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Defining the user experience that integrated the world’s best productivity tool with the leading digital collaboration platform.
To establish a presence in the digital productivity space, 3M launched the Post-it Mobile App for iOS and Android in 2011. The app’s standout feature allowed users to convert handwritten Post-it notes into digital text using their phone’s camera.
While 3M recognized the growing shift toward digital productivity tools, the company believed in-person collaboration would continue to rely on physical office products.
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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 3M expanded their digital presence by leveraging the brand power of their iconic products.
A key aspect of this expansion involved transforming the Post-it Mobile App from a task-based tool into a comprehensive whiteboard solution for collaborative teams.
For the initial launch, 3M sought to partner with an established collaboration platform to gain access to an existing user base.
After evaluating options, 3M chose Microsoft Teams as the ideal partner.
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Prior to defining user needs, an analysis of the whiteboard market was conducted to identify opportunities and evaluate the distinct value offered by competing products.
Since the early 1990s, digital sticky notes have been available on most operating systems. However, these were not 3M or Post-it branded. As digital productivity tools gained popularity, 3M recognized an opportunity to extend the Post-it brand into new markets.
Even before COVID-19 created a surge in remote work, online whiteboards were already growing in popularity.
New organizations including Miro and Stormboard grew organically, while existing organizations added whiteboards to their applications (for example: Google’s Jamboard and Lucid’s LucidSpark).
In addition to brand identity, 3M also saw the financial incentive of entering the whiteboard space. At the time of the project’s launch, the digital whiteboard market was valued at $4.56 billion. This number was expected to grow to nearly $9.23 billion by 2030.
Although the launch of the Post-it Mobile App for was a success, its reach and capabilities were limited. 3M wanted the App to mirror how consumers use Post-it notes for their independent work (e.g. drafting personal reminders or creating short lists).
While the Post-it Mobile App offered a design framework, the team had to identify key use cases, essential features, and value drivers that would distinguish the Post-it App for Teams in an already crowded digital collaboration market.
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The UX research process was structured into three phases: Discover, Observe, and Survey. Each phase built upon the insights gained from the previous one, refining our understanding of user needs and behaviors.
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In addition to analyzing specific competitors, we focused on how various digital and analog tools contribute to effective brainstorming via remote collaboration.
While these tools are designed to assist teams, their usage and perceived effectiveness can vary even within the same team.
Competitive Analysis: Post-it's unique fit within the broader market compared to existing digital and analog tools.
We set out to enhance the team’s understanding of best practices for fostering successful innovation within remote teams.
Before reviewing content, we aligned on key categories for our research (e.g. best practices for hybrid work and interface design for group collaboration tools). After identifying our key sources, relevant notes from each source were placed on a Miro board.
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Notes were then tagged, categorized, and reorganized by topic. We compared these findings with our insights from the Competitive Analysis.
Additionally, our findings prompted new questions that were explored during initial user testing.
Reviewing team dynamics is inherently complex, with the characteristics of successful teams varying significantly across fields, topics, and cultures.
By focusing on features that encourage equitable participation and support ideation, the literature review identified several pathways to develop a product that will enhance remote team productivity.
We utilized UserZoom to identify twenty individuals working in various remote-first positions.
All individuals indicated they use online whiteboards at least 4-5x per week for both solo project work and group ideation.
We focused our time with users on understanding:
We asked research participants for opportunities to observe their team meetings. As expected, a majority of users indicated this would not be possible due to IP concerns. However, three users were able to share videos of their sessions.
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The Discover and Observation phases provided valuable insights into how remote teams evaluate and purchase software.
As a general rule our primary persona, the Information Technology Decision Maker (ITDM), finalizes all software purchases. However their decisions are based on input from our secondary persona, the Flexible Modern Worker (FTM).
Interviews and direct observations provided valuable insights into how users engage with digital whiteboards in both individual and group settings.
While this phase enhanced our understanding of remote team collaboration, we were still unable to identify a unique differentiator for our product.
