Closing the Gaps: How Research Shaped the Docs Experience

Overview

How I leveraged research to align the team on product gaps, leading to features that dramatically improved the user experience.

What I did

User Research
Prototyping
Visioning
User Experience
User Interface

The Team

Product Designer
Product Manager
Engineering Manager
6 Developers

Context

Monday WorkOS Suite

Monday.com's WorkOS is a customizable cloud platform designed to streamline team workflows and project management, trusted by many leading companies in the market. Monday Docs is a key part of this ecosystem, offering a flexible space for integrated content creation and collaboration.

Monday Docs

Monday Docs is a collaborative documents editor that live within the monday.com platform — designed to help teams centralize information and streamline workflows by providing a space to create, edit, and share documents alongside their tasks and projects.

Introduction

A Fresh Start

When I joined, Monday Docs was a year-old MVP with daily user complaints over feature and quality gaps. With team resources diverted to a higher-priority project, Docs development was paused, requiring clear insight into user pain points to realign our roadmap.

Research

Identifying Pain Points and Opportunities

To address product issues and refocus the team, I conducted comprehensive experience research, analyzing multi-channel feedback to understand user perceptions and guide our improvement strategy.

Diverse feedback channels consistently highlighted core usability gaps like export, performance, and formatting, plus needs for better collaboration and integration.
A survey of 72 frequent users (average rating of 3.4/5) revealed that formatting and performance were the top frustrations, validating broader feedback and signaling a need for core fixes.
User interviews added qualitative depth, revealing significant dissatisfaction with tables, performance, and export quality due to missing expected basic functionalities.
Competitive analysis confirmed that key user frustrations with tables and export directly correlated with missing baseline features found in competitor products.
Diverse feedback channels consistently highlighted core usability gaps like export, performance, and formatting, plus needs for better collaboration and integration.
A survey of 72 frequent users (average rating of 3.4/5) revealed that formatting and performance were the top frustrations, validating broader feedback and signaling a need for core fixes.
User interviews added qualitative depth, revealing significant dissatisfaction with tables, performance, and export quality due to missing expected basic functionalities.
Competitive analysis confirmed that key user frustrations with tables and export directly correlated with missing baseline features found in competitor products.
Diverse feedback channels consistently highlighted core usability gaps like export, performance, and formatting, plus needs for better collaboration and integration.
A survey of 72 frequent users (average rating of 3.4/5) revealed that formatting and performance were the top frustrations, validating broader feedback and signaling a need for core fixes.
User interviews added qualitative depth, revealing significant dissatisfaction with tables, performance, and export quality due to missing expected basic functionalities.
Competitive analysis confirmed that key user frustrations with tables and export directly correlated with missing baseline features found in competitor products.
Diverse feedback channels consistently highlighted core usability gaps like export, performance, and formatting, plus needs for better collaboration and integration.
A survey of 72 frequent users (average rating of 3.4/5) revealed that formatting and performance were the top frustrations, validating broader feedback and signaling a need for core fixes.
User interviews added qualitative depth, revealing significant dissatisfaction with tables, performance, and export quality due to missing expected basic functionalities.
Competitive analysis confirmed that key user frustrations with tables and export directly correlated with missing baseline features found in competitor products.

