Chaitanya Vats

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UI Redesign

Project Overview

The project aims to reimagine the product of Skype by redesigning the user experience, Skype services, and subsequently redesigning the UI Design System of Skype without deviating from its current identity and resource structure

Project Overview

Skype used to be a verb...

What Happened?

Rise of Skype:

Founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, Skype revolutionized online communication with free voice and video calls via internet.

By 2010, Skype had 600+ million users, becoming the top choice for international communication.

In 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion, integrating it into its product ecosystem (Windows, Xbox, Office).

Challenges:

Rising competition from mobile-first platforms like WhatsApp, FaceTime, and later Zoom offered simpler, faster experiences.

Skype struggled with interface clutter and a shift to cloud architecture, leading to reduced performance and user dissatisfaction.

Decline of Skype:

Microsoft focused on promoting Teams for business use, further sidelining Skype.

By the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom and Microsoft Teams had largely replaced Skype, marking its significant decline.

Competitor Analysis

Microsoft Teams
Call Recording
File Sharing
Chat Features
Private Messaging
Raise Hands
Background Controls
Speaker Coach
Microsoft 365 Integration
Real Time Caption and Translation
Download and Edit Participant List for follow up
Multiple Screen Sharing
No Reminders
Always need to sign in to attend meetings
Discord
File Sharing
Screen Sharing
25 People
Push to Talk
Can Control Participant Volume
Private Messaging
Can Control Input and Output Volume
More accessible mobile controls
No Breakout Rooms
No Hand Raising Feature
No inbuilt Whiteboarding
Cannot Record Call
1080p Allowed only on Premium Plan
Slack
Annotation
Be Right Back Sticker
Raise Hands
Whiteboarding
Can Control Participant Volume
Background Controls
Can Control Input and Output Volume
Two People can Share Screen
Only Corporate
Reminder
Only 2 people in Free Subscription
Maximum 50 people
Zoom
Background Controls
Avatars
Good Annotation
Custom video Filters
Personal Chats
Focus Mode
Custom View
Chat Feature
Built in Whiteboarding
Greater Host Controls
Polls
CC and Translation
Only 40 minutes with Free Plan
Does not save chat log

Skype

Missing Features

Push to Talk

On the Go mode

Two People can Share Screen

Avatars

Annotation

Focus Mode

Be Right Back Sticker

Custom video Filters

Personal Chats

Speaking Microinteraction

Can Control Participant Volume

Can Control Input and Output Volume

Greater Host Controls

Custom View

Persona Mapping

Based on secondary research and 8 user interviews, I created 4 use cases and respective personas to map their pain points.

Eera
42 / Female
Eera is a 42 year old homemaker who used to use skype nearly 7 years ago.
She used skype before IP calling became standard service. She used it to video call her friends and family living in other countries.
Pain Points
Some friends do not have whatsapp, and cellular calling internationally is difficult.
Need to login every time she wants to attend a meeting, and keeping track of passwords is difficult.
Pain Points
Some friends do not have whatsapp, and cellular calling internationally is difficult.
Need to login every time she wants to attend a meeting, and keeping track of passwords is difficult.
Gain Points
Liked the design od Skype. The blue color and clouds are memorable.
Remembers the ringtone of skype. Feels nostalgic to her.
Remembers teaching her nephew how to make paper camera over video call on skype.
Pradeep
54 / Male
Pradeep is a 54 year old Secondary school teacher who teaches mathematics to teenagers.
He has experienced using Meet on a daily basis as he had to teach using the software during the pandemic
Pain Points
Everyone could hear background noises of the speaker.
Because of background disturbances, students did not want to switch their video on.
Children joined with wrong id and disrupted class.
Students kept texting each other privately using the messaging features.
Had no idea how to track attendance rates of students throughout the meeting
Gain Points
THe force mute feature was very useful.
Raise Hands came was very useful.
Group chats could be used to manage doubts.
Waiting Room Feature Proved very useful
Pratyush
16 / Male
Pratyush is a class 10 student who spent his early middle school years in online classes during the pandemic.
He has used Teams, Zoom, Meet and discord for gaming, calls with friends, and also online classes.
Pain Points
Needs background blur/ filter for class as he does not want everyone to see his background.
Does not like logging into different devices to attend class again and again.
Wants more layout control
Gain Points
Likes microsoft teams as it has his class schedule already loaded.
Raise Hands came was very useful.
Likes that you can control audio of participants in discord.
Likes background filters in instagram and snapchat VC.
Likes Pinning features in Zoom.
Venya
21 / Female
Venya is a 20 year old college student who has used a lot of video calling software in her teenage years.
While living abroad, she also faced problems with international calling, and has explored many software for that purpose.
Pain Points
Does not like sharing links, as it is not a one click process and takes time.
Attaches bad memory of online classes with Zoom.
Does not like Screen Sharing audio and video quality on Google Meet.
Wants the waiting room system, to prevent unwanted visitors in meeting
Wants to adjust volume of specific participants in the meeting
Wants greater control over screen layout.
Want better visuals which convey camera and mic’s disabled state.
Gain Points
Used IMO for international calls, but found it very annoying because of the ads.
Likes the filters on Instagram video call
Prefers whatsapp, as it has all necessary functions, and is very easy to use and accessible

