Redesigning SummaSoft’s Virtual Office Platform for Distributed Teams
The client
SummaSoft by Aurea gives distributed teams an online office — somewhere to collaborate, meet and share resources, whether someone is at a desk, in a coworking space or at home on the sofa.
The aim is that team members feel connected to their colleagues and can work together the way they would in a physical space.
The challengeWhat the teams actually needed
Hybrid work only holds together if the online space does something a video call cannot, which meant working out what people actually do in an office before redesigning one.
Challenge 01Understanding the product first
Mapping the different user flows through the application was what determined which screens were worth designing at all.
Challenge 02Information that does not circulate
Announcements and useful resources tend to stay where they were posted, so people miss both the news and the colleagues who share their interests.
Challenge 03Mobile without the clutter
The mobile app is an excellent channel between an organisation and its people, but only if it carries the few things that matter on the move.
What we did
A virtual office redesigned around how people meet
Three phases — discovery, design and delivery — covering desk and user research, 3D illustrations of the office, user flows and journeys, desktop and mobile prototypes, and interface animation.
Floor plans and offices
The redesign produced office floor plans, virtual offices and features for organising meetings.
Announcements that travel
A solution for sharing announcements and connecting with peers around mutual interests improves how information moves inside a company.
Rooms with a purpose
Inviting people to discuss, share documents and work together in purpose-based virtual rooms became straightforward, and the platform supports meetings across a whole company, AMA and knowledge-sharing sessions included.
Simplified on purpose
The mobile version was cut back to the most practical features for when someone is away from a desk — the ones about interaction and conversation.
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What’s next