Diverse feedback channels consistently highlighted core usability gaps like export, performance, and formatting, plus needs for better collaboration and integration.
A survey of 72 frequent users (average rating of 3.4/5) revealed that formatting and performance were the top frustrations, validating broader feedback and signaling a need for core fixes.
User interviews added qualitative depth, revealing significant dissatisfaction with tables, performance, and export quality due to missing expected basic functionalities.
Competitive analysis confirmed that key user frustrations with tables and export directly correlated with missing baseline features found in competitor products.
Diverse feedback channels consistently highlighted core usability gaps like export, performance, and formatting, plus needs for better collaboration and integration.
A survey of 72 frequent users (average rating of 3.4/5) revealed that formatting and performance were the top frustrations, validating broader feedback and signaling a need for core fixes.
User interviews added qualitative depth, revealing significant dissatisfaction with tables, performance, and export quality due to missing expected basic functionalities.
Competitive analysis confirmed that key user frustrations with tables and export directly correlated with missing baseline features found in competitor products.
Diverse feedback channels consistently highlighted core usability gaps like export, performance, and formatting, plus needs for better collaboration and integration.
A survey of 72 frequent users (average rating of 3.4/5) revealed that formatting and performance were the top frustrations, validating broader feedback and signaling a need for core fixes.
User interviews added qualitative depth, revealing significant dissatisfaction with tables, performance, and export quality due to missing expected basic functionalities.
Competitive analysis confirmed that key user frustrations with tables and export directly correlated with missing baseline features found in competitor products.
Diverse feedback channels consistently highlighted core usability gaps like export, performance, and formatting, plus needs for better collaboration and integration.
A survey of 72 frequent users (average rating of 3.4/5) revealed that formatting and performance were the top frustrations, validating broader feedback and signaling a need for core fixes.
User interviews added qualitative depth, revealing significant dissatisfaction with tables, performance, and export quality due to missing expected basic functionalities.
Competitive analysis confirmed that key user frustrations with tables and export directly correlated with missing baseline features found in competitor products.

Diverse feedback channels consistently highlighted core usability gaps like export, performance, and formatting, plus needs for better collaboration and integration.
A survey of 72 frequent users (average rating of 3.4/5) revealed that formatting and performance were the top frustrations, validating broader feedback and signaling a need for core fixes.
User interviews added qualitative depth, revealing significant dissatisfaction with tables, performance, and export quality due to missing expected basic functionalities.
Competitive analysis confirmed that key user frustrations with tables and export directly correlated with missing baseline features found in competitor products.
Diverse feedback channels consistently highlighted core usability gaps like export, performance, and formatting, plus needs for better collaboration and integration.
A survey of 72 frequent users (average rating of 3.4/5) revealed that formatting and performance were the top frustrations, validating broader feedback and signaling a need for core fixes.
User interviews added qualitative depth, revealing significant dissatisfaction with tables, performance, and export quality due to missing expected basic functionalities.
Competitive analysis confirmed that key user frustrations with tables and export directly correlated with missing baseline features found in competitor products.
Diverse feedback channels consistently highlighted core usability gaps like export, performance, and formatting, plus needs for better collaboration and integration.
A survey of 72 frequent users (average rating of 3.4/5) revealed that formatting and performance were the top frustrations, validating broader feedback and signaling a need for core fixes.
User interviews added qualitative depth, revealing significant dissatisfaction with tables, performance, and export quality due to missing expected basic functionalities.
Competitive analysis confirmed that key user frustrations with tables and export directly correlated with missing baseline features found in competitor products.
Diverse feedback channels consistently highlighted core usability gaps like export, performance, and formatting, plus needs for better collaboration and integration.
A survey of 72 frequent users (average rating of 3.4/5) revealed that formatting and performance were the top frustrations, validating broader feedback and signaling a need for core fixes.
User interviews added qualitative depth, revealing significant dissatisfaction with tables, performance, and export quality due to missing expected basic functionalities.
Competitive analysis confirmed that key user frustrations with tables and export directly correlated with missing baseline features found in competitor products.

Building Team Alignment

To translate my research into a clear plan, I first grouped all the findings into major themes on a Miro board. I then presented this synthesis to the team lead, product manager, and group lead to create alignment and a sense of urgency around our product's most critical gaps.

This meeting was pivotal. It successfully moved our team from reacting to individual complaints to building a proactive and shared roadmap based on the evidence.

The Challenges

Key Feature Gaps Mask Product Potential

According to the research, people find Monday Docs lacking in several key areas, as presented below. These shortcomings negatively impact the user experience, creating frustration and potential churn.

Table block is missing essential features

The table features were found to be lacking essential capabilities and difficult to manage, often forcing users to switch to other tools for these tasks.

Export to PDF create unexpected results

Users consistently faced issues with documents exporting incorrectly and found formatting options to be limited or difficult to use effectively.

Collaboration mode is sub-par to competition

The product lacked the robust real-time collaboration tools and change-tracking functionalities that users expected and needed for teamwork.

Performance on large Docs increase churn

Users reported frustratingly slow speeds and responsiveness, especially with larger documents, which directly impacted their productivity.

