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Vera Kim work About

Minimail

   

is a new productivity app reimagining the future of email management where new levels of efficiency and organization are unlocked using advanced AI technology.

Minimail organizes your lengthy emails into bite-sized, actionable summaries and also intelligently transforms your most important information from emails into digestible info cards. Its intuitive design streamlines your email management, allowing you to focus on what truly matters. Minimail is the ultimate tool for staying organized and eliminating email overload.


MY ROLE

In this project, I was responsible for conceptualizing the product idea, conducting research, designing the entire user experience and prototype, and creating a cohesive visual identity that resonates with our target users. (An engineer and I are concentrating on the newsletter section of this project as an MVP, aiming to develop a working app and release it on the App Store within a year.)

Team
1 Designer
1 Engineer
Tool Used
Figma
Illustrator
Photoshop
Role
UX/UI Design
Visual Design
Research
Branding
Prototyping
Timeline
Jan-July, 2024
22 weeks

The challenge

How might we make it easier for mobile users to quickly access and interact with important information in their emails?


Project
Background

EMAIL: Essential Yet Time-Consuming

Despite the emergence of new digital communication platforms, Email is gaining importance as a communication tool. In the business world, it is used for exchanging vital information such as project updates, official decisions, and contract terms. Educational institutions rely on email for formal communications between professors and students, and it is also widely used by individuals for private conversations, event invitations, and information sharing.

However, managing email efficiently still requires significant effort and time, even with considerable technological advancements. It is this issue that inspired the initiation of the Minimail project.

Process

Research

Desk Research
Competitive Research
Observation Research
Identifying problems
Insights

Ideation

Low-fi
User Test 1
Mid-fi
User Test 2
Branding
System Map
Hi-fi
User Test 3

Iterations

Revised hi-fi design
User Test 4

Final Designs

Final Prototype
Design System

Reflection

Key Learnings
Areas for Improvement
Next Steps
Main Features

1. ONBOARDING

Discover Minimail’s Key Features

Since this is a new type of email app for users, the Feature Guide and Quick Tour help users easily navigate the app. While users go through the onboarding process, the app imports and analyzes their email accounts.

By incorporating brand colors and key UI elements, it enhances the perception of the product and build brand loyalty. Intuitive animations help users fully engage with the process.

2. INFO CARDS

Key Info Sorted and Summarized for You

Minimail automatically sorts all emails into four categories: Highlights, Calendar, News, and Orders. Info Cards display key information from each category, with uniquely designed layouts to present the information most clearly. Swiping up on an Info Card allows you to view a list of emails categorized under that category.

HIGHLIGHTS

All urgent and important messages are automatically sorted into the Highlights category. The Info Card in Highlights display summaries of important messages, and you can view a list of action items and attachments all in one place.

calendar

All schedule-related information is automatically categorized into the Calendar category. The Calendar Info Card offers a monthly view where you can click on a specific day and see its events, and minimizing the calendar displays that month's schedule in a list view. Additionally, calendar invitations include a quick reply feature.

News

The News category automatically sorts subscribed newsletters by subject. The News Info Card not only provides summaries of the latest updates by subject and time frame, but also lists the top recurring keywords. Tapping on a keyword allows you to see a rundown of relevant news and related articles.

Orders

The Orders Info Card displays the expenditure details, promotions and delivery statuses of orders. By swiping up on the Order Info Card, you can see more detailed information without having to open each email.







3. Custom Email Management

Customize Your Inbox for Maximum Efficiency

By creating personalized folders with filters or adding bookmarks, users can manage their emails individually. Also, a quick swipe on an email's title enables immediate action.


Research

desk research

Before diving into further research, I reviewed reports and articles on email usage to validate my hypothesis that 'Email is an essential communication tool but requires significant time to manage.

Insights from desk research:

  • [Validation of Topic Selection] A significant volume of emails is sent and received globally, with the numbers increasing annually.
  • [User Pain Point] On average, people spend five hours a day checking their emails. The more time spent managing emails, the more stress users experience.
  • [User Pain Point] Although emails are frequently used on mobile devices, most users find managing emails on mobile challenging.

Observation
Research

In a one-hour observation research session, I observed a mix of heavy and light email users across various fields, exploring how they each use and manage their emails, and asked a variety of questions about their email experiences.

Insights from observation research:

  • [User Pain Point] Users struggle with composing and managing emails on mobile devices
  • [User Pain Point] Many users do not trust the summaries and organization provided by AI and want to double-check the results
  • [User Pain Point] Users want to categorize and organize their emails but find it challenging to manage them regularly
  • [Need for Feature Prioritization] Since almost everyone uses email daily, there is a wide range of desired features

competitive
analysis

In the Competitive Analysis, I focused on traditional email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail) and new email clients leveraging generative AI (Superhuman, Spark Mail). Additionally, I reviewed two more apps - Arch Search(for interaction design), Amie (for layout) - to study their UI and user experience.

Insights from competitive analysis:

  • [Challenges to Overcome] There are many traditional email clients that have had numerous users for decades.
  • [Opportunity Areas] These clients have various features. However, most users are often unaware of them.
  • [Opportunity Areas] Email apps that leverage AI primarily focus on the 'compose' feature, while the summarization or organization function is secondary.
  • [Usability Improvements] Most email apps have similar inbox layouts that display emails in a list format.

Mega Insights

  • Growing Email Volume
    Increasing global email traffic highlights the need for improved email management tools to meet user demands.
  • Efficiency Challenges
    Users spend excessive time managing emails, leading to stress and difficulty in ongoing management.
  • Mobile Management Issues
    Despite high mobile usage, many users find email management cumbersome on mobile devices, indicating a need for a better mobile experience.
  • Management-focused Email App
    Current email apps utilizing AI prioritize composition features. Developing email management apps focused on organization and summarization presents a new opportunity area.
  • Feature Prioritization
    Identifying and focusing on essential features is crucial, as email serves diverse purposes for users.
  • Layout Innovations
    Users are familiar with traditional inbox layouts but struggle to identify key areas. There is an opportunity to propose a new email app design that enhances usability.
  • AI Trust Concerns
    A significant number of users express skepticism towards AI-generated results. It should allow users to customize or review it
A new email management app that focuses on quick access to important information and automatic classification, while excluding the email writing feature
design process



User Journey Map

Based on observational research, I created a persona named Jane Cooper, and visualized the email app experience to understand user pain points and needs.

Low-fiPrototype

Based on the research insights, I quickly sketched ideas and conducted user tests with 7 participants (4 heavy users and 3 light users) from various fields.

Findings from the low-fi user tests:

  • Need to Identify Opportunity Areas: Many ideas were already available in traditional email clients.
  • Focus on Summary Features: Users expressed a strong interest in the summarization feature.
  • Need for Prioritization: Users had numerous feature requests
  • Defining App Direction: The email app required many features, and considering the release timeline, it was difficult to implement all of them.
  • Interest in Widget Screens: Users expressed interest in widget screens that differed from existing layouts.

I decided to remove the email composing feature and focus on summary and categorization to develop a productivity app that complements existing email applications.

Mid-fi Prototype

At this phase, I refined the user flow and experience, conducting tests with 3 heavy users and 3 light users.

Findings from the mid-fi user test:

  • User Preference for Simplicity: Users favored simple screens. But they show divided preferences between minimal information and some essential details.
  • Preference for Layouts by Information Type: Most users preferred layouts that varied according to the type of email information.
  • Summary Function Feedback: Users liked the summary feature itself but noted that using gestures was somewhat cumbersome.
  • Skepticism Towards Gen AI: Some users expressed a lack of trust in the outputs generated by AI.

Hi-fi Prototype

I reviewed the details and optimized the user experience, conducting final checks on the interface and interactions through user testing and expert critique.

Findings from the hi-fi user test:

  • Widget Screen Feedback: Users preferred widget views in Mid-fi testing, but many in Hi-fi testing raised concerns about their usefulness.
  • Request for Clearly Distinguishable Layouts: There was a request for clearer distinctions in layouts based on the type of information.
  • Need to Enhance Widget Customization Flow: There was a need to improve the process of customizing widgets.
  • Feedback on Complexity of Read Mail Flow: Users noted that the flow for checking read, all, and saved emails was complicated.
  • Interest in Small Animation: Users showed interest in minor animation.

Iteration

Feedback from Hi-fi prototype user test highlighted the need for significant revisions focused on productivity. It leads me to closely review and improve the previous prototype.

After the 4th user test, I moved forward with the final design based on the second Info Cards version, which received the best feedback among the four drafts.

Here are the main points I considered while making the revisions:

  • Improved Readability: Considering the app is used daily, I adjusted typography and switched to softer colors to enhance readability.
  • Removal of Widget Screen: While the widget screen was intriguing, we decided to remove it, considering productivity.
  • Highlighting Key Information: I modified the information hierarchy to help users concentrate on essential details.
  • Cusomized Folder: A customized folder feature was added for users wanting to categorize their emails manually.
  • Toggle Button for new/all emails: I implemented toggle buttons for easy switching between "View New Mail Only" and "View All Emails.”
Branding

Branding

The direction for visual design, user experience, and interaction is based on the brand essence:
minimalism, simplicity, and seamlessness


  • Naming: The name "Minimail" combines "minimalism" and "mail."
  • Logo: The logo integrates the letter 'M' and an envelope shape, intuitively representing the app's function.
  • Color: Warm and soft color palettes are used to make the interface less intimidating and more engaging for everyday use.
  • Typography: The typeface, Inter Display, is clean and readable. Bold and highlights are used to draw attention to key areas, with hierarchical typography aiding in quicker scanning and prioritization of content.
  • Icons: Icons are simplified and geometric, aligning with the overall minimalist aesthetic.

Design System

After creating more than 400M frames in Figma, I completed the Minimail Design System Ver. 1. This design system was created to enhance consistency within the app and to help developers better understand the design specifications.
I love organizing︎ and setting up parts of the design system early on was incredibly useful during iterations.
Key Takeaways

Key Learnings

  • Importance of Clear Direction and Goal Setting

    Establishing clear objectives is crucial due to the challenges of addressing diverse user needs.

  • Value of Design Iteration

    Continuous iteration is essential for refining the product.

  • Ensuring Diversity in User Testing

    Selecting a varied group of interviewees is vital to avoid biased feedback

Next Steps

  • Enhancing Newsletter Info Card

    Incorporate more visuals, such as photos, to create a more engaging feed view.

  • Refining the Search Feature

    Develop a more detailed and intuitive search function utilizing Gen AI.

  • Design Landing Page

    Create a webpage to promote the app and build a waitlist.

  • Expanding Around the Newsletter Feature

    I concluded that the newsletter feature is a suitable enhancement for the current email app. Market research revealed that while other apps provide similar features, there are few that summarize newsletters. Thus, I aim to launch the MVP centered on this feature and subsequently broaden the range of functionalities.