For those who’ve ever emailed Assist Scout assist to share suggestions, frustrations, or function requests, you might need been stunned to get a reply immediately from the designer accountable. With the current redesign of Inbox, there’s probability that reply got here from me.
At Assist Scout, we’ve all the time been inspired to participate in Complete Firm Assist — one thing I used to be initially reluctant (okay, somewhat scared) to do. However it shortly proved invaluable — not only for studying the instruments however for constructing actual empathy with the individuals who use the issues we design. Over time, that participation has developed right into a core a part of our design course of and an important step in how we construct, ship, and measure the impression of our releases.
Lately, I encourage designers at any firm to carve out time to speak one on one with prospects. It sounds apparent, but it surely’s surprisingly uncommon, and even rarer to construct sustainable habits round it. On this publish, I’ll share why extra of our design work occurs outdoors of Figma and why spending time writing replies is commonly the place the true design begins.
Why designers belong within the queue
Let’s be sincere — while you get an thrilling new transient, your first intuition most likely isn’t to dive into the assist queue. However in order for you your work to carry up within the wild, it’s really the most effective locations to start out.
One of many greatest perspective shifts for me has been studying to see the queue not simply as a spot for troubleshooting however as a supply of deep buyer perception. I’d go as far as to say that a few of my finest design work hasn’t come from a whiteboard session — it’s come from speaking to actual prospects and empathizing with their issues.
Let me stroll you thru just a few of the explanation why it’s price exhibiting up within the queue.
Balancing logic with feeling
Any designer engaged on a brand new function is aware of how simple it’s to get hyper-focused on logic, consistency, and edge circumstances — however that form of tunnel imaginative and prescient can shortly detach you from the lived experiences of the folks utilizing your product. Spending time within the queue is a strong antidote. Studying actual questions and replying to actual folks is a reminder that behind each interplay is a human attempting to get one thing carried out. After they’re struggling, it’s not only a bug report — it’s a second of friction of their day.
Suggestions is a present. That’s why I attempt to reply as overtly, truthfully, and curiously as attainable — assembly humanity with humanity moderately than with imprecise justifications or well mannered deflection. Due to this (and my barely wordy British tongue), our assist staff even hosted a quiz present round my candid responses. It is likely to be my favourite factor ever.
It took me far too lengthy to understand that even for options I’ve designed myself, prospects nearly all the time find yourself understanding them extra deeply than I do as soon as they’ve been within the wild. That is very true for enterprise instruments like Assist Scout, the place prospects is likely to be spending eight hours a day, 5 days per week utilizing the product. They spot bugs, flaws, and quality-of-life ache factors I’d by no means discover in a design evaluate or QA session. So when somebody involves you with a suggestion after placing 1,000 hours on the clock — you’d higher imagine it’s price listening to!
Some days it would really feel such as you’re simply studying about all of the issues that went flawed. However the queue isn’t only a supply of issues — it’s stuffed with alternatives, too. When you may hear, reply, make a change, and circle again with excellent news, you may flip even essentially the most annoyed critic right into a vocal advocate. I’ve had prospects declare crying pleased tears or audibly gasp on video calls in response to what appeared like tiny modifications. These moments stick with you, as a result of, on the finish of the day, each designer desires the identical factor: to assist folks succeed. A assist inbox simply occurs to be the most effective methods to shut the hole between logical instruments and human feelings.
Perceive the “why”
The very best design suggestions occurs when you may flip subjective frustration — like “I don’t like the situation of the sidebar” — into actionable perception. That form of readability hardly ever comes from surveys or perhaps a well-run analysis course of. It occurs by means of two-way conversations with prospects who’re actively feeling friction — when you may pause and dig into the why behind their response.
That was precisely the case after we just lately up to date the situation of Customized Fields. As a part of a broader redesign, we moved them from a left-hand panel to open excessive of the profile sidebar. We’d carried out our due diligence — thorough analysis and inside testing — and this strategy got here out on high. It felt like essentially the most logical, environment friendly answer. However as soon as it reached prospects, the suggestions advised a unique story. Nearly instantly, we heard from individuals who strongly opposed the brand new placement. However why?
Change is tough, particularly when it disrupts established workflows. Emotional, reactionary suggestions is widespread in these moments, and it’s simple to dismiss as resistance to “newness.” Generally the suggestions is solely “I don’t like change,” and that’s to be anticipated — however the more durable (and extra priceless) work is determining whether or not that response factors to one thing deeper. On this case, I used to be in a position to make use of Assist Scout to ask for suggestions extra immediately, opening up a dialogue about how and why the brand new placement was inflicting issues.
That produced some actually priceless and considerate perception, like this:
I don’t thoughts the situation change, the difficulty I’ve is the customized fields mechanically conceal the sidebar the place we get all the client knowledge. Now we’ve to shut the panel to view that data a number of instances when engaged on a ticket. These further clicks add up!
That remark, together with related conversations, unlocked the core challenge: There was a a lot tighter relationship between the info within the profile sidebar and Customized Fields than we’d realized. Customers weren’t reacting to vary — they had been reacting to a lack of context.
