Patent Application
20250238743
Communication platforms are becoming increasingly more popular for organizations to facilitate work related communications. To improve functionality and collaboration, some communication platforms enable users to manually build workflows by coding a sequence of steps or manually selecting (e.g., via drag-and-drop) individual steps that cause the communication platform and/or a third-party resource to perform a particular task. However, users face difficulty with understanding how individual steps function as well as finding steps from a growing list of available options. Additionally, in order to create a functioning workflow, users must select and organize the series of steps in an appropriate order. This method may lead to a number of errors when attempting to create a workflow, which results in an inefficient and/or suboptimal user experience.
The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical components or features. The figures are not drawn to scale.
As described above, conventional techniques for creating automated workflows may be suboptimal and can result in users spending excessive amounts of time manually selecting and organizing individual steps of a workflow. Currently, to build a workflow, a user has to know which steps to include in a workflow, understand which steps may be incompatible, and manually select individual steps from an increasingly growing list of available options. Since not all steps used to build a workflow are compatible with one another, a user may resort to trial and error when creating a workflow, which may be inefficient and time consuming. Additionally, a requirement to manually generate a workflow can prevent users who are unfamiliar with generating computing instructions and/or who are not willing to invest time in the often-onerous process of manual workflow generation from taking advantage of automating tasks.
Techniques for generating prebuilt workflows (which may also be referred to as “suggested workflows”) and/or recommending prebuilt workflows using a workflow builder are discussed herein. As described herein, a workflow can be an automated process that comprises an ordered set of steps (or commands) which may be carried out via one or more machine learning model(s) and/or a set of API calls. A workflow builder associated with a machine learning model(s) may be used to generate prebuilt workflows including a suggested series of steps based on a prompt received from a user. A prompt may be a text string that defines a task to be automated. For example, a user may type a text string into a text box (e.g., a conversational text box, chat interface, etc.) associated with a workflow builder. The prompt may be input into a machine learning model associated with the workflow builder and configured to output suggested workflows including a suggested series of steps. The user may then choose to edit the steps, add steps, remove steps, and/or rearrange the steps. The user can then publish the workflow and begin using the workflow as needed.
The techniques described herein can improve the functioning, efficiency, and overall user experience by using machine learning models to generate prebuilt workflows including suggested series of steps. The workflow builder indexes a library of steps so the workflow builder can surface and order step(s) in a prebuilt workflow, without having a user understand how each step functions or find steps by themselves. Using a machine learning model to help automate the creation of workflows can significantly improve the functioning of a computer system in various ways. For instance, machine learning models can perform tasks at a faster pace and with consistent speed, leading to increased efficiency in the overall process of creating workflows. As mentioned above, manually selecting and ordering steps can be time consuming and error prone. Additionally, using a machine learning model to generate prebuilt workflows may improve the quality of workflows due to the machine learning model's ability to analyze historical data and make predictions regarding which steps produce the best results for a particular task. For example, the machine learning model associated with the workflow builder may have access to copious amounts of data associated with the communication platform (as well as other organizations, sources, databases, etc.) and can gain insight and predictions from that data that may not be immediately apparent to a user. That is, a user that manually selects steps to include in a workflow may not have the benefit of understanding how certain steps interact with each other, particularly if the differences are slight between steps are not easily detectable to a human.
