I started the project already having knowledge of a majority of the popular messaging and video messaging tools. But I knew I needed to understand and research the use cases of these niche applications and what was their purpose. I focused more on the audience these applications were going for.

Domain Knowledge

In order to understand more about these messaging tools, I needed to research these tools one by one, put them side-by-side for special insights, and visit the product to understand the product and find out how features were used and implemented.

Here are some key insights from the secondary research:

• Branding and overall design increase company image.
• A messaging tool that does too much (many features that do not connect with the brand's values) will spread itself too thin and has an increased potential of unstructured design.
• It is better to focus on a niche and core audience and stick with it. This removes future confusion about what the product does.
• Remote work and hybrid format are here to stay. A company that has a proper system in place to connect with virtual teams and communities will have longevity in their respective business.

According to a study by SensorTower, videoconferencing applications usage grew by 253% during the pandemic with Zoom leading the charge. Even as parts of the world is slowly reopening, data shows that the usage has continued to remain elevated beyond what was seen during peak pandemic levels.

Competitive Analyses

Since there are a number of communication tools that businesses and online communities use, I went ahead and compared a few of the most popular ones.

Communication Tools

Feature Analyses

My competitive analyses findings include:

• None of the communication tools had a structured way of async video threaded messaging.
• Video dedicated tools such as Zoom and Loom had limited features (such as Looms limited minutes and Zooms synchronous only collaboration).