So we fastened it. By main with curiosity and utilizing the inbox as a two-way analysis software, we turned a wave of damaging suggestions into one thing constructive — and in the end, into a greater product resolution.
Small issues, massive impression
Not every part that issues reveals up in a dashboard or a deliberate street map. Ask anybody in assist, they usually’ll inform you: Essentially the most steadily requested modifications aren’t main new options — they’re the small, recurring enhancements that are likely to fall by means of the cracks.
These aren’t bugs, precisely. They’re what we name quality-of-life enhancements — issues like an unhelpful error message, the best way a textual content field scrolls, a complicated icon, or a default setting that could possibly be just a bit smarter. On their very own, they appear minor. However they’re high-frequency, low-severity points that slowly chip away at person belief over time. As you might need guessed, one of the best ways to identify them is by spending time within the queue.
What’s fascinating is how shortly you begin to see patterns emerge. It is likely to be the identical challenge phrased 5 other ways — and as soon as you notice it, it’s exhausting to disregard. That form of qualitative sign hardly ever reveals up in metrics, however it may be simply as essential. It provides you an opportunity to behave early, earlier than low-grade friction turns into frustration … or churn.
As designers, we even have a novel superpower: We are able to ship small enhancements quick. Whereas assist groups usually have to escalate points by means of formal channels, we’re normally embedded immediately within the product work. Which means we are able to sneak a quality-of-life repair into an present launch — no further planning cycle required. After we do, it’s one of many quickest, most satisfying methods to exceed buyer expectations.
Constructing assist into the design course of
The easiest way to achieve all the advantages of speaking immediately with prospects is, fairly merely, to spend devoted time within the assist queue. However that doesn’t imply designers must stay in inbox tabs all day. In our small staff, we’ve discovered just a few sustainable methods to remain near the queue with out getting pulled too removed from the pixels.
Count on suggestions
As uncomfortable because it is likely to be, we purpose to launch options far earlier than we expect they’re “good.” This fashion, responding to suggestions turns into a part of the method — not an afterthought. Generally which means delivery early to our long-suffering assist staff. Different instances, it means releasing to a small group of shoppers in a beta group and watching carefully. Both method, you may nearly assure that you just’ll hear one thing you didn’t count on — and that’s the purpose.
Designers usually weigh in on early function suggestions immediately in Assist Scout, whether or not it’s a fast 👀 response on a thread, a notice on a dialog, or tagging it with ‘ux-feedback’ so it reveals up in a devoted view. Currently, our assist staff has picked up on our presence and began looping us in additional proactively by assigning conversations to @Product Designers (we’re all a part of that staff). This may be helpful for instances when a beta buyer is eager to leap on a name, or there’s a bug that wants design eyes shortly!
Slender the queue with Views
We use Inbox Views to filter any dialog categorized as a “UX challenge.” I maintain that view pinned to my sidebar and examine it a few times a day — dipping into threads that really feel related or near my coronary heart.
Views are particularly highly effective while you allow Present Closed Conversations, they usually turn into a good way to floor long-term developments. You possibly can slice them nonetheless you want: by topic line, tag (e.g., churn threat), customized subject (e.g., location), or every other sign that’s related to the suggestions you’re on the lookout for.
Use Linear for monitoring and discovery
We rely closely on the Linear app within the dialog profile sidebar. It lets us hyperlink conversations on to energetic points or options in flight, which is how we be sure that prospects get a response when the factor they requested for lastly ships.
It’s additionally an incredible discovery software. Our assist staff routinely hyperlinks requests to related Linear points, so when it’s time to discover a brand new function, I usually begin by studying by means of previous conversations. It’s a gold mine for certified outreach; there’s nothing fairly like beginning an e mail with: “Bear in mind while you requested for customized columns two years in the past? Nicely…”
Simply reply!
Whilst you can passively observe — learn the threads, take notes, observe conversations, file away what you be taught — nothing compares to leaping into the queue and replying your self.
Designers could not have the quickest response instances, however with a mixture of AI Drafts, saved replies, and a wholesome dose of curiosity, we are able to ship considerate responses and get one thing priceless in return. Not simply higher product instincts, however higher writing, sharper empathy, and deeper conviction within the work.
Closing ideas
Working at Assist Scout has taught me that buyer assist isn’t only a division — it’s a perspective. And the inbox isn’t only a place for answering questions — it’s a strong software for making higher choices, designing with empathy, and staying near the folks we serve.
The worth doesn’t cease on the particular person stage, both. We commonly deliver suggestions from the queue into our design work-in-progress classes, management discussions, and on a regular basis conversations with our engineering groups. These moments of perception — actual quotes, uncooked sentiment, recurring friction — assist maintain everybody grounded within the lived experiences of our prospects. They add weight to choices, assist us prioritize, and — most significantly — remind us why we’re constructing what we’re constructing.
One factor has constantly confirmed true: The extra number of roles that present up within the queue — whether or not designer, undertaking supervisor, engineer, or CEO — the higher all of us get.
