#Slack app for windows how to#
#Slack app for windows full#
#Slack app for windows software#

In essence, Slack has become a one-stop-shop for a lot of users. This turns Slack into a powerful hub application users can have open on one screen while working on another. There are over 1500 apps Slack can integrate with, so if it can't do something you need it to do, there's probably an app that can. Users can integrate almost any app they want, from dev tools, like GitHub, Jenkins, and StackOverflow, to business tools, like Google Analytics, ServiceNow, MailChimp, or SalesForce. Slack also decided early on to push an ecosystem of app integrations. How many companies do you know where everyone has to work a regular shift in support to make sure they understand customer pain points?

#Slack app for windows how to#

For example, designers can learn more about how to improve Slack for finance teams by observing and gathering feedback from its own finance department.'Īs one of their product designers says in the same article: 'User feedback is also regularly trickling in from outside of the company, and everyone serves weekly support shifts to better empathize with customers.' Each department acts as a microcosm of the larger customer base. 'ithin the walls of Slack HQ in San Francisco, the design team can test different user scenarios with its own departments. They gain this understanding mainly by using the product themselves every day: This shows how strongly many users valued the original privacy settings, a good demonstration of how-when not constrained by legislation-Slack understands what its users want.

#Slack app for windows full#

Thanks primarily to the GDPR legislation that came into force in Europe in 2018, though, this has changed-administrators on the higher-cost tiers can do a full export without informing their users. This gave a sense of privacy and security to users that other products (especially email) didn't. One of Slack's most prominent selling points was that private channels and DMs couldn't be read by Slack administrators without either the open consent of the members or a message being sent to all the users saying that an export of messages had happened. Rather than reinvent the chat wheel, they focused on what people wanted from a chat app over and above the basic requirement of sending messages to each other. This is where Slack's attention to the requirements of its users comes into play. Chat is relatively easy to do, which is why most chat apps follow the same basic format: a window to view the conversation, and a place to type, either underneath or on the side. And if you don't like the 'confetti cannon' look, it's easy to change the colors.īut good design is not of much use if the functionality isn't there. Also, you can spin up your own Slack instance for free, even for personal use. It's easy for non-technical users to pick up, especially when compared to other group chat tools, like Basecamp or Microsoft Teams. When you look at the elements that comprise Slack, the ease of use, and reliability stand out. In the same article, Wilkinson talks about how well-built Slack feels when you use it-which it does-and how the content, such as loading messages, is informal and often pretty funny, concluding, 'It’s the same enterprise chat client underneath, but it’s playful, fun to use, and all that comes together to make it feel like a character in your life.' We gave it the color scheme of a video game, not an enterprise collaboration product.vibrant colors, a curvy sans-serif typeface, friendly icons, and smiling faces and emojis everywhere.' Electric blue, yellows, purples, and greens all over.

#Slack app for windows software#

Most enterprise software looks like a cheap 70's prom suit-muted blues and greys everywhere-so, starting with the logo, we made Slack look like a confetti cannon had gone off. 'To get attention in a crowded market, we had to find a way to get people’s attention. The rough initial design was created by Slack founder, Stewart Butterfield (the same guy who co-founded Flickr back in the early 2000s) and his team, and then given to a third party called MetaLab to polish. These twin pillars are the basis of most good products but are surprisingly difficult to do well, as many a failed app will prove. Slack does two things really well: design and understanding its users' needs. For some users, the fact that Slack wasn't owned by a big traditional vendor was benefit enough, but that doesn't explain why Slack is so popular. Slack was small enough to be responsive and quick when it came to adding new features, like emoji reactions (great for users) and 2-factor authentication (great for admins). This lack of corporate size was also a benefit.