Bubbli ︎ Bubbli ︎ Bubbli ︎
Bubbli ︎ Bubbli ︎ Bubbli ︎
Bubbli: A Miro Plugin for Seamless Remote Collaboration
Grad School Project (2021)
Bubbli was developed during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions as a response to the challenges of remote creative collaboration. Our team, distributed across California, used these constraints as a design brief to explore how digital tools could better support asynchronous and synchronous creative work.
Bubbli is a Miro plugin that integrates with Zoom and music streaming services, providing an immersive collaborative environment for brainstorming, note-taking, sketching, and ideation—whether teams are working together in real time or asynchronously.
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Type
Product Design
Contribution
Platform
Desktop
Product Design
Contribution
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UX Research – Conducted user interviews to understand how creative professionals collaborate remotely.
- UX Design – Designed workflows and interactions for seamless Miro & Zoom integration.
- UI Design – Created interface prototypes to support intuitive collaboration.
Platform
Desktop
(01)
The Challenge: The Fragmentation of Remote Creative Work
The Challenge: The Fragmentation of Remote Creative Work
Remote collaboration presents multiple friction points for creative professionals:
Design Question:
How might we reduce the friction of remote collaboration for creative professionals, enabling them to ideate and create more fluidly?
- High Setup & Context Switching – Setting up calls, switching between tools, and keeping track of notes is time-consuming.
- Loss of Organic Creativity – Creative flow is disrupted when collaboration is rigidly scheduled instead of happening naturally.
- Disjointed Collaboration – Synchronous brainstorming is hard to coordinate across time zones, while asynchronous workflows often lack engagement.
Design Question:
How might we reduce the friction of remote collaboration for creative professionals, enabling them to ideate and create more fluidly?
(02)
The Design Process: Understanding Creative Professionals
The Design Process: Understanding Creative Professionals
User Research: Identifying Pain Points
I conducted 8 in-depth interviews with creative professionals from various industries (designers, musicians, artists, writers) to explore:
Key Findings:
I conducted 8 in-depth interviews with creative professionals from various industries (designers, musicians, artists, writers) to explore:
- How do they collaborate with teams and clients remotely?
- What tools do they currently use, and what are the gaps?
- What do they value most in a creative workflow?
Key Findings:
- Creativity Thrives in Unstructured Time – Many creatives found that the best ideas didn’t happen during structured meetings but rather in casual, freeform sessions.
- Asynchronous Work Lacks a “Sense of Presence” – Teams missed the feeling of "being in the same space" when working at different times.
- Context Switching Kills Flow – Jumping between Zoom, Miro, Google Docs, and Notion caused mental fatigue, making collaboration feel disjointed and inefficient.
(03)
Ideation & Prototyping: Designing for Flow & Presence
Ideation & Prototyping: Designing for Flow & Presence
Based on these insights, Bubbli was designed as a Miro plugin that:
Key Design Features:
- Reduces Setup Time – Seamlessly integrates with Zoom, eliminating the need for separate meetings, note-taking apps, and sketching tools.
- Creates a Shared Ambient Experience – Syncs with music streaming services, allowing users to set the mood for collaboration.
- Supports Asynchronous & Synchronous Collaboration – Users can leave voice notes, drawings, and interactive annotations directly inside the Miro workspace.
Key Design Features:
- Music Sync – Users can listen to the same music in real-time or set personalized ambient soundscapes.
- Drop-in Voice Notes – Instead of rigid meetings, users can leave audio messages, creating an ongoing conversation.
- Sketch & Annotate Freely – Fluid drawing and sticky note tools support unstructured, creative ideation.
- Miro + Zoom Integration – Bubbli removes the need for separate apps by integrating note-taking, discussion, and visual collaboration in one place
(04)
Final Solution: Bubbli in Action
Final Solution: Bubbli in Action
Bubbli enables creative teams to collaborate without disrupting their flow, whether working synchronously or asynchronously.
Example Use Cases:
Key Learnings & Reflections:
Example Use Cases:
- Design Sprint Teams – Teams can leave voice annotations and sketches on Miro boards without needing a live meeting.
- Remote Music Production – Musicians can create collaborative mood boards with shared playlists for inspiration.
- Asynchronous Brainstorming – Team members can drop ideas, vote on concepts, and iterate in their own time.
Key Learnings & Reflections:
- Creativity Needs Less Structure, Not More – The most successful remote teams don't just replicate in-person meetings online—they rethink how collaboration happens.
- Asynchronous Work Can Feel More Connected – By integrating voice notes and shared music, Bubbli made asynchronous work feel more like a live conversation.
- Multi-Sensory Design Can Improve Remote Collaboration – Sound, visual organization, and fluid annotations all contributed to a more immersive remote experience.
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