Eera
42 / Female
Eera is a 42 year old homemaker who used to use skype nearly 7 years ago.
She used skype before IP calling became standard service. She used it to video call her friends and family living in other countries.
Pain Points
Some friends do not have whatsapp, and cellular calling internationally is difficult.
Need to login every time she wants to attend a meeting, and keeping track of passwords is difficult.
Pain Points
Some friends do not have whatsapp, and cellular calling internationally is difficult.
Need to login every time she wants to attend a meeting, and keeping track of passwords is difficult.
Gain Points
Liked the design od Skype. The blue color and clouds are memorable.
Remembers the ringtone of skype. Feels nostalgic to her.
Remembers teaching her nephew how to make paper camera over video call on skype.
Pradeep
54 / Male
Pradeep is a 54 year old Secondary school teacher who teaches mathematics to teenagers.
He has experienced using Meet on a daily basis as he had to teach using the software during the pandemic
Pain Points
Everyone could hear background noises of the speaker.
Because of background disturbances, students did not want to switch their video on.
Children joined with wrong id and disrupted class.
Students kept texting each other privately using the messaging features.
Had no idea how to track attendance rates of students throughout the meeting
Gain Points
THe force mute feature was very useful.
Raise Hands came was very useful.
Group chats could be used to manage doubts.
Waiting Room Feature Proved very useful
Pratyush
16 / Male
Pratyush is a class 10 student who spent his early middle school years in online classes during the pandemic.
He has used Teams, Zoom, Meet and discord for gaming, calls with friends, and also online classes.
Pain Points
Needs background blur/ filter for class as he does not want everyone to see his background.
Does not like logging into different devices to attend class again and again.
Wants more layout control
Gain Points
Likes microsoft teams as it has his class schedule already loaded.
Raise Hands came was very useful.
Likes that you can control audio of participants in discord.
Likes background filters in instagram and snapchat VC.
Likes Pinning features in Zoom.
Venya
21 / Female
Venya is a 20 year old college student who has used a lot of video calling software in her teenage years.
While living abroad, she also faced problems with international calling, and has explored many software for that purpose.
Pain Points
Does not like sharing links, as it is not a one click process and takes time.
Attaches bad memory of online classes with Zoom.
Does not like Screen Sharing audio and video quality on Google Meet.
Wants the waiting room system, to prevent unwanted visitors in meeting
Wants to adjust volume of specific participants in the meeting
Wants greater control over screen layout.
Want better visuals which convey camera and mic’s disabled state.
Gain Points
Used IMO for international calls, but found it very annoying because of the ads.
Likes the filters on Instagram video call
Prefers whatsapp, as it has all necessary functions, and is very easy to use and accessible

Pradeep

54 / Male

Pradeep is a 54 year old Secondary school teacher who teaches mathematics to teenagers.

He has experienced using Meet on a daily basis as he had to teach using the software during the pandemic

Pain Points

Everyone could hear background noises of the speaker.

Because of background disturbances, students did not want to switch their video on.

Children joined with wrong id and disrupted class.

Students kept texting each other privately using the messaging features.

Had no idea how to track attendance rates of students throughout the meeting

Gain Points

THe force mute feature was very useful.

Raise Hands came was very useful.

Group chats could be used to manage doubts.

Waiting Room Feature Proved very useful

Pratyush

16 / Male

Pratyush is a class 10 student who spent his early middle school years in online classes during the pandemic.

He has used Teams, Zoom, Meet and discord for gaming, calls with friends, and also online classes.

Pain Points

Needs background blur/ filter for class as he does not want everyone to see his background.

Does not like logging into different devices to attend class again and again.

Wants more layout control

Gain Points

Likes microsoft teams as it has his class schedule already loaded.

