Skype Visual Design
Product Missio
Empower groups to achieve more with interest-driven content and tools
- Provide the best group productivity messaging service for family and friends.
- Establish the communication-based next-generation platform for Microsoft.
- Utilize Microsoft’s unfair advantages (Windows, Office, LinkedIn, Bing, Azure)
Target Audience
Focus on family to grow friends
- Increase awareness and engagement between regular sessions.
- Connect families with other families to broaden network and usage.
- Provide frictionless on and off ramps.
- Give users content to connect around.
- Support well-aligned business use cases.
Target Usage
Weekly » Daily
Call » Chat
Individual » Group
Brand Attributes
Genuine, Playful, Innovative
Brand Analogy
Pixar
Brand Attributes
Caring, Authentic, Worldly
Brand Analogy
National Geographic
Brand Attributes
Imaginative, Expressive, Original
Brand Analogy
Crayola
Brand Attributes
Magical, Classic, Universal
Brand Analogy
Disney
Product Mission
Create an engagement platform to enable groups in work and life to do, learn, and grow together.
Bring together content, tools, products, and services in a safe space, free from friction, to enable better communication, unity, and purpose to help people achieve more and get closer to what matters most to them.
Skype PM sends design request brief via Design Request Skype chat. @ mentions Squad Lead and Design Lead.
Design Lead confirms receipt of request and gets follow-up clarification as needed.
Design Lead adds request to the weekly priority tracker and updates teams.
Punchcut and Skype LT review all requests to determine priorities for the following week. Urgent requests will be marked as Fast Track to ensure quick response. If multiple Fast Track requests require other requests to bump down the queue, Squad Leads and Skype LT will be notified.
Stakeholders meet at All Hands stand-up call to review priorities for the week. Office Hours are used to discuss that week’s focus.
Project Stages
Final task completion and delivery can flex based on size and additional requests.
Weekly Cadence
new
Design Squads
Design Request Brief
Weekly Priority Tracker
Action Items
Action Items Old
- Add team members to design request Skype chat ✔
- Confirm team availability for new cadence ✔
- Clean up terminology in request artifacts ✔
- Share design request brief template ✔
- Begin new design request process ✔
- First all hands meeting Monday, 9/11 @ 9:30 ✔
- Update squad list with squad and design leads
- Create shared priority tracker spreadsheet
- Create shared weekly priority calendar
Action Items New
- Present updated project phases ✔
- Solicit suggestions for process updates from Skype
- Suggestions for design brief updates
- Move office hours back to 3pm
- Begin new phased approach
- Divide office hours into variable slots
Inspiration
Designs provided by the Skype group, Palo Alto.
In our IA explorations, version A (Control) is most closely aligned to this concept.
PCT Explorations
Wireframe Models
Model C – Access
A persistent left side navigation layout. Single click access to secondary links.
Model A – Control
A launchpad starting point for profile with a top tab architecture for personalization and settings.
This version is most closely aligned to the PA inspiration.
Model B – Focus
A launchpad starting point for a profile with a single focus for secondary and tertiary pages.