Upon initiating the project, an initial iteration of MailMaestro was presented in a pop-up window format. Despite the advantage of increased space, this design posed significant constraints.
A major drawback was the limited usability, restricted to a mere 5 minutes before the window automatically closed. In an effort to address this limitation, I delved into potential solutions and found that transitioning to a sidebar format allowed for uninterrupted usage without any time constraints.
We required a comprehensive product seamlessly integrated into user's daily productivity and lifestyle. The most effective approach was to empathize with users who engage in substantial email correspondence on a daily basis.
Explored usage of current users with following inquiries:
Email category? Drafting or replying? How to instruct AI? Which professional roles?
Conducting a competitor analysis yielded valuable insights. It revealed our product's position in the market and provided actionable steps for improvement.
In the exploration stage, it became evident that our users primarily enhance their writing skills rather than providing direct instructions to the AI.
Additionally, they frequently exchange documents and condense lengthy email threads.
With this understanding, it became clear that our users required features for enhancing text, managing attachments and summarizing threads. Additionally, there was a need for partial text improvement, expanded language support, and diverse output options
Armed with numerous findings, we formulated several assumptions about user preferences. To validate these, I conducted over 60 interviews with both existing users, power users and non-users, ensuring our direction aligned with their needs.
In the process, we not only confirmed our assumptions but also revealed new insights into how users utilize MailMaestro and which additional features they desired.
Design system
We built a design system to speed up the design process, enhance app consistency, and improve usability, resulting in a threefold increase in testing and feature implementation speed.
User flows
High quality emails in seconds
Partial text editing
More features
I collaborated closely with engineers to verify the design and implement the copy. In addition to our daily stand-up meetings, we conducted weekly demo meetings and occasionally gathered to review the implementation against the final designs.
Business impact
Implemented a partial text editing feature that resulted in a threefold increase in the number of active users, soaring from an initial count of 3,000 to an impressive 30,000 active users.
This strategic enhancement not only significantly expanded user engagement but also played a pivotal role in fostering a more dynamic and interactive user community within the platform.