Raise Hands came was very useful.

Likes that you can control audio of participants in discord.

Likes background filters in instagram and snapchat VC.

Likes Pinning features in Zoom.

Venya

21 / Female

Venya is a 20 year old college student who has used a lot of video calling software in her teenage years.

While living abroad, she also faced problems with international calling, and has explored many software for that purpose.

Pain Points

Does not like sharing links, as it is not a one click process and takes time.

Attaches bad memory of online classes with Zoom.

Does not like Screen Sharing audio and video quality on Google Meet.

Wants the waiting room system, to prevent unwanted visitors in meeting

Wants to adjust volume of specific participants in the meeting

Wants greater control over screen layout.

Want better visuals which convey camera and mic’s disabled state.

Gain Points

Used IMO for international calls, but found it very annoying because of the ads.

Likes the filters on Instagram video call

Prefers whatsapp, as it has all necessary functions, and is very easy to use and accessible

Eera

42 / Female

Eera is a 42 year old homemaker who used to use skype nearly 7 years ago.

She used skype before IP calling became standard service. She used it to video call her friends and family living in other countries.

Pain Points

Some friends do not have whatsapp, and cellular calling internationally is difficult.

Need to login every time she wants to attend a meeting, and keeping track of passwords is difficult.

Gain Points

Liked the design od Skype. The blue color and clouds are memorable.

Remembers the ringtone of skype. Feels nostalgic to her.

Remembers teaching her nephew how to make paper camera over video call on skype.

Insights

Value Proposition

Cheap Rates for International Calling

Skype has options to buy an international number from your choice of country and make calls at extremely

Unlimited Free Video Conferencing

Skype has options to buy an international number from your choice of country and make calls at extremely

Supports a wide range of platforms

Skype has options to buy an international number from your choice of country and make calls at extremely

SMS, Call Forwarding and Caller ID’s

Skype has options to buy an international number from your choice of country and make calls at extremely

Features Missing in Skype

Heuristic Analysis

Flow 1: Schedule a Meeting
System status visibility
The system can benefit from clearer language and naming of screens.
Balance the system and real world
The layout of the app is very new, and does not feel intuitive. Apart from the icons, not a lot of buttons and words help in navigation
User control and freedom
There are options to go back in every step of the process.
Consistency and standards
There are a lot of different icons, words and buttons used to start a meeting. They convey a lot of different ideas, like calling someone through cellular data.
Error prevention
There is not interstice before starting a group call from recents. It starts instantly and rings everyone in the group.
Once you press the leave button, you leave the meeting, there is no confirmation required
Recognition rather than memory
Saving chat information helps users remember their old conversations and meeting
Flexibility
It is not possible to schedule a call easily. The user needs to go to a chat, click “+” to do it.
Minimize clutter
There are a lot of unnecessary tabs in the first layer of the app, pop ups which can be reduced. They distract the user from going ahead with their task
There are a lot of unnecessary tabs in the first layer of the app, pop ups which can be reduced. They distract the user from going ahead with their task
Use plain-language to recover from errors
Take the guesswork out of the problem. Use simple language to help users find solutions quickly.
Flow 2: Buy a new phone number
System status visibility
It is difficult to understand which button leads to which screen, and difficult to differentiate the difference between different tasks
A bread crumb system would make the experience much better as users would know the steps required to complete the task beforehand.
User control and freedom
It is fairly simple and straightforward to abandon actions and go back a few steps.
That being said, it would a bread crumb system and saving of entered data can lead to a better user experience
Consistency and standards
Cards used here are very different from the ones used in the rest of the products. This includes the available balance section, cards making you select type of call, etc.
Error prevention
There are no mechanisms signifying the directness of buying skype credit. Creating a receipt screen will be helpful in letting the user know all the specifics of the transaction they might be willing to make, and enforcing the direct payment status.
Recognition rather than memory
The screens can do a better job at presenting the specific information regarding the chosen transaction before the user proceeds with the payment.
Flexibility
Different buttons lead to the same screen. This is helpful in specific use cases where you need to buy credit in order to place a call. The system automatically redirects you towards the credit screen.
Minimize clutter
The screens are quite focused on the task. They are easy to navigate, and don’t distract the user from their chosen task.
Use plain-language to recover from errors
Some of the titles and captions are tricky to differentiate as they sound very similar. This requires some trial and error to navigate around.