Ideation

Insights to Action

With clear research insights, I turned user pain points on collaboration, export, and tables into initial design concepts. I then conducted usability testing on these solutions to validate and refine them, helping to shape effective improvements for our product roadmap.

For tables, I ideated on more intuitive interactions like drag-to-reorder, and richer cell and table-level formatting via contextual menus and keyboard shortcuts.
I designed a new PDF export modal focusing on user control, incorporating options like preview, page orientation, and range selection to address common export frustrations.
I explored concepts to enhance real-time collaboration by visualizing collaborator presence, their selections, and recent block-level changes directly within the document.
For tables, I ideated on more intuitive interactions like drag-to-reorder, and richer cell and table-level formatting via contextual menus and keyboard shortcuts.
I designed a new PDF export modal focusing on user control, incorporating options like preview, page orientation, and range selection to address common export frustrations.
I explored concepts to enhance real-time collaboration by visualizing collaborator presence, their selections, and recent block-level changes directly within the document.
For tables, I ideated on more intuitive interactions like drag-to-reorder, and richer cell and table-level formatting via contextual menus and keyboard shortcuts.
I designed a new PDF export modal focusing on user control, incorporating options like preview, page orientation, and range selection to address common export frustrations.
I explored concepts to enhance real-time collaboration by visualizing collaborator presence, their selections, and recent block-level changes directly within the document.
For tables, I ideated on more intuitive interactions like drag-to-reorder, and richer cell and table-level formatting via contextual menus and keyboard shortcuts.
I designed a new PDF export modal focusing on user control, incorporating options like preview, page orientation, and range selection to address common export frustrations.
I explored concepts to enhance real-time collaboration by visualizing collaborator presence, their selections, and recent block-level changes directly within the document.

For tables, I ideated on more intuitive interactions like drag-to-reorder, and richer cell and table-level formatting via contextual menus and keyboard shortcuts.
I designed a new PDF export modal focusing on user control, incorporating options like preview, page orientation, and range selection to address common export frustrations.
I explored concepts to enhance real-time collaboration by visualizing collaborator presence, their selections, and recent block-level changes directly within the document.
For tables, I ideated on more intuitive interactions like drag-to-reorder, and richer cell and table-level formatting via contextual menus and keyboard shortcuts.
I designed a new PDF export modal focusing on user control, incorporating options like preview, page orientation, and range selection to address common export frustrations.
I explored concepts to enhance real-time collaboration by visualizing collaborator presence, their selections, and recent block-level changes directly within the document.
For tables, I ideated on more intuitive interactions like drag-to-reorder, and richer cell and table-level formatting via contextual menus and keyboard shortcuts.
I designed a new PDF export modal focusing on user control, incorporating options like preview, page orientation, and range selection to address common export frustrations.
I explored concepts to enhance real-time collaboration by visualizing collaborator presence, their selections, and recent block-level changes directly within the document.
For tables, I ideated on more intuitive interactions like drag-to-reorder, and richer cell and table-level formatting via contextual menus and keyboard shortcuts.
I designed a new PDF export modal focusing on user control, incorporating options like preview, page orientation, and range selection to address common export frustrations.
I explored concepts to enhance real-time collaboration by visualizing collaborator presence, their selections, and recent block-level changes directly within the document.

For tables, I ideated on more intuitive interactions like drag-to-reorder, and richer cell and table-level formatting via contextual menus and keyboard shortcuts.
I designed a new PDF export modal focusing on user control, incorporating options like preview, page orientation, and range selection to address common export frustrations.
I explored concepts to enhance real-time collaboration by visualizing collaborator presence, their selections, and recent block-level changes directly within the document.
For tables, I ideated on more intuitive interactions like drag-to-reorder, and richer cell and table-level formatting via contextual menus and keyboard shortcuts.
I designed a new PDF export modal focusing on user control, incorporating options like preview, page orientation, and range selection to address common export frustrations.
I explored concepts to enhance real-time collaboration by visualizing collaborator presence, their selections, and recent block-level changes directly within the document.
For tables, I ideated on more intuitive interactions like drag-to-reorder, and richer cell and table-level formatting via contextual menus and keyboard shortcuts.
I designed a new PDF export modal focusing on user control, incorporating options like preview, page orientation, and range selection to address common export frustrations.
I explored concepts to enhance real-time collaboration by visualizing collaborator presence, their selections, and recent block-level changes directly within the document.
For tables, I ideated on more intuitive interactions like drag-to-reorder, and richer cell and table-level formatting via contextual menus and keyboard shortcuts.
I designed a new PDF export modal focusing on user control, incorporating options like preview, page orientation, and range selection to address common export frustrations.
I explored concepts to enhance real-time collaboration by visualizing collaborator presence, their selections, and recent block-level changes directly within the document.

