From feedback fiasco to feature: the birth of topics

In the ever-evolving world of product development, feedback isn't just valuable — it's crucial. Our recent experience with a potential client, seeking a review and approval tool, made this abundantly clear. They initially found MediaBench impressive, but quickly the experience turned "chaotic at breakneck speed" leading them to opt out of purchasing our subscription. The situation, though challenging, presented us with a vital opportunity to learn and improve.

Navigating the Chaos of Digital Communication

The primary challenge for our client lay in using the comments section for feedback on video assets. This space, meant to streamline communication, often morphed into a labyrinth of long-winded discussions, off-topic memes, and excessive detail. Essential feedback was buried in this deluge of comments — overshadowing our features like sorting, filters and message categorization.

From Setback to Innovation

A deeper investigation into this problem revealed it was not unique to MediaBench; it was a widespread issue across various digital platforms. The need for structure became evident. Drawing inspiration from the modular approaches of platforms like Reddit, Telegram, and Slack, we developed a new solution: Comment Topics.

Introducing Comment Topics

Comment Topics reimagines the traditional, linear chat format. It allows users to create and organize discussions around specific themes or user groups. This functionality helps to transform scattered chats into focused and coherent dialogues.

When a user uploads an asset and opens it, they initially find themselves in the 'public topic'. This is a default space visible to all users, where general comments and discussions can take place.

Creating Magic with New Topics

The transformative effect of Comment Topics becomes clear when a user decides to create a new topic. Here's the step-by-step magic:

• Topic Creation: Users can create a new topic within the comment section. This could be anything from a specific project element to a department-specific thread.
• Public or Private: Upon creating a topic, users have the power to decide whether it remains public or private. A public topic is accessible to all users involved with the asset, while a private topic is an invite-only space, perfect for sensitive or focused discussions.
• Inviting Team Members: If a topic is set to private, the user can then selectively add participants. This ensures that only relevant team members have access to the discussions within this topic.
• Seamless Topic Switching: Users can effortlessly switch between topics, ensuring that their comments are always relevant to the selected subject. This means no more sifting through unrelated comments to find the information users need.

Use Cases

We've identified several key scenarios where Comment Topics can revolutionize how teams interact and collaborate:

• Department-Specific Dialogue: Each department, from animation to audio, can now have its own digital space for relevant discussions.
• Targeted Project Elements: When focusing on a specific part of a project, like a video's fireplace scene, a dedicated 'Fireplace Scene' topic can be created. This space is perfect for in-depth feedback, creative brainstorming, and detailed discussions.
• Confidential Discussions: When private conversations are necessary, private topics ensure these discussions are limited to selected team members, preserving confidentiality.
• Team Dynamics and Project Management: Comment Topics is also a platform for broader team discussions. From evaluating workflow to enhancing team synergy, these topics help maintain an open, collaborative, and continuously improving work environment.

At MediaBench, we're about more than just creating software — we're focused on making people's work lives easier and more organized. Comment Topics is our latest step in that direction. It's about turning the chaos of too many conversations into something clear and manageable.

To see how MediaBench's Comment Topics can revolutionize your team's collaboration and workflow, we invite you to sign up and experience its transformative power firsthand. Discover a more connected, intuitive, and efficient way of working with MediaBench.