Slack to Receive Major Redesign with New Direct Message, Activity Section, and More

Since its acquisition by Salesforce in 2021, Slack has been undergoing efforts to transform the messaging app into a “digital HQ”. However, this has resulted in a cluttered platform, making it difficult to locate useful features. Managing workflow becomes even more complex when added to multiple workspaces, channels, or group DMs. Fortunately, the company acknowledges these challenges and has announced a forthcoming major redesign for Slack. The redesign aims to enhance the app’s navigation and streamline its functionality, making it more user-friendly.

The platform will soon introduce this major overhaul that will change the look and feel of the app. The new easy-to-manage look includes new features like a new DM and Activity section, according to its blog post.

Noah Weiss, Slack’s product manager, stated the problem the company is trying to solve with this move: “We know millions of people start and end their work day in Slack, so we’re making sure these improvements make it a more productive and pleasant home. The new experience helps Teams stay better organized, focused essential and to quickly access Slack’s growing range of tools.

Slack is getting a makeover

So what does the new Slack look like? The blog post shares four ways Slack now works differently, and likely with better results. The first on the list is a single view for all important tasks, just like it is now. In the redesigned version, this tab is called Home and includes direct messages, apps, and all channels from each workspace. The last part has been a complaint from many users, as in the current version, the only way to check different channels in different workspaces is to switch back and forth.

Next is the Activity section, which aims to give users time for uninterrupted work and give them more control over when they want to collaborate. This section now has options to turn notifications on or off, schedule time to respond to messages, and quick access to tools like canvas, workflows, apps, and more.

Third, there is a single button to access all the tools for the app’s advanced features. Users can start new messages, channels, threads and huddles with the new Create button. An expandable search feature will also be added, allowing users to click on each result to see its full context without having to jump back and forth.

Finally, the design will be changed to a “simpler, more pleasant and more productive” interface, so that the heaviest Slack user can complete tasks quickly and collaborate with others easily.

The company also revealed that this new Slack design will first be rolled out to all new teams that sign up for it, while in the coming months all existing users will also be transitioned to the new version.