Research System: Combined findings from the literature review and user interviews.
Progress: Tracking gaps in our research while reviewing next steps in the development pipeline
Project Management: Ensuring ux research alignment on priority, source of truth, and validation.
Artifacts: Findings are in an exportable format that is easily shared with key stakeholders.
The Competitive Analysis provided valuable insights into the typical features available with both free and paid whiteboards. However, the team also wanted to ensure these findings would be observed on a larger scale.
Working with a market research firm for recruitment, we identified 600 participants meeting the following criteria:
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We asked participants to select and rank the specific product features they considered most critical for their individual roles.
This process helped our team understand which features were essential, desirable, or unnecessary.
The Shapley Value Analysis identified the feature combinations that provided the most value to users. It revealed that while new features contributed to overall value, their impact diminished once core user expectations were satisfied. This insight was crucial for prioritizing features in the MVP release.
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By integrating the Shapley Value Analysis with insights into the software purchasing process, we mapped a clear strategy to develop a product tailored to a key user group.
Our research showed that Post-it's strong brand loyalty and partnership with Microsoft could serve as a unique entry point to reach a new audience or convert users to the Post-it App for Teams.
The insights gained from this research played a pivotal role in shaping our product roadmap. Each phase helped to refine the focus of the next, ensuring we addressed user needs and expectations more effectively.
Our goal was to enhance productivity and collaboration in both educational and professional settings. While research remained ongoing, we felt confident progressing toward the product’s final design.
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Research Mapping: By combining data from the Discovery, Observation, and Survey phases, we were able to build the product’s overall value proposition and start defining the specific features of the MVP.
Along with making basic improvements to the interface and user experience, the UX Research phase identified three key feature opportunities that we believed could both add significant user value and differentiate our product from competitors.
Search and Stack allows users to declutter their board by creating a bundle of notes and adding a title to the group. This feature uses approximate string matching to ensure users are able to identify notes closely related to their keyword search.
Individual notes can be exported as tasks. Users can select their preferred task list from an array of Microsoft tools. Tasks can be assigned to any user invited to the board. Additionally, tasks can be uploaded from any Microsoft product.
Users requested a private space within a shared board where they could generate ideas or take notes that will not be visible to members of the shared board. This allows individuals to brainstorm privately before presenting their ideas to the group.
As we transitioned from discovery to design and testing, the team regrouped to review our findings and develop the key features that would set the Post-it app apart from its closest competitors.
Before switching to group ideation, extensive background research was shared with Post-it’s Design and Business Teams. Specifically, the following evidence surfaced from our initial research.
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Although users understood the value of a collaborative environment, they expressed a need for a private space to draft their own notes.
Specifically, users wanted to ensure their individual work could not be viewed by their colleagues. If necessary, they could transfer their private notes to the group’s shared board.
To address the need for solo brainstorming during group ideation sessions, we assembled a small group of 3M stakeholders to develop potential solutions.
The participants included UX designers, a VP of the Consumer Business Group, product owners, as well as customer teams familiar with the Post-it market.
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We chose Crazy 8’s to guide our ideation session.
Crazy 8’s is a fast-paced sketching exercise where participants generate eight unique ideas in eight minutes. This technique encourages participants to move beyond their initial, often predictable concepts, fostering a broader range of solutions to the design prompt.
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Design Principal (myself), responsible for organizing & directing the session
Manager & Director leading 3M’s Global Marketing Team
Product Owner for Post-it’s digital portfolio including the MS Teams app
UX Designers & Researchers from 3M’s in-house Design Team
Program Outreach Manager from Post-it’s Innovation Team
Vice President leading 3M’s Office Products Business Team
We primarily used FigJam to design and organize the session. We leveraged FigJam's design capabilities to create the session template and categorize our ideas.
The timer and voting features were also essential for effectively managing the session.
We sent an introductory email that included an overview of the product, a description of the specific challenge, and an explanation of the session’s purpose.