User Flows

Information Architecture

Design System

High Fidelity Screens

Primary Colors

Primary Blue

19.72 AAA

AAA

1.07

Blue-50

#f2fbe6

rgb(242, 251, 230)

17.35 AAA

AAA

1.21

Blue-100

#d7f3b2

rgb(215, 243, 178)

15.96 AAA

AAA

1.32

Blue-200

#c4ee8d

rgb(196, 238, 141)

14.15 AAA

AAA

1.48

Blue-300

#a9e65a

rgb(169, 230, 90)

13.16 AAA

AAA

1.60

Blue-400

#98e139

rgb(152, 225, 57)

13.16 AAA

AAA

1.60

Blue-450

#98e139

rgb(152, 225, 57)

11.82 AAA

AAA

1.78

Blue-500

#7ed908

rgb(126, 217, 8)

9.72 AAA

AAA

2.16

Blue-600

#73c507

rgb(115, 197, 7)

6.05 AAA

3.47 AA

Blue-700

#599a06

rgb(89, 154, 6)

3.89 AA

5.39 AAA

Blue-800

#457704

rgb(69, 119, 4)

2.65

7.93 AAA

AAA

Blue-900

#355b03

rgb(53, 91, 3)

2.65

7.93 AAA

AAA

Blue-950

#355b03

rgb(53, 91, 3)

Neutral: Cool Grey

1.10

19.07 AAA

AAA

grey-50

#f3f4f5

rgb(243, 244, 245)

1.37

15.38 AAA

AAA

grey-100

#d9dde1

rgb(217, 221, 225)

1.60

13.10 AAA

AAA

grey-200

#c7cdd3

rgb(199, 205, 211)

2.05

10.22 AAA

AAA

grey-300

#adb6bf

rgb(173, 182, 191)

2.42

8.68 AAA

AAA

grey-400

#9da8b2

rgb(157, 168, 178)

3.18 AA

6.61 AAA

grey-500

#85929f

rgb(133, 146, 159)

3.77 AA

5.58 AAA

grey-600

#798591

rgb(121, 133, 145)

3.69 AA

5.68 AAA

grey-700

#5e6871

rgb(94, 104, 113)

2.57

8.18 AAA

AAA

grey-800

#495057

rgb(73, 80, 87)

1.92

10.96 AAA

AAA

grey-900

#383d43

rgb(56, 61, 67)

1.92

12.04 AAA

AAA

grey-1k

#0F0F0F

rgb(15,15,15)

Primary Blue

19.72 AAA

AAA

1.07

Blue-50

#f2fbe6

rgb(242, 251, 230)

17.35 AAA

AAA

1.21

Blue-100

#d7f3b2

rgb(215, 243, 178)

15.96 AAA

AAA

1.32

Blue-200

#c4ee8d

rgb(196, 238, 141)

14.15 AAA

AAA

1.48

Blue-300

#a9e65a

rgb(169, 230, 90)

13.16 AAA

AAA

1.60

Blue-400

#98e139

rgb(152, 225, 57)

13.16 AAA

AAA

1.60

Blue-450

#98e139

rgb(152, 225, 57)

11.82 AAA

AAA

1.78

Blue-500

#7ed908

rgb(126, 217, 8)

9.72 AAA

AAA

2.16

Blue-600

#73c507

rgb(115, 197, 7)

6.05 AAA

3.47 AA

Blue-700

#599a06

rgb(89, 154, 6)

3.89 AA

5.39 AAA

Blue-800

#457704

rgb(69, 119, 4)

2.65

7.93 AAA

AAA

Blue-900

#355b03

rgb(53, 91, 3)

2.65

7.93 AAA

AAA

Blue-950

#355b03

rgb(53, 91, 3)

Neutral: Cool Grey

1.10

19.07 AAA

AAA

grey-50

#f3f4f5

rgb(243, 244, 245)

1.37

15.38 AAA

AAA

grey-100

#d9dde1

rgb(217, 221, 225)

1.60

13.10 AAA

AAA

grey-200

#c7cdd3

rgb(199, 205, 211)

2.05

10.22 AAA

AAA

grey-300

#adb6bf

rgb(173, 182, 191)

2.42

8.68 AAA

AAA

grey-400

#9da8b2

rgb(157, 168, 178)

3.18 AA

6.61 AAA

grey-500

#85929f

rgb(133, 146, 159)

3.77 AA

5.58 AAA

grey-600

#798591

rgb(121, 133, 145)

3.69 AA

5.68 AAA

grey-700

#5e6871

rgb(94, 104, 113)

