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Discord UI Feature : Speed Dial
est 3 min read.
Pinning your favorite contacts & group chats
Context
Released in 2015, Discord offers group chats with custom features, high-quality streaming, easy joining, and activities like games, videos, and music, all in one place. It's primary ways of communication are through servers, group chats, and direct messages.
However with recent times, and how far discord has come as a platform, direct messages and group chats seem to be lacking a key feature; pinning direct messages. As for many discord has become a primary way of communication, but it's contact management being limited to search or to scroll, I decided to solve that.
Speed Dial
The concept of Speed Dial is very Year 2000 inspired, with original phones being able to access at an ease. In the same style as the current discord UI, I added an additional tab to your contacts, to pin specific contacts or group chats that aren't servers.
Some people prefer to not utilize servers, and would rather use group chats, as a bombardment to a large server format can be initially overwhelming. But also finding contacts, or in case you have loved ones or best friends, or a group that doesn't need a server, this was perfect for pinning, or in this case; adding to speed dial.
Method 1 : Right Click
I decided the best area to put it was on the friends list found on the left hand side, and the primary tab when you hit the top left discord button. I think right below the nickname area fit it the best. While a simple UX, you can add your favorite contacts and group chats and it wouldn't change the messaging experience.
I also added the option to remove here as well, just to see what it would look like. I also added a small icon in the main list, to show that this contact is in the speed dial, just in case they had a larger matrix of contacts added.
Method 2 : Add to Speed Dial
I also added functionality similar to starting a group chat, or a direct message using the plus featured in the section below. It opens up a menu, but instead of just contacts, you also have the option of pinning group chats as well.
Components & Assets
I was able to match & recreate assets very similar to the live Discord product, and it was a fun quick project I wanted to try since It's a feature I personally always have wanted. Driven from the fact that we run a monthly Dungeons & Dragons session, but that group chat quickly gets buried. I'm satisfied with the final, if I were to change or add anything, I would add options for the higher contrast version, and light mode options.
Reflection
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