Conversation Handoff Across Chat and Calls
Design a messaging workspace where a group can move between text, voice, video, and shared files without losing context.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
Communication products often add many channels but leave important decisions trapped in calls or buried beside large attachments. Switching modes should preserve who participated and what happened next.
User context
A distributed production team uses a group conversation to review a launch issue. They begin in chat, start a short call, share a large video, and need absent teammates to understand the decision later.
Product problem
The design must connect synchronous and asynchronous activity while keeping call controls, file status, and message delivery understandable under unreliable networks.
Objective
Create a group conversation flow that starts a call, shares files, captures decisions, and supports an asynchronous return.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Multi-person conversation
- Voice or video call transition
- Large file transfer
- Decision summary and follow-up
Screens and states
- Conversation
- Active call
- File transfer detail
- Post-call summary
- Delivery failure state
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
The team discusses an issue in chat
- 02
Three members start a call from the thread
- 03
A large video uploads while they talk
- 04
The host records a written decision and assigns follow-up work
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Keep the originating message visible from the call
- Show participant and connection status
- Allow large uploads to pause and resume
- Record decisions without requiring call recording
- Distinguish sent, delivered, failed, and still-uploading content
Constraints
- Some members have low bandwidth
- Calls and file transfers compete for connectivity
- External guests have restricted file access
Reality check
States worth considering
Ready-to-use content
Mock data
Use this content to test hierarchy and realistic data states. You can expand it when the concept needs more depth.
Launch thread
- Video upload: cut-07.mp4, 68 percent
- Call: 3 participants, 12 minutes
- Decision: use cut 06 for launch
- Follow-up: Nia to update captions by 16:00
Finish line
What to deliver
- Five mobile or desktop screens
- A state map for message, call, and upload transitions
If you want more
Optional extensions
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.