Direct Message

In today’s digital communication landscape, direct messaging (DM) platforms must strike a balance between clarity, usability, and contextual awareness—especially in professional environments. For this project, I set out to design a DM interface inspired by LinkedIn, with a focus on fostering efficient and purposeful conversations between professionals. The goal was to create a DM box that feels familiar yet streamlined, prioritizing ease of navigation, minimal visual clutter, and quick message scanning. To inform the design, I conducted a competitive analysis of existing messaging platforms like LinkedIn, Slack, and Teams--highlighting the need for better message organization, clearer user status indicators, and context-sensitive actions (e.g., scheduling follow-ups or attaching documents). This research laid the groundwork for design decisions that would not only enhance visual appeal but also improve communication efficiency and user satisfaction.

Designing for Modern Professional Communication

In reimagining LinkedIn’s direct messaging experience, the objective was crystal clear: create a system that supports fast, context-rich, and purposeful communication for working professionals. Based on findings from interviews and feature benchmarking across platforms like Slack and Teams, I identified three primary pain points: message clutter, status ambiguity, and a lack of contextual tools within chats. While this was a conceptual redesign, the framework was developed with scalability and implementation in mind. The result is a streamlined, high-clarity messaging interface that encourages deeper engagement, efficient navigation, and a more organized communication flow.

"What is perhaps not there, is that...intimate circle. How do I collaborate, communicate, form relationships with that? And so that's another dimension that we would want to think deeply about and continue to."

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft

Rebuilding the UI with Clarity and Modularity

Every UI element was thoughtfully redesigned—from message cards, reply actions, and notification badges, to conversation hierarchies and micro-interactions. Taking inspiration from Slack’s modular layout, I built a structure that allows users to easily scan, filter, and act on messages without overwhelming the visual space. At its core, this system is built on a block-based design approach, allowing each interaction point to adapt across screens and user flows without losing its consistency. This ensures the UI remains both coherent and scalable as future features—such as smart replies or inline scheduling—are layered in. The new design lays a durable foundation that elevates both functionality and user confidence.

Solving for Real User Frustrations and Flow Interruptions

While researching, I learned that message inconsistency—such as variant layouts, confusing metadata, and unclear threading—created friction for many users, especially in high-volume conversations. These inconsistencies often caused professionals to lose context, repeat information, or abandon threads altogether. I restructured how message grouping, status icons, and interaction zones function, ensuring that even in variant-heavy environments (like follow-up chains or document handoffs), clarity remained consistent. The redesign communicates effectively across complex workflows, making LinkedIn feel more aligned with real-world communication behavior. In enterprise environments, where speed, comprehension, and timely follow-ups are crucial, this improved flow reduces mental load and encourages consistent use. Ultimately, the goal was to let users focus on their conversations—not the interface.

Boosting Usability Through Smart Content Integration

This messaging system wasn’t just about look and feel—it was about delivering relevant, actionable experiences where users need them most. Inspired by Teams and Discord’s contextual UX patterns, I introduced lightweight features like inline prompts (e.g., “Schedule follow-up?”), document previews, and smart actions baked directly into the message flow. These enhancements make messaging more than a back-and-forth—it becomes a space for collaboration, next steps, and conversion. Behind the scenes, I designed a modular system that supports future personalization and experimentation through:

Real-time previews and smart messaging logic
Quick feature toggles for A/B testing messaging formats
Scalable message types (e.g., internal, external, pinned)
Improved metadata handling for attachments, links, and status
Efficient UI maintenance for long-term design consistency

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