Generating prebuilt workflows can result in a reduced consumption of computing resources and provides several improvements to technological problems. Providing prebuilt workflows based on a provided prompt enables computing resources to be used for shorter durations, and the load on servers, networks, and other infrastructure is reduced overall due to improved resource utilization. The number of API calls are reduced when creating a prebuilt workflow as well as the likelihood of being in an erroneous state (e.g., a number of complex validation checks are reduced). Generating a prebuilt workflow decreases the user input requirements (e.g., fewer clicks) to get to a published workflow. Prebuilt workflows include a suggested series of steps that functional well with one another, which reduces the likelihood of errors and computing resources spent on rectifying mistakes during the workflow creation process. At least because users are no longer required to manually select and arrange individual steps when creating workflows (which can be a resource-intensive process when performed in a trial-and-error fashion), the techniques described herein reduce an overall amount of computing resources by utilizing computing resources more effectively. The memory required by individual user computing devices and the communication platform computing devices may also be reduced because the workflow builder can generate prebuilt workflows dynamically, when requested, reducing the need to store large amounts of pre-generated workflows in memory. Additionally, the workflow builder can use efficient data structures to represent the prebuilt workflow, reducing memory overhead as compared to storing complete workflows that have previously been generated (e.g., as templates). That is, rather than generating and storing all possible variations of workflows in memory, the workflow builder can allow for the generation of prebuilt workflows as they are requested (i.e., on demand). The dynamic generation of prebuilt workflows also conserves bandwidth because the prebuilt workflows can be generated in response to a particular user request (i.e., only the necessary data is generated).
The following detailed description of examples references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific examples in which the techniques can be practiced. The examples are intended to describe aspects of the systems and methods in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the techniques discussed herein. Other examples can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the disclosure is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
In at least one example, the example environment 100 can include one or more server computing devices (or “server(s)”) 102. In at least one example, the server(s) 102 can include one or more servers or other types of computing devices that can be embodied in any number of ways. For example, in the example of a server, the functional components and data can be implemented on a single server, a cluster of servers, a server farm or data center, a cloud-hosted computing service, a cloud-hosted storage service, and so forth, although other computer architectures can additionally or alternatively be used.
In at least one example, the server(s) 102 can communicate with a user computing device 104 via one or more network(s) 106. That is, the server(s) 102 and the user computing device 104 can transmit, receive, and/or store data (e.g., content, information, or the like) using the network(s) 106, as described herein. The user computing device 104 can be any suitable type of computing device, e.g., portable, semi-portable, semi-stationary, or stationary. Some examples of the user computing device 104 can include a tablet computing device, a smart phone, a mobile communication device, a laptop, a netbook, a desktop computing device, a terminal computing device, a wearable computing device, an augmented reality device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or any other computing device capable of sending communications and performing the functions according to the techniques described herein. While a single user computing device 104 is shown, in practice, the example environment 100 can include multiple (e.g., tens of, hundreds of, thousands of, millions of) user computing devices. In at least one example, user computing devices, such as the user computing device 104, can be operable by users to, among other things, access communication services via the communication platform. A user can be an individual, a group of individuals, an employer, an enterprise, an organization, and/or the like.
The network(s) 106 can include, but are not limited to, any type of network known in the art, such as a local area network or a wide area network, the Internet, a wireless network, a cellular network, a local wireless network, Wi-Fi and/or close-range wireless communications, Bluetooth®, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), a wired network, or any other such network, or any combination thereof. Components used for such communications can depend at least in part upon the type of network, the environment selected, or both. Protocols for communicating over such network(s) 106 are well known and are not discussed herein in detail.
In at least one example, the server(s) 102 can include one or more processors 108, computer-readable media 110, one or more communication interfaces 112, and/or input/output devices 114.
In at least one example, each processor of the processor(s) 108 can be a single processing unit or multiple processing units, and can include single or multiple computing units or multiple processing cores. The processor(s) 108 can be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. For example, the processor(s) 108 can be one or more hardware processors and/or logic circuits of any suitable type specifically programmed or configured to execute the algorithms and processes described herein. The processor(s) 108 can be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the computer-readable media, which can program the processor(s) to perform the functions described herein.
The computer-readable media 110 can include volatile and nonvolatile memory and/or removable and non-removable media implemented in any type of technology for storage of data, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Such computer-readable media 110 can include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, optical storage, solid state storage, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, RAID storage systems, storage arrays, network attached storage, storage area networks, cloud storage, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired data and that can be accessed by a computing device. Depending on the configuration of the server(s) 102, the computer-readable media 110 can be a type of computer-readable storage media and/or can be a tangible non-transitory media to the extent that when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readable media exclude media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.
