Reimagining Collaboration for Remote Teams
Record. Delete. Repeat.
Record. Delete. Repeat.
TV app recordings feature redesign
Product Design / Zattoo GmbH
TV app recordings feature redesign
Product Design / Zattoo GmbH
TV app recordings feature redesign Product Design / Zattoo GmbH
Talktrack interactive recordings
Overview
Asynchronous communication is a vital part of modern remote work, but it often falls short when it comes to providing context and maintaining the emotional tone behind the message, usually leading to unnecessary meetings.
Talktrack is an immersive recording feature that lets users leave video/audio feedback directly on Miro boards, offering a more flexible and personal way to communicate in asynchronous workflows. It was designed to maintain context, respect individual productivity, and bring a sense of real-time collaboration—even when team members are not physically present.
Disconnection, disruption, and redundant meetings
Problem
The Challenge Unveiled
At Miro, collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. And the remote work is here to stay. However, remote teams are often struggling with communication breakdowns to discuss board updates or feedback, resulting in more meetings. Text comments are missing emotional nuances and key context, and meetings can often feel redundant (admit - how many times have you felt like just skipping and focusing on the real work?), especially when the purpose could be conveyed asynchronously.
The challenge me and my team faced was how to reimagine asynchronous collaboration, remove the need for redundant meetings, and keep teams in flow—while also making it richer, more contextual, and feel like working together.
UXR Findings: Pains & focus
The starting (turning) point: Push back to move forward
Discover & Define
The story begins
Initially, the solution seemed straightforward, at least to the leadership: they tasked us with building a Loom integration into Miro, enabling users to record their screens. However, as a team, we felt that this wasn’t enough to solve the deeper challenges users were facing. Yes, you still can record your message, but the collaborators had to stop their work and watch it - not really a feeling of working together, isn't it?
Instead of rushing to deliver the Loom integration, we decided to take a step back, and learn what working async really means. Through longitudinal studies and surveys, we discovered that the true pain point went beyond simply recording a screen. Users struggled with constant content switching, stopping their work, and lacking the emotional nuance needed for smooth collaboration. This insight set the stage for a pivotal decision that would change the trajectory of our project—and our team.
Crafting the innovative vision: Death to Pixels & Mario Kart
Ideation, Design Sprint, and swift prototyping
At its core, the challenge was multi-dimensional: How do we ensure that the feature provides adequate context without overwhelming the recipient? How can we offer flexibility for users to engage with feedback at their own pace without disrupting their flow? And how do we infuse a sense of connection and human presence, even when team members are miles apart?
Through rapid ideation sessions led by me, we envisioned a more immersive and Miro-native solution—one that utilized the board itself as a visual and interactive storytelling medium.
To solidify our vision, we collaborated with Jake Knapp in a design sprint. A developer on our team likened it to “Mario Kart’s ghost” where players see traces of a previous race—a metaphor that beautifully captured Talktrack’s essence. It was here that the idea crystalized: an immersive recording experience allowing users to leave feedback directly on the Miro board.
This concept wasn’t just another tool; it represented a paradigm shift, leveraging Miro’s visual collaboration strengths to offer a truly unique asynchronous workflow experience. Instead of watching the pixels, we were keeping the users on the board, where the work happens. You would record your face, but everything else it's an actual board content!
GV Design Sprint, Prototyping & Testing
Once the data was collected, I participated in the GV Design Sprint workshop with the relevant stakeholders. Our aim was to define the problem, align business and users' needs, and manage expectations.
Based on the sketches generated during the GV Sprint, we designed a prototype for the tablet and AppleTV, to test our hypotheses. The testing revealed that most of them were correct. All findings were incorporated into the concept/redesign.
Selling the vision, validating the MVP & the Private Beta
The Birth of Talktrack
We pitched the concept to leadership: an innovative, Miro-specific recording feature that didn’t just mimic existing tools but redefined how asynchronous collaboration could work. The idea resonated deeply. Leadership approved our exploration and moved our team from the platform to Miro’s core product team—a recognition of the concept's potential impact.
Armed with the concept, we began prototyping and testing. We tested both approaches: a traditional "Loom-like" implementation and our innovative Talktrack vision. User feedback overwhelmingly favored Talktrack, confirming its potential.
To refine the feature, we ran a private beta with Idealo, a trusted partner. Their feedback was instrumental in addressing usability challenges and iterating on the design. For instance, we simplified the interface and streamlined the recording experience, ensuring users could focus on their message, not the tool.
