After weeks of testing, design, and redesign, we’ve finally built and released an inbox/messenger worthy of our amazing Simbi community.
Ta-da! So what’s new, you ask (besides everything)? Let’s dive into the 5 main benefits of our new layout.
1. Dual-Panel Design
Answer messages without leaving your inbox
By adopting a ‘dual-panel’ design, we’ve solved the two major friction points of our previous inbox: slow navigation and lack of clarity. With our new integrated layout, you can see all your conversations on your left, while looking at their content on the right (messages). This new layout results not only in a significant upgrade in visual clarity, but provides our members with the much-desired ability to answer a message without entirely leaving your inbox.
2. Status filters
Cut out the noise with intuitive inbox filters
Quickly filter your inbox by status and stay on top of what needs your attention. You can use our new filters to focus on those conversations that matter the most — your deals. In addition, you can filter your conversations by unread messages, completed deals, and more. Pro tip: filter your conversations by ‘Reply Needed’ to keep your Response Rate at a 100%!
3. Press Enter to send
Message at the speed of chat
This feature is a special gift to our Simbi Superstars! We wanted talking on Simbi to be as easy and informal as chatting with your friends. A simple function like ‘Press Enter to send’ provides us with a chat-like experience that doesn’t only make messaging faster and easier, but more human.
4. Tidy up with a click
Organize, prioritize, harmonize
Keeping your inbox clean and organized has never been easier. By clicking the checkboxes in your inbox, you can select as many conversations as you want, and simultaneously apply one action to them all. Have a ton of year-old conversations in your inbox? Mass-archive them and focus on those that are relevant today. Don’t have time to reply to some new inquiries right now? Mark them as unread so you won’t lose the sight of them. And now, all inbox controls are now available on your mobile conversations (finally)!
5. Deals made easy
First-time Newbi members have traditionally had trouble navigating the deal-making aspect of the platform. Common questions were, “How do I send simbi?” and “How can I offer my service instead of receive theirs?” Many members also didn’t realize you could send proposals for virtually anything, including proposing to help someone else with their request in exchange for their services. With our new proposal form, you’ll see all your options laid out beautifully and intuitively. No more confusion, much more symbiosis!
Why tackle inbox and messaging?
Glad you asked! Out of the dozens of features and improvements we could have worked on, fluid and quick communication between members was our top priority. As Simbi grows bigger and bigger, even small upgrades in speed and ease-of-use have significant benefits to a healthy community. These new inbox and messaging improvements lay the groundwork for an ever more connected world of Simbians, where our communication is faster and better than ever. As the symbiotic community grows in and outside of the United States, Simbi is beginning to feel like a massive movement — and it’s clear to us that a critical part of keeping our members happy is keeping you connected.
The new inbox is great, thanks! I would just like to have the ability to search for a particular person – like you can do in Facebook Messenger. Thanks!!
We’re glad you like the new inbox, Alyssa! And thank you for the suggestion — it’s a great idea. We’ve added it to the list of new features to build.
I would really like to see a couple of optional features in making deals. First I would like to be able to reply to an offer by modifying the offer made, similar to each party in a trade on an MMO can add or remove items/currency until both have confirmed completion of the deal. Secondly, I’d like to offer more than a single service in a deal, which is to say I would like to offer a service at rate A, and should a client request a particular customization or the like I could offer up an invisible deal I have set up, like adding a condiment to a meal.
These are cool ideas! We’ll keep them in mind. Are there ways you’ve worked around them in the meantime since you made this comment?