The computer-readable media 110 can be used to store any number of functional components that are executable by the processor(s) 108. In many implementations, these functional components comprise instructions or programs that are executable by the processor(s) 108 and that, when executed, specifically configure the processor(s) 108 to perform the actions attributed above to the server(s) 102. Functional components stored in the computer-readable media can optionally include a workflow builder component 115, a messaging component 118, an audio/video component 120, an operating system 122, and a datastore 124.
In some examples, the workflow builder component 115 can be configured to generate suggested workflow(s) that can be used to automatically perform a series of steps for a user. In some examples, the workflow builder component 115 can access one or more APIs, issue instructions to operational entities and/or a controller module associated with the communication platform to carry out or more steps of the workflow. The workflow builder component 115 may be configured to receive a prompt from a user. The prompt may be a text string that defines a task to be automated. For example, a user may enter a task the user wants to automate into a text box associated with the workflow builder. In response to the request, the workflow builder may generate a preview of a suggested workflow including a suggested series of steps. In some examples, the user may edit the suggested workflow (e.g., add step(s), remove step(s), edit individual portions of a step (e.g., edit a question or requested response in a form step), rearrange steps, and the like) before publishing a workflow.
The workflow builder component 115 may utilize one or more machine learning model(s) 116 that accept a prompt as input and, using the prompt, outputs a suggested workflow including a suggested series of steps. In the context of machine learning, a prompt may be a particular input or instruction provided to the machine learning model to elicit a desired response. The prompt can be an input text or query given to the machine learning model that serves as a means to generate a corresponding output (e.g., provide information, perform a task, generate content in a controlled manner, etc.).
In some examples, the machine learning model(s) 116 associated with the workflow builder component 115 may be trained to output suggested workflows based at least in part on workflows that have previously been manually created by users. In some examples, the machine learning model(s) 116 may be trained based on functions and trigger types that are available and/or supported by the communication platform, including steps that may be associated with third-party applications (e.g., steps that include making an API call to a third-party database). For example, the machine learning model may be provided with available steps that can be incorporated into a workflow, as well as a description of what the individual steps are configured to do for context, in order to train the machine learning model to output a workflow based on a provided prompt. In some examples, the machine learning model(s) 116 may be trained by providing example prompts to the machine learning model(s) along with an expected result (e.g., a workflow that provides a trigger type (e.g., a first step that initiates the workflow), a sequence of steps, and a hint associated with individual steps that provides context of the function or action associated with the individual step). For example, training a machine learning model(s) to generate a form step of a workflow may include providing the machine learning model(s) with example question types and/or answer types that are supported (e.g., a long answer, short answer, multiple choice, dropdown, checkboxes, etc.). Several non-limiting examples of training a machine learning model using example prompts are provided below:
In at least one example, the messaging component 118 can process messages between users. That is, in at least one example, the messaging component 118 can receive an outgoing message from a user computing device 104 and can send the message as an incoming message to a second user computing device. The messages can include direct messages sent from an originating user to one or more specified users and/or communication channel messages sent via a communication channel from the originating user to the one or more users associated with the communication channel. Additionally, the messages can be transmitted in association with a collaborative document, canvas, or other collaborative space. In at least one example, the canvas can include a flexible canvas for curating, organizing, and sharing collections of information between users. In at least one example, the collaborative document can be associated with a document identifier (e.g., virtual space identifier, communication channel identifier, etc.) configured to enable messaging functionalities attributable to a virtual space (e.g., a communication channel) within the collaborative document. That is, the collaborative document can be treated as, and include the functionalities associated with, a virtual space, such as a communication channel. The virtual space, or communication channel, can be a data route used for exchanging data between and among systems and devices associated with the communication platform.
In at least one example, the messaging component 118 can establish a communication route between and among various user computing devices, allowing the user computing devices to communicate and share data between and among each other. In at least one example, the messaging component 118 can manage such communications and/or sharing of data. In some examples, data associated with a virtual space, such a collaborative document, can be presented via a user interface. In addition, metadata associated with each message transmitted via the virtual space, such as a timestamp associated with the message, a sending user identifier, a recipient user identifier, a conversation identifier and/or a root object identifier (e.g., conversation associated with a thread and/or a root object), and/or the like, can be stored in association with the virtual space.