The beta phase not only validated Talktrack’s value but also provided critical insights that shaped the final product, paving the way for a confident public release.
Pixel perfection & appealing look and feel
After validating concepts through user testing, the next step was designing an outstanding visual design. The goal was to elevate the experience even more. My main responsibility was making sure that look&feel is consistent across four platforms
Playback UX: Jake Knapp using Talktrack in the Design Sprint template
Talktrack interactive recordings: Communicate where you collaborate
When async feels like sync
The final version of Talktrack allowed users to create immersive, interactive recordings directly on the Miro board. It eliminated the ambiguity of text-based comments, enabling teams to communicate clearly and efficiently without synchronous meetings.
The impact was immediate and profound. Today, Talktrack is one of Miro’s most beloved features, boasting the highest customer satisfaction scores in the company. It has become synonymous with innovation and is now an essential tool for teams looking to accelerate asynchronous workflows.
As Talktrack continues to evolve with features like reactions and editing, it remains a testament to Miro’s commitment to empowering teams to collaborate effortlessly, no matter where or when they work, enabling round-the-clock teamwork.
Pixel perfection & appealing look and feel
After validating concepts through user testing, the next step was designing an outstanding visual design. The goal was to elevate the experience even more. My main responsibility was making sure that look&feel is consistent across four platforms
RecordingUX
"Before, we had to build boards and have fake meetings just to record instructions. With Talktrack, we could do it directly in Miro.”
Increase user retention & satisfaction when using the recordings feature by designing a delightful experience, that will eventually lead to more paid accounts.
Increase user retention & satisfaction when using the recordings feature, that will eventually lead to more watching sessions started from Recordings.
Global FinTech customer
Playback controls evolution
Editing mode
Still here and having fun reading?
If so, send me a message and I will book a free consultation session, to discuss the Talktrack cases study, collaboration opportunities, basketball, or something else.
Boosting Virality: Expanding Talktrack’s Reach
Problem
Across Multiple Channels
To increase Talktrack’s visibility and virality, we made it accessible across multiple platforms. We launched Talktrack in the Miroverse, Miro’s community of apps, allowing users to easily discover and integrate it into their boards, reaching a broader audience.
Additionally, we enabled embedding in popular tools like Coda, Monday.com, and Atlassian, making it easier for teams to share and interact with Talktrack directly within their existing workflows. These integrations expanded Talktrack’s reach and encouraged organic adoption across various channels, driving its growth and user engagement.
Virality: Startegies to increase TT's usage
Results
4.4 / 5
😄
Talktrack is the feature with the highest customer satisfaction score in Miro (vs. 3.3 on average) and it's loved and used by thousands of weekly active users.
6%
Increasement of the average duration of watched recordings per eligible user.
Engagement
😄
Increasement of the WAU engagement.
"The new recording function has become really tip-top. So much praise from my side." Premium user @ Customer Support
😍
"The new recording function has become really tip-top. So much praise from my side." Premium user @ Customer Support
"Before, we had to build boards and have fake meetings just to record instructions. With Talktrack, we could do it directly in Miro.”
Premium user @ Customer Support
"The new recording function has become really tip-top. So much praise from my side." Premium user @ Customer Support
Talktrack 0-1: Looking back, looking forward
Problem
Context is Critical in Asynchronous Feedback
Audio feedback brought much-needed context to remote communication, clarifying tone, urgency, and emotion. This taught us that feedback should go beyond text to convey intent and enhance understanding fully.
Respecting Flow Boosts Productivity
Interrupting a user’s flow can derail their productivity. Talktrack allowed users to consume feedback at their own pace, reinforcing that collaboration tools should fit seamlessly into a user's workflow without causing disruption.
Done is faster than perfect
Frequent testing and refining based on user feedback helped us create a more intuitive and effective feature. We learned that ongoing iteration is crucial for creating a product that truly meets user needs.
It’s Important to Push Back When You Believe in Something
When leadership pushed for a Loom integration, we stood firm in our belief that Talktrack’s audio feedback within Miro would better serve our users. This taught us the value of advocating for what we believe is best for the product, even if it means challenging initial requests or expectations.
Looking forward, Talktrack will continue to evolve, with future iterations that incorporate AI-driven transcription, sentiment analysis, and more sophisticated playback controls—ensuring that asynchronous communication remains a seamless, empowering part of the remote collaboration toolkit.
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