Symphony 2.0 is all about the user experience (UX). To keep UX front and center as we developed the new version of Symphony, we established a set of guiding principles:

• Keep the user in control
• Ruthlessly simplify function and design
• Build a consistent and intuitive interface
• Employ modular design and modular tech
• Deliver speed and efficiency
• Consistency across platforms

Each of these principles contributed to the development process and helped shape the new features and design updates you see in Symphony 2.0. In particular, the product team focused on the principle of ruthless simplification as an essential component of building a better Symphony experience. We knew, based on user feedback and testing, that while previous iterations of Symphony offered many useful features, the product did not display them in the most elegant–or intuitive–way possible.

As an example, let’s look at the process of starting a chat. Earlier versions of Symphony prompted users to start by choosing a conversation type: a one-to-one chat or a chat room. In Symphony 2.0, users start by selecting the people they want to chat with–a much more intuitive first step and a simplified user experience. This eliminates cognitive overhead when a user is trying to initiate time-sensitive conversations! 

Now, they can just start the conversation and worry about chat settings later. If the conversation evolves, they can add new users while maintaining chat history, and even name the group chat to transform it into a chat room.