Campfire: Before You Design Slack Experiences, Do This

TrailblazerDX (TDX) takes place on April 27–28, 2022, at Moscone Center West in San Francisco. Register for design sessions and connect with us at Camp Design!

Right now, Justin Rheinfrank is probably thinking about the future of work. Either that or he’s sketching. Design comes naturally given it runs in his family. As a design architect for Slack, his goal is always to make work simpler, more pleasant, and productive. Justin will be presenting Before You Design Slack Experiences, Do This during a campfire session at TDX, the annual Salesforce event for anyone developing or designing on the platform. Learn how to create experiences that build trust, usability and adoption. Register now!

Salesforce Design (SD): How did you get into design?

Justin Rheinfrank (JR): I’m a bit unusual — both of my parents were designers! I learned the basics of design from them when I was growing up and it became the family trade.

SD: What do you wish more people appreciated about the value of design?

JR: More and more, a critical component of design is to be a great facilitator. That means asking the right questions, creating the right artifacts, and extracting the thoughts, dreams, and knowledge of the folks you are working with.

SD: In the simplest terms, what’s the focus of your TDX session?

JR: Three fundamental mindset shifts we used at Salesforce to make Slack experiences more efficient, inclusive, and intuitive. Read more here.

SD: What key points do you hope audiences will get from your TDX session and why is that important to you?

JR: Great Slack experiences lean into Slack’s superpowers: multiplayer channels, push notifications right when something important happens, and “quick work” interfaces that help you do things quickly and get on with your other work.

SD: How do you think this will help people do their work better or collaborate better?

JR: Slack is the aggregate attention of our work lives. It’s our new all-hands announcements, project teams, and even our digital water cooler. Designing effective Slack integrations help engage broader audiences in the work and get your work done faster.

SD: How has design helped you build relationships with customers, co-workers, or communities?

JR: I spent four years working on Ignite. We were providing a free service to envision our customer’s future powered by Salesforce products. One customer shared: “This (service) is a gift. The clearest representation that you are truly invested in our success. This is really Salesforce living their values.”

SD: What do you love about being a designer at Salesforce?

JR: Thinking about the future of work!

Eager to learn more about what Justin has in store at TrailblazerDX? Register today to attend on April 27–28 in San Francisco.

Salesforce Design is dedicated to elevating design and advocating for its power to create trusted relationships with users, customers, partners, and the community. We share knowledge and best practices that build social and business value. We call this next evolution of design Relationship Design. Join our Design Trailblazers community, become a certified UX designer, or work with us!