Final direction

Closing the Gaps

Ideation concepts were refined into a development plan. With my Product Manager and Team Lead, we defined tasks, aligning with lead developers before finalizing solutions for implementation.

Table Block

We revamped the table block for a cleaner, more intuitive experience, aligning with best practices:

Drag handles now appear only on hover, reducing visual clutter. We introduced multi-cell selection with a new contextual menu for formatting, background color, and merging cells. Enhanced copy/paste logic and new keyboard shortcuts significantly improve usability and accessibility.

Reduced Visual Clutter

Multi-Cell Selection

Multi-Cell Formatting

Merge Cells

Cell Background Color

Better Keyboard Support

Export to PDF

Export to PDF was transformed for reliability and control. It now fully supports all content (blocks, images, tables) with interactive links, ensuring exports mirror the editor. Users get feedback on unsupported items and more control via a new modal with preview, settings (like page orientation, numbering), and a dedicated Page Break block.

Matching Editor's Formatting

New Settings & Preview Modal

Page Break Block

Better Feedback for Unsupported Blocks

Improved Export Performance

Live Collaboration

We enhanced live collaboration with live cursors and visible selections, so users see precisely where teammates are working. Top-bar avatars now accurately show who's currently in the doc. Each block also displays its creator and last editor details with timestamps, improving clarity and teamwork.

Live Cursors and Selection

Live Presence Indicators

Block Creation & Last Updated

Increased # of Collaborators

Impact

What We Achieved

Following the implementation of these user-centered solutions, we closely monitored their effect. The focus now shifted to measuring the tangible improvements in user experience and product performance, validating the impact of our dedicated efforts.

47%

Reduced Negative User Feedback

Overall negative feedback on key pain points like performance, tables, and export dropped after improvements.

61%

Drastic Performance Boost

Optimized rendering logic resulted in faster load time for large documents for P95, boosting user productivity.

55%

Fewer Table-Related Support Tickets

After the table block revamp, support tickets for table usability issues and errors fell by a significantly.

73%

Higher PDF Export Success Rate

Post-revamp, PDF exports completed successfully by users without any missing data issues.

Reflection

Looking Back

This project was a significant journey of research, design, and iteration. Beyond the positive impact achieved on the product, it offered valuable lessons and perspectives that will shape my approach to future challenges and collaborations.

The Power of Unified Research

Bringing together insights from so many varied feedback channels, like surveys, support tickets, and direct user input, was a game-changer. It created a truly holistic view of user pain, making it easier to prioritize and get team alignment on what to tackle first.

Engineering Collaboration Builds Solution Confidence

Involving lead developers early in design and task definition was key. This close collaboration not only ensured technical feasibility but crucially built our team's confidence in the chosen solutions, leading to smoother implementation and shared ownership.

Whats Next

Togetherr — A Fiverr Company

2022

A laptop mockup displaying the user interface for a dark-themed website design project.

Togetherr — A Fiverr Company

2022

Togetherr — A Fiverr Company

2022

Monday Pop — Bespoke typeface

2024

Letters composition with 'a' repeated five times showing the weights of the typeface. a clean, geometric typeface on a bright blue background.

Monday Pop — Bespoke typeface

2024

Monday Pop — Bespoke typeface

2024

Made with love from The Netherlands.

Typeset in Neutral Sans and Or Sans made especially for the portfolio.

Index

Home

Projects

About

Contact

Socials

Instagram

Get in touch

orharel(at)outlook.com