Live Document Collaboration in Zoom

Problem

Document collaboration in Zoom is hard. Users must re-share document links, resolve access issues, and can only view documents during meetings, preventing active engagement. These issues lower productivity and user satisfaction.

Solution

Enable users to easily select, grant permission, share, and co-edit documents with meeting participants.

Responsibilities

Lead product designer

Team members

1 product manager

10+ engineers

2 brand & marketing specialist

Status / Duration

Launched / 4 months

Why do users co-edit a document in a meeting?

Main use case - collaborative product planning

Faster Product Delivery

30-50%

reduced project delivery times

Increased Productivity

25-30%

higher productivity

Collaboration Efficiency

more likely to meet project goals on time and within budget

Use case 2 - contract or legal document review

Faster Document Review

20-50%

reduced contract review cycles

Legal Tech Growth

17%

compound annual growth rate

Improved Accuracy

17%

fewer errors in final documents

Use case 3 - sales proposal or pitch creation

Shorter Sales Cycle

10-15%

faster sales cycles

Higher Proposal Win Rates

14%

higher win rates

Better Engagement

10-15%

increase in customer engagement

Persona & pain points

Document sender

Lindsay
A product manager who collaborates with teammates on product requirements via Zoom.

Goal

Collaborates with colleagues on product requirements documents easily.

Challenge

Difficult document collaboration, he manually invites attendees via browser to collaborate.

A tedious process to share documents
A lot back and forth, contexts switching

Find the document in the browser
Manually update the permissions by entering meeting participants' emails one by one
Copy the link

Manually paste the link in chat
Ask if everyone has permission

Wait for everyone to click the link and join
Start co-editing the doc
Go back to Zoom and discuss if needed

Document receiver

Michael
Product designer, works closely with PM.

Goal
Collaborate with PM on product requirements document.

Challenge
Collaborating on docs in Zoom is difficult due to constant tool switching.

A tedious process to co-edit documents
A long waiting period

Wait for the sender to update the permissions
Wait to receive the doc link once the sender is done updating the permission

Co-edit in browser
Go back to Zoom and discuss if needed

Summary

Document collaboration in Zoom is complicated. The sender must manually update permissions, and receivers have to switch between the browser and Zoom windows to co-edit.

Why do people use Virtual Background app?

Bill, who works remotely at home a lot

Virtual backgrounds ensure my children or pets aren't visible during video calls."

Teng, who travels a lot for work

I like office-themed virtual backgrounds for a professional appearance."

Amy, who manages numerous meetings

Unique virtual backgrounds enhance engagement and interaction."

Helena, a creative brand designer

I like fun backgrounds that reflect my personality; people often ask about them.

New user flow and JTBD

Document sender

When start sharing,

I want to quickly find where to start, so I can avoid wasting everyone's time.

When selecting documents to share,

I want to seamlessly connect with my third-party document apps and easily select the right document to share.
I want to easily update document permissions so everyone can access it without any issues.

After I share documents,

I want everyone to have the doc link without me having to send it manually.

Do everything in Zoom
Multiple ways to share