UX Design Evaluation: Slack’s Halloween Treat
Diagnostics from an external perspective
Usually, I focus on what needs improvement when doing UX crits, but Slack gave me such a delightful surprise last week that I want to celebrate it.
Trick or treat…
First off, the experience only opened when I clicked on a small new item in my Slack menu, so it didn’t interrupt my workflow.
The use of a colorful candy emoji is subtle, but eye-catching since the other icons are simple white outlines. It’s a reminder that people don’t need big flashing animations on everything.
Are you feeling spooky?
I thought I’d just get a randomized trick or treat when I clicked on the menu item, so getting a larger experience was a fun surprise! Obviously, the writers had fun with this one!
I really love reassuring phrases at the top (“…available for the rest of October”) and bottom (“Your Slack will return to its normal state… on November 1”) because it showed that someone thought about the top question that users would have: Is this gonna be fun for a minute and then clutter up my workspace forever?
The thoughtfulness continued with a “remove now” option to give users full control over the experience.
Get in the spirit with a silly status
More puns! I have been transported to the Punderdome!
Seriously though, what a great way to show people how they can use emojis and statuses to give teammates quick, short updates.
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Plus, the thoughtfulness continues by pushing the standard default statuses down instead of replacing them, people can still find what they’re used to easily.
Choose a frightful theme
I legit did not know about this section, so this was a cool way to learn about it.
Even though the first modal is going away in November, it looks like these color themes will stay available and probably just move down when the Halloween section is not as timely. This makes sense since I really like the color options, and might choose one of them outside of the holiday.
I loved seeing the “Vision assistive” themes in this menu, too. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen something like this, and I will definitely try it out to learn if they might also decrease eye strain for me. My opinion of Slack is rising as I explore.
Add exclusive Halloween emoji
Holy sheet 👻 I always wondered how to add emoji, but never stopped to look it up. This is fricking awesome!
Once again, the team really kept their long-term goals in mind by showing the default emoji packs next to the special holiday one.
UX best practices
Strategically, Slack succeeds when people use more of their features more often. The Halloween experience kept teaching me how to use their features in a lightweight way that made me like Slack more. Win win!
Here’s how to apply their smart design to your own holiday campaigns:
- Be thoughtful: Don’t get in the way of a normal workflow
- Give people control to close or remove
- Add value without taking anything familiar away
- Stay on brand: Slack can do puns… if your product can’t, don’t force it
- Have fun and share your joy!