2.57

8.18 AAA

AAA

grey-800

#495057

rgb(73, 80, 87)

1.92

10.96 AAA

AAA

grey-900

#383d43

rgb(56, 61, 67)

1.92

12.04 AAA

AAA

grey-1k

#0F0F0F

rgb(15,15,15)

Semantic Colors

Accent/ Yellow

Yellow50

19.72 AAA

AAA

1.07

#f2fbe6

rgb(242, 251, 230)

Yellow-100

17.35 AAA

AAA

1.21

#d7f3b2

rgb(215, 243, 178)

Yellow-200

15.96 AAA

AAA

1.32

#c4ee8d

rgb(196, 238, 141)

Yellow-300

14.15 AAA

AAA

1.48

#a9e65a

rgb(169, 230, 90)

Yellow-400

13.16 AAA

AAA

1.60

#98e139

rgb(152, 225, 57)

Yellow-500

11.82 AAA

AAA

1.78

#7ed908

rgb(126, 217, 8)

Yellow-600

9.72 AAA

AAA

2.16

#73c507

rgb(115, 197, 7)

Yellow-700

6.05 AAA

3.47 AA

#599a06

rgb(89, 154, 6)

Yellow-800

3.89 AA

5.39 AAA

#457704

rgb(69, 119, 4)

Yellow-900

2.65

7.93 AAA

AAA

#355b03

rgb(53, 91, 3)

Yellow-900

2.65

7.93 AAA

AAA

#355b03

rgb(53, 91, 3)

Green

Greenn-50

19.72 AAA

AAA

1.07

#f2fbe6

rgb(242, 251, 230)

Green-100

17.35 AAA

AAA

1.21

#d7f3b2

rgb(215, 243, 178)

Green-200

15.96 AAA

AAA

1.32

#c4ee8d

rgb(196, 238, 141)

Green-300

14.15 AAA

AAA

1.48

#a9e65a

rgb(169, 230, 90)

Green-400

13.16 AAA

AAA

1.60

#98e139

rgb(152, 225, 57)

Green-500

11.82 AAA

AAA

1.78

#7ed908

rgb(126, 217, 8)

Green-600

9.72 AAA

AAA

2.16

#73c507

rgb(115, 197, 7)

Green-700

6.05 AAA

3.47 AA

#599a06

rgb(89, 154, 6)

Green-800

3.89 AA

5.39 AAA

#457704

rgb(69, 119, 4)

Green-900

2.65

7.93 AAA

AAA

#355b03

rgb(53, 91, 3)

Green-900

2.65

7.93 AAA

AAA

#355b03

rgb(53, 91, 3)

Red

red-50

17.90 AAA

AAA

1.17

#fae9e9

rgb(250, 233, 233)

red-100

12.46 AAA

AAA

1.69

#eebbbb

rgb(238, 187, 187)

red-200

9.45 AAA

AAA

2.22

#e69a9a

rgb(230, 154, 154)

red-300

6.37 AAA

3.29 AA

#db6c6c

rgb(219, 108, 108)

red-400

5.03 AAA

4.17 AA

#d44f4f

rgb(212, 79, 79)

red-500

3.75 AA

5.60 AAA

#c92323

rgb(201, 35, 35)

red-600

3.24 AA

6.48 AAA

#b72020

rgb(183, 32, 32)

red-700

2.32

9.05 AAA

AAA

#8f1919

rgb(143, 25, 25)

red-800

1.78

11.81 AAA

AAA

#6f1313

rgb(111, 19, 19)

red-900

1.45

14.46 AAA

AAA

#540f0f

rgb(84, 15, 15)

red-950

1.45

14.46 AAA

AAA

#540f0f

rgb(84, 15, 15)

Type Style

Poppins

Ascender

697

X-height

548

Baseline

Descender

-260

Poppins, 48px

Regular

Poppins, 34px

Regular

Poppins, 24px

Regular

Poppins, 20px

Medium

Button

Poppins, 14px

Medium

Subtitle 1

Poppins, 16px

Regular

Subtitle 2

Poppins, 14px

Medium

Body 1

Poppins, 16px

Regular

Body 2

Poppins, 14px

Regular

Caption

Poppins, 12px

Regular

Overline

Poppins, 10px

Regular

Spacing System

512

384

256

192

128

Grid Type: 4 Column Grid

Margin: 40 Pixels

Gutter Space: 16 Pixels

Width: Flex

High Fidelity Screens

High Fidelity Screens

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Contact

chaitanyavatscv@gmail.com

+91 9522203221