Designing an
Integrated Team
Chat FEATURE
UX - UI Design | Product Strategy | Behavioural Insight
Note: Some interface elements and product information have been omitted or simplified due to confidentiality and proprietary restrictions.
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summary
summary
Role: UX Strategy & Product Design
Product: Snapfix
Platform: Mobile
Scope: Team communication, chat module, task creation from messages
My contribution: Research, product concept, interaction design, UI design
Outcome: Introduced a communication layer inside Snapfix to reduce reliance on external messaging tools and support daily team coordination.
Research revealed that hospitality teams relied heavily on WhatsApp for daily communication, creating compliance and adoption issues for Snapfix. I designed an in-app chat experience inspired by familiar messaging patterns, enabling teams to communicate, create tasks, and collaborate directly within the platform.
1. OPPORTUNITY
During research with hospitality customers, I discovered that many teams relied heavily on WhatsApp for internal communication.
However, several organisations prohibited its use due to:
inappropriate behaviour
lack of control over communication
absence of operational traceability
Despite these restrictions, teams still needed fast and dynamic communication during daily operations.
This revealed an opportunity to integrate communication directly within Snapfix.
2. RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
Through interviews and customer feedback, we identified a key behavioural pattern:
Most hotel teams already used WhatsApp daily to report issues, share updates, and coordinate work.
Key findings
Key findings
• WhatsApp was the most commonly used communication tool in hospitality teams
• Some companies banned messaging apps due to misuse or lack of control
• Staff preferred tools they were already familiar with
• Adoption of Snapfix was affected because teams still relied on WhatsApp
This created a product challenge:
Why would employees use Snapfix if they could simply send a WhatsApp message?
3. DEFINING THE STRATEGY
To address this challenge, we explored the idea of bringing communication inside Snapfix.
The goal was to:
• reduce reliance on external messaging tools
• support fast team communication
• improve adoption of the platform
• connect communication with operational workflows
This led to the concept of a chat module integrated directly into the product.
4. DESIGNING THE PAYWALL
The design focused on two main principles.
FAMILIAR INTERACTION PATTERNS
FAMILIAR INTERACTION PATTERNS
To reduce friction, the chat interface intentionally followed familiar messaging patterns similar to WhatsApp.
This allowed users to instantly recognise how the system worked.
OPERATIONAL COMMUNICATION
OPERATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Unlike traditional messaging apps, the Snapfix chat connected directly with operational workflows.
Users could:
• create tasks from chat messages
• share photos of issues
• communicate with teams or departments
• send audio messages and quick updates
5. KEY FEATURES
BROADCAST CHANNEL
Managers could communicate with all users on the platform through a company-wide broadcast channel.
TASK CREATION FROM MESSAGES
Users could convert photos or messages shared in chat directly into operational tasks.
CHAT GROUPS
Teams could create chat groups based on departments or task groups.
FAMILIAR MESSAGING TOOLS
The system included common messaging features such as:
• emojis
• audio messages
• photo sharing
• quick replies
These features helped maintain the familiar communication experience users expected.
5. KEY DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Several design and psychology principles guided the design:
FAMILIARITY
Using interaction patterns similar to WhatsApp helped users quickly understand the interface.
OPERATIONAL INTEGRATION
Communication was directly connected to tasks and workflows.
CONTROL AND VISIBILITY
Unlike external messaging apps, communication occurred within a controlled environment.
ADOPTION-FOCUSED DESIGN
Reducing friction increased the likelihood that teams would use Snapfix for daily communication.
7. Outcome & impact
7. Outcome & impact
The chat module added a communication layer to Snapfix, supporting both collaboration and operational coordination.
Impact
• Enabled teams to communicate directly within the platform
• Reduced dependence on external messaging tools
• Improved adoption by aligning with familiar communication behaviours
• Connected communication with task management workflows
8. REFLECTION
This project highlighted how existing user habits influence product adoption.
Key lessons included:
• designing around user behaviour rather than forcing change
• reducing friction by leveraging familiar interaction patterns
• integrating communication directly with operational workflows
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