BlueJeans Calling Widget
Reimagining Multi-tasking Communication for Remote Teams
Role: Product Development, Principal UX
Bluejeans is a visual collaboration and communication platform for remote meetings. The main focus is large meetings, with document sharing, messenging, and sharing presentations.
The challenge
BlueJeans was falling behind competitors who offered integrated calling features alongside their meeting platforms. Users needed to switch between multiple applications to handle phone calls, video calls, and meetings, creating friction in their daily workflows.
The Problem: Remote teams using BlueJeans for meetings still relied on separate applications for phone calls, forcing them to juggle multiple interfaces and miss important communications when focused on other tasks.
Key Pain Points:
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Context Switching - Users had to leave BlueJeans to make or receive phone calls
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Missed Communications - Important calls were missed when users were focused on other applications
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Competitive Disadvantage - Other platforms offered integrated calling, making BlueJeans feel incomplete
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Workflow Disruption - Full-screen dialers interrupted ongoing work and meetings
Design Challenge: How might we integrate calling features into BlueJeans without disrupting users' existing workflows or cluttering the interface?
How we got there | Research and discovery
Competitive Analysis: Most competing platforms used full-screen dialer experiences that completely took over the user's workspace. This approach forced users to abandon their current tasks to manage calls.
User Research Insights:
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Users frequently multitask during calls and need to access other applications
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Remote workers receive calls throughout the day while working on other tasks
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Full-screen interfaces create anxiety about missing other important communications
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Users want calling features but not at the expense of their current workflow
Technical Constraints:
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BlueJeans used a two-column layout with left and right panels
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Integration needed to work across both desktop and web applications
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System had to handle both audio (PSTN) and video calling features
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Notifications needed to work even when main application was minimized
Concept development
Design Philosophy: Instead of following the industry standard of full-screen dialers, I decided to create a floating widget system that would allow users to maintain their workflow while managing calls.
Core Innovation: A multitasking calling widget that operates independently of the main application, staying accessible even when users are focused on other tasks.
Key Design Principles:
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Non-Disruptive - Calling features shouldn't interrupt ongoing work
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Always Accessible - Widget remains available regardless of main app state
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Contextual - Interface adapts based on current calling state
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Scalable - System handles multiple simultaneous calls efficiently
Widget Architecture
Floating Widget System:
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Appears when users click the dialer icon or receive call notifications
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Operates independently of the main BlueJeans application
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Maintains "always on top" status for critical call management
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Seamlessly scales from compact to full-screen as needed
Dialing Experience:
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Keyboard Integration - Users can type numbers directly; keyboard input highlights corresponding dialer buttons
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Contact Search - Integrated search for quick contact access
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Visual Feedback - Real-time number display and button highlighting
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Flexible Input - Supports both mouse and keyboard interactions
Widget appears when dialer icon is selected
Multi call management:
Call Handling Innovation: When users receive calls while already on a call, the widget intelligently manages multiple conversations:
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Current call automatically goes on hold (indicated by green status)
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New call is presented with clear action options
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Users can park, forward, or switch between calls seamlessly
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Visual hierarchy clearly shows active vs. held calls
Call management features allow you receive multiple calls and manage.
Call management features allow you to park, forward, or hold calls in you calling que.
Advanced Features:
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Call Parking - Temporarily park calls for later retrieval
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Call Forwarding - Route calls to other contacts directly from the widget
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Call Switching - Toggle between multiple active calls
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Smart Notifications - Contextual alerts that don't overwhelm
Widget notifications
Implementation Details
Notification System
Multi-Layer Notifications:
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Desktop Notifications - System-level alerts for incoming calls
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Widget Notifications - In-app alerts when widget is active
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Menu Bar Indicators - 12 custom animated icons showing call status
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Web Application Integration - Notifications work across both desktop and web platforms
Smart Notification Logic:
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Notifications adapt based on current user context
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Alerts escalate appropriately for missed calls
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Users can retrieve notifications even when main app is minimized
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Technical Innovation
Always-On-Top Technology:
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Widget maintains visibility even when main application is hidden
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Seamless integration with desktop window management
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Reliable performance across different operating systems
State Management:
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Widget remembers user preferences for size and position
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Intelligent state synchronization between widget and main app
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Robust handling of network interruptions and reconnections
Widget dialer notifications
Widget resizing and interactions.
Notifications for web application menu bar
Several icon animations were also created that would appear on the top navigation bar. These along with system notifications would alert the user on the status of their current call, or if a new call was incoming
Results & Impact
User Adoption:
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Successfully integrated calling features without disrupting existing workflows
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Users reported increased productivity due to seamless multitasking capabilities
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Reduced need for external calling applications
Competitive Advantage:
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Differentiated BlueJeans from competitors using full-screen dialer approaches
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Provided integrated calling parity with major competitors
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Enhanced overall platform completeness for enterprise customers
Technical Success:
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Widget system performed reliably across desktop and web platforms
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Smooth integration with existing BlueJeans architecture
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Scalable foundation for future communication features
Business Impact:
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Improved user retention by reducing need for external calling solutions
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Enhanced enterprise sales positioning with complete communication platform
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Positive user feedback on innovative multitasking approach