Participants were welcome to create their ideas using any platform. However, most chose to utilize markers and Post-its.
Users voted for their preferred option after initial ideas were collected and sorted.
We used ranked choice voting to prioritize our options:
Preferred choice (3 pts)
Second choice (2 pts)
Third choice (1 pts)
In the initial round, participants could respond freely without restrictions. They were encouraged to think creatively and suggest new ideas, even if they weren't necessarily feasible.
At the end of the eight-minute session, everyone presented their ideas. Following the presentations, we grouped the ideas, and three specific themes emerged. Attendees were then given time to vote on the individual themes.
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Individual notes feature a toggle that allows users to switch private mode on or off. Any note copied or pasted while in private mode will stay private until the user manually changes the note’s status.
Clusters of notes are selected with click + drag or by individually selecting while holding ctrl/command. User selects “hide for now” after right clicking.
Users can select a private workspace that will appear as a separate container within their workspace. Any notes in this space will remain private until moved to the main board.
Since "Hide (For Now)" was the clear preference, we focused the second half of our ideation session on refining this workflow. Participants had eight minutes to sketch up to eight designs illustrating how this feature could function within the app.
In general, users struggled to create eight individual designs within the allotted time. However, the ideas generated by the attendees were largely focused on three distinct opportunities.
As with the first session, we used ranked-choice voting to determine next steps.
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Individual notes are selected via drag + right click or individually selected via ctrl/command. The user right clicks and selects “hide selection”.
Individual groups can be hidden from view. Once a group of notes is created, users will hide a group by right clicking and selecting “hide group”.
Users right click and select “private window” to open a separate area to draft their notes. When ready, users can add their notes to the main board by clicking and dragging.
*While we intended to scope and test all design session options, our technical team found that MS Teams’ limitations with interactive modals in shared apps made the Private Workspace feature unfeasible.
To ensure internal alignment, we developed wireframes for the two potential designs. Following an internal review, the Design Team created simple prototypes in Axure.
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Along with developing simple prototypes, we also explored potential visual indicators to show when a note was hidden. We specifically tested the following options:
We tested these concepts with ten individuals. Half were participants from previous sessions and the other half were identified via UserZoom.
Users identified several situations where hiding notes would be valuable, particularly emphasizing its importance in group ideation sessions.
However, they also noted that shared boards should prioritize content valuable to the group, rather than serving as a platform for individual notes.
In addition to hiding their own notes, users expressed interest in hiding notes from all other board contributors. Hiding all notes would contribute to their ability to focus on the task at hand.
Specifically, users stated hiding notes is typically a temporary measure that could be utilized when concentration is necessary.
Finally, users indicated they were unlikely to keep private notes on a public board, even if those notes remain permanently hidden.
While users may keep some notes on a shared board, in most instances, users prefer to track personal notes on apps such as Google Docs or MS OneNote.
We made various updates to the feature based on feedback gained during user testing.
Need: Users indicated shared boards should focus on group activities and would not be used to draft private notes. When private notes are necessary, users would draft these in a separate platform before adding their notes to a shared board.
Need: To users, eliminating distractions was key to their ability to conduct solo work while using a shared board. Users cited unorganized groups of notes and multiple cursors as specific distractions.
Need: Although users are likely to ideate in other locations, they indicated the ability to hide a group would prove useful for organized ideation sessions (e.g. a timed session where users are challenged to develop new ideas).
Solution: Eliminate the ability to hide specific notes or groups. Users will draft personal notes in other spaces. Anything important will be shared directly to the board for all users to access.
Solution: Allow users to turn off cursor movement. More importantly, rather than hiding their notes, users can now hide notes from other members of the board.
Solution: Allow users to hide a group they created as long as the group only contains notes created by the individual user. Users can never hide contributor notes.
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Zen Mode allows individual contributors to reduce distractions from other contributors while ensuring the overall focus in on effective collaboration.