Scibler Smart Scheduler
An automatic scheduling app that provides AI powered one-tap scheduling for people on the go.
The Smart Scheduler is intended to automatically intercept meeting requests and meeting related negotiations in your email, know your preferences and schedule, check your availability, prepare responses to meeting requests and then allow you to quickly review automatic responses and reply with just one tap.
About the project
In our current pervasive digital environment, people encounter a deluge of digital communication and personal data. To get things done, one must frequently wade through large amounts of data in order to retrieve the right information at the right time. This is often an ongoing challenge. In 2013, Scibler, a venture funded, cloud-hosted startup service was looking to develop new state-of-the-art technologies for analysis, retrieval and navigation of personal data and communication.
The potential exists for technology to expose exciting possibilities and revolutionize the way in which people might interact with their personal data in the future. As a designer this offered an opportunity to partner with a team of AI, Machine Learning and NLP engineers to invent the next-generation of personal-data user experiences.
My role
As the design director, I was responsible for the end to end design evolution of an AI based app from ground-up. Which included initiating and driving a human-centric ideation and design process with the team, iterating on concepts, designing the UX for a prototype web plugin and helping define a minimal viable product launched on the iPhone app store. I helped drive design strategy, collaborated on product plan and strategy, led the creative direction, as well as provided hands-on creative guidance for all aspects of the product including social media and marketing.
Conceptualizing and building a product that improves how digital information is consumed by people requires an understanding of the challenges they face in dealing with the constant stream of digital data in their everyday lives.
Discovery
It's undeniable that the sheer amount of information we face daily can be overwhelming, often making it harder to work efficiently. As tech professionals, we had firsthand experience dealing with our own data challenges, but we knew it was crucial to look beyond ourselves. I initiated a user research study with the team to better understand the people we were designing solutions for and their current environments. We collected insights through surveys, in-person conversations, and phone interviews, aiming to uncover the real-life challenges people face in managing both work-related and personal data. By engaging with a diverse group, we observed and documented concerns about handling personal data and communications. These interactions also helped us empathize with the people we were envisioning solutions for.
We also took time to analyze the competitive landscape. As a team, we explored the tools currently used by the people we interviewed, as well as new products in the market that addressed their needs. We evaluated these solutions to identify gaps and opportunities. The analysis showed there are several products aimed at improving efficiency and productivity when managing digital data. These fell into categories like integrated search experiences, reminders and personal assistants, and email organizers. However, user feedback suggested these tools still didn’t fully meet their needs, leaving room for simplification and automation to enhance their experiences.
Analyzing data, defining personas and user journeys
I guided the team through an exercise to organize the collected data and classify user characteristics. By analyzing and synthesizing the findings, we identified three distinct persona archetypes.
The results revealed three broad persona categories, representing general profiles of individuals who juggle multiple roles throughout the day. Their daily activities may include tasks, interaction and communication such as balancing family and work, managing business clients and social connections, or focusing purely on business.
We concluded that these user types would significantly benefit from AI- and machine learning-based predictive solutions. Such tools could streamline their incoming data, providing efficient solutions to manage and complete tasks. Enhanced task efficiency would ultimately grant them more time—time they could dedicate to their families, pursue personal interests, or concentrate on growing their businesses.
Finally, user journeys were developed for each persona, outlining typical scenarios to better address their specific needs.
Identifying pain points and ideation
Insights from the research, persona development, and scenario definition process enabled us to identify key pain points relevant to our target audience. Building on these pain points and scenarios, I led a focused design workshop with the team, where we collaboratively brainstormed a wide range of ideas.
The generated ideas were then aligned with user scenarios and organized into distinct focus areas for further development.
Prioritizing scenarios and concepts
Several recurring patterns emerged during the user journey analysis. One key observation was that people struggled to locate and keep track of tasks within their email, as well as complete actions stemming from email conversations. Data collected by the team indicated that a typical business account receives over 100 emails daily, with around half being accessed first on mobile devices. This often leads to users revisiting email threads on desktop or laptop computers to complete related tasks, causing delays and missed deadlines.
Existing market solutions are predominantly manual. Email apps like Mailbox, Triage, Handle, and task management tools such as Any.do, Wunderlist, and Teux Deux were primarily adopted by highly organized individuals who were willing to invest significant time in managing their data.
There was a clear opportunity to leverage automation to tap into a significantly larger market by simplifying and streamlining the overall experience of keeping track of tasks, appointments and actions in email messages.
Design
I developed user models leveraging AI and machine learning for automatic task discovery and completion. This involved iterative refinement of multiple models, all centered on creating an integrated, end-to-end experience designed to:
a. detect email messages associated with specific tasks,
b. retrieve relevant information essential for task completion, and
c. optimize the process by delivering the most efficient path to completion.
Concepts were explored and evaluated heuristically for technical feasibility and ease of use.
Testing a prototype web plug-in for gmail
During the exploration phase of the product concept, it became evident that creating a functional prototype with real user data was crucial to validate and test its key features. We identified a group of users—many of whom had been part of the earlier research phase—for the deployment of the prototype. Leveraging their Gmail data, the prototype was designed to address primary pain points they had highlighted: 1) providing automatic alerts for actions and tasks identified within emails, and 2) enabling the seamless search and discovery of related information. A Gmail plug-in was identified as the most practical format for this prototype.