In various examples, the messaging component 118 can receive a message transmitted in association with a virtual space (e.g., direct message instance, communication channel, canvas, collaborative document, etc.). In various examples, the messaging component 118 can identify one or more users associated with the virtual space and can cause a rendering of the message in association with instances of the virtual space on respective user computing devices 104. In various examples, the messaging component 118 can identify the message as an update to the virtual space and, based on the identified update, can cause a notification associated with the update to be presented in association with a sidebar of user interface associated with one or more of the user(s) associated with the virtual space. For example, the messaging component 118 can receive, from a first user account, a message transmitted in association with a virtual space. In response to receiving the message (e.g., interaction data associated with an interaction of a first user with the virtual space), the messaging component 118 can identify a second user associated with the virtual space (e.g., another user that is a member of the virtual space). In some examples, the messaging component 118 can cause a notification of an update to the virtual space to be presented via a sidebar of a user interface associated with a second user account of the second user. In some examples, the messaging component 118 can cause the notification to be presented in response to a determination that the sidebar of the user interface associated with the second user account includes an affordance associated with the virtual space. In such examples, the notification can be presented in association with the affordance associated with the virtual space.
In various examples, the messaging component 118 can be configured to identify a mention or tag associated with the message transmitted in association with the virtual space. In at least one example, the mention or tag can include an @mention (or other special character) of a user identifier that is associated with the communication platform. The user identifier can include a username, real name, or other unique identifier that is associated with a particular user. In response to identifying the mention or tag of the user identifier, the messaging component 118 can cause a notification to be presented on a user interface associated with the user identifier, such as in association with an affordance associated with the virtual space in a sidebar of a user interface associated with the particular user and/or in a virtual space associated with mentions and reactions. That is, the messaging component 118 can be configured to alert a particular user that they were mentioned in a virtual space.
In at least one example, the audio/video component 120 can be configured to manage audio and/or video communications between and among users. In some examples, the audio and/or video communications can be associated with an audio and/or video conversation. In at least one example, the audio and/or video conversation can include a discrete identifier configured to uniquely identify the audio and/or video conversation. In some examples, the audio and/or video component 120 can store user identifiers associated with user accounts of members of a particular audio and/or video conversation, such as to identify user(s) with appropriate permissions to access the particular audio and/or video conversation.
In some examples, communications associated with an audio and/or video conversation (“conversation”) can be synchronous and/or asynchronous. That is, the conversation can include a real-time audio and/or video conversation between a first user and a second user during a period of time and, after the first period of time, a third user who is associated with (e.g., is a member of) the conversation can contribute to the conversation. The audio/video component 120 can be configured to store audio and/or video data associated with the conversation, such as to enable users with appropriate permissions to listen and/or view the audio and/or video data.
In some examples, the audio/video component 120 can be configured to generate a transcript of the conversation, and can store the transcript in association with the audio and/or video data. The transcript can include a textual representation of the audio and/or video data. In at least one example, the audio/video component 120 can use known speech recognition techniques to generate the transcript. In some examples, the audio/video component 120 can generate the transcript concurrently or substantially concurrently with the conversation. That is, in some examples, the audio/video component 120 can be configured to generate a textual representation of the conversation while it is being conducted. In some examples, the audio/video component 120 can generate the transcript after receiving an indication that the conversation is complete. The indication that the conversation is complete can include an indication that a host or administrator associated therewith has stopped the conversation, that a threshold number of meeting attendees have closed associated interfaces, and/or the like. That is, the audio/video component 120 can identify a completion of the conversation and, based on the completion, can generate the transcript associated therewith.
In at least one example, the audio/video component 120 can be configured to cause presentation of the transcript in association with a virtual space with which the audio and/or video conversation is associated. For example, a first user can initiate an audio and/or video conversation in association with a communication channel. The audