of user-submitted feedback items in Productboard, spoke with support and success teams to gather data, and identified core user stories (e.g., 'I need to swap shifts with a coworker'). This research phase helped us understand the most critical needs and prioritize features for the initial release.

Our leadership team was set on using 'Stream', a chat API. I evaluated Stream's out-of-the-box component file — and quickly rebuilt it using Figma's modern auto-layout for responsiveness and maintainability. I created a custom component library aligned with our mobile design system and brand, presented wireframes and prototypes in user tests and internal stakeholder reviews, and iterated frequently based on usability feedback and dev constraints.

I maintained close Slack communication with PM and devs to scope features, aligned on MVP goals and trimmed non-essential settings from Stream's UI, and used lo-fi designs to guide efficient development cycles. This collaborative approach ensured that we were all on the same page throughout the development process.

We faced several challenges during the project. Many of our restaurant users work at multiple locations under the same company, which meant we needed a location switcher. This became a bit of a tangent design-wise, but it was completely necessary for the successful launch of Chat — something our team hadn't initially predicted, but that turned out to be incredibly useful beyond just messaging.

The notification pipeline was another tricky problem: how do you let a user know they have a message waiting in a different location? I explored a few different approaches (like making Chat a global feature, regardless of which location a user is logged into), but ultimately landed on a breadcrumb-style notification that led to the location switcher.

This was accessible from the nav drawer and included a quick-select slide-up menu. Tapping the notification bubble would take users directly to the relevant chat window.

Another big client ask was for a dynamic messaging system that allowed users to create group chats based on specific parameters (e.g., "Message all back-of-house staff working tomorrow"). To avoid yet another design tangent — and a potential scope crisis — I pivoted to a "Smart Channel" model inspired by Apple's Smart Folders. While it didn't allow for highly specific group creation, it solved the core problem: making it easy to communicate with entire roles to coordinate shift swaps.