This lean, web-based solution also functioned as a proof of concept, prioritizing rapid and efficient development. To support this effort, I designed a lightweight, minimalist user experience that effectively captured and delivered on the prioritized core user scenarios.
Building and launching a minimal viable product
What we learned and the data we gathered from testing the web plug-in helped evolve the product and refine a minimal viable product. Alerts that allow the user to discover potential information that might otherwise slip through the cracks was of definite value and identified as giving the product unique selling power. Whereas search and related information required better context to capture user's attention. Federation of personal and work email accounts was found to be useful. Anecdotal evidence validated types of alerts such as meetings, follow-ups, events and bills that people often miss in their email. It was important for users to identify different types of alerts and be able to act upon them on the go.
The general characteristics of our target users ("Life Jugglers") were people with multiple roles and responsibilities who frequently juggle home, work and social life. For whom email is a hub of everyday workflow. They struggle to keep track of things needing attention in their email and utilize calendars to schedule important events and activities and don’t really have much time to manage and track all activities. They frequently need the right information handy to get things done while at home, work or elsewhere and often share and delegate tasks to others (both home and work).
The product plan focused on individual productivity and some smart collaboration capabilities, with an aim to
target individuals to adopt Scibler. These individuals were identified as small business owners (who exemplify all of the characteristics of our target audience).
The product MVP
a mobile app built for iPhone would focus on alerts for automatic discovery of three primary types of information-
1. meetings and meeting requests,
2.tasks (including follow ups to meeting requests or scheduling), 3. feeds (updates from people important to me).
Designing the user experience
The app, essentially a dynamic calendar, was designed to automatically uncover information relevant to the user’s day. Its interface made it simple to identify different types of alerts and take appropriate actions effortlessly.
The information was prioritized as follows: scheduled meetings for the day, proposed meetings or tasks requiring action (either from the user or others), and key individuals significant to the user's day. The default list view was structured to reflect this hierarchy, and the interaction model was optimized to allow task completion in just a few steps.
While the app was an enhanced AI-powered version, it retained the essential functions of a traditional calendar. It offered an intuitive experience for quickly accessing relevant information over days, weeks, or months, while also making it easy to schedule and add new entries.
Additionally, I ensured the design adhered to iOS guidelines for consistency and usability.
The visual design objective was straightforward: to create a simple, clean design that prioritized performance, minimized effort in design and development, and facilitated quick refinements based on user feedback.
Drawing on our understanding of the target users and existing tools in the market, I led the visual design process by crafting a "mood board" to guide the product's aesthetic direction. Fonts, colors, and other elements were rigorously tested through A/B experiments, ultimately leading to a design inspired by classic calendars, featuring a palette of red, white, black, and gray.
I provided strategic guidance, detailed visual critiques, and hands-on design input to develop a sophisticated yet minimalist aesthetic that emphasized clear information hierarchy through thoughtful use of color, typography, and iconography. The design was modern and clean, earning positive feedback for its visual appeal and noticeably enhancing performance.
Visual design evolution
Launching "Scibler Smart Scheduler" on the iOS app store
The beta version of the product provided a valuable opportunity to test and gather insights on the overall user experience, including visual design and interactions. The UX underwent multiple rounds of testing at various stages, utilizing split testing to analyze user behavior and collecting feedback through follow-up questionnaires.
Based on the feedback from the beta phase, a refined version of the app, "Scibler Smart Scheduler," was launched on the app store. I collaborated with the team to streamline and reimagine the experience, prioritizing scenarios and actions centered on appointments and scheduling tasks.
Detailed walk-through of the product
A series of screens highlighting key aspects of the experience were provided to assist the users while getting started.
Challenges and outcomes
One of the key challenges we faced as a lean startup was the limitation of resources. A small team working on an ambitious timeline required every team member to take on multiple roles and responsibilities. As the design director and primary owner of the user experience, I had the unique opportunity not only to define, drive, and oversee all aspects of the product's design but also to contribute to product planning, testing, marketing, and social media initiatives.
This often meant stepping into unfamiliar territory and refreshing skills I hadn’t utilized in some time. It was both a demanding and rewarding experience, requiring adaptability and resourcefulness.
Operating within a lean startup environment also brought its share of compromises. Not every vision for the product could come to fruition, often due to a lack of resources. Navigating shifting priorities demanded agility and resilience, and while this could be frustrating for a designer, it also brought excitement and satisfaction in overcoming challenges.
My involvement in the product concluded after delivering a complete user experience for its final launch, followed by several rounds of refinements and improvements. The MVP product's design and performance received highly positive feedback, emphasizing its effectiveness in addressing user needs while maintaining simplicity and functionality. However, by the time of the launch, the AI space was heavily populated with major players like Google and Microsoft tackling similar concepts. Competing against such giants was no longer sustainable for a small startup, making it essential for the company to pivot and explore new directions.