Project Background

Notion is a productivity tool known for its user-friendly design. However, many users struggle with organizing and structuring their content within the application. This leads to a significant learning curve and a hindered ability to fully utilize Notion's capabilities. The difficulty in creating workspaces often causes users to skip essential onboarding steps, making it harder for them to leverage Notion's potential.

This challenge limits users from taking full advantage of Notion's organizational capabilities, which requires a strategic intervention to streamline the workspace creation process and make it more intuitive. The proposed case study focuses on designing, testing, and implementing a new feature aimed at reducing the learning curve and improving the overall user experience within the Notion ecosystem.

Process

Research

Goal

The purpose of this project is to conceptualize, design, and develop a feature for Notion that allows users to create their workspaces more intuitively; maintaining the core principles of simplicity, adaptability, and user-friendliness.
I want to offer users that piece that they need to not give up on the app.

Competitive Analysis

• Productivity apps often go unused due to the steep learning curve.
• It is based across different industries, including knowledge workers, project managers, students, and creative professionals.
• More than 30 million people are active users, and 4 million are subscribed users.

User interviews

• Productivity apps often go unused due to the steep learning curve.
• Project managers seek tools that are both user-friendly and efficient.
• Notion provides real-time access from any device and the flexibility to build workspaces from the database, making it an excellent choice.
• It can be challenging for users to find software that meets their specific needs, particularly for small teams.

Define

Research Synthesis

The research synthesis underscores the urgent need for a solution that addresses the learning The research synthesis indicates an urgent need for a solution to address the learning curve associated with creating workspaces in Notion. The challenges faced by users during their first steps point out a discrepancy between Notion's reputation for simplicity and the actual user experience.

• A significant number of individuals are currently exploring productivity tools that can benefit them and their teams in their work.
• People are seeking user-friendly products, as their busy schedules do not allow for extensive learning.
• It is very common to see this need for the implementation of productivity tools in small companies.

User Persona

Camilo is a project manager who leads a team that is responsable of various types of content, including blog posts, social media content, and video scripts. His primary goal is to efficiently organize and access his creative assets to streamline his teamwork content creation process. He is motivated by productivity and seeks tools that enhance collaboration with her remote team.

Lo-fi Wireframes

These are the initial steps towards making WYSIWYG Builder.

Step 1: Name all the main pages and sub pages you will need

Step 2: Select which will be the main and the secondary ones.

Step 3: Organize folders within folders and create your workspace.

Testing

Usability Test

The overall feedback suggested that the initial implementation of the feature did not meet user expectations for simplicity and intuitive use. Users faced challenges at different stages, leading to confusion, frustration, and incomplete engagement with the intended workflows.

Re-thinking the feature

After evaluating the results of the first usability test and receiving feedback, we decided to keep our visualization on a "site map" concept, following specific guidelines:

• Keeping Sitemap Visualization: Streamline the sitemap visualization tool, focusing on user-friendly controls and providing contextual guidance. Consider incorporating a guided tutorial for first-time users.
• Keeping one screen: Feature should work on single screen like other Notion features, so users can see their progress without scrolling between screens.
• Refine Template Selection: Simplify the template selection process by providing clearer categorization and concise descriptions. Ensure that users understand the implications of their choices.

Sketching a new idea!

• Added buttons to create new pages and sub-pages and removed the back button.
• Users can now return actions with the keyboard drawer.
• ‍A tutorial has been added and a button to go back to it has also been included.

Hi-fidelity Wireframes

• Added buttons to create new pages and sub-pages and removed the back button.
• Users can now return actions with the keyboard drawer.
• ‍A tutorial has been added and a button to go back to it has also been included.

Try out the prototype

Second Testing

Usability Test

The second user testing session indicated a marked improvement in user satisfaction and usability compared to the initial testing. Users expressed a positive response to the refined features, reporting increased confidence, clarity, and engagement throughout the workspace creation process.

Key Takeaways

• Added buttons to create new pages and sub-pages and removed the back button.
• Users can now return actions with the keyboard drawer.
• ‍A tutorial has been added and a button to go back to it has also been included.