Context
Shorthand stories often involve multiple stakeholders—writers, designers, editors, and approvers. Feedback was happening in emails, Slack, and documents, disconnected from the actual content being reviewed.
How might we bring collaborative feedback directly into Shorthand, reducing friction and keeping context intact?
Process
- Mapped existing review workflows across 10 customer teams
- Studied commenting patterns in tools like Figma, Google Docs, and Frame.io
- Designed for both quick feedback and formal approval workflows
- Built prototypes testing inline vs. sidebar comment placement
- Iterated on notification design to balance awareness with noise
Solution
Contextual commenting that lets reviewers leave feedback directly on any element in a story. Comments support threads, mentions, and resolution states. An activity feed provides overview without requiring email notifications.
Outcomes
- Review cycle times reduced by 35% for teams using commenting
- 80% of enterprise customers adopted within 6 months
- Became a key differentiator in sales conversations
Learnings
- Resolution states were more important than expected—teams needed clear 'done' signals
- Guest access (for external reviewers) was a must-have we initially scoped out
- Comment anchoring to specific content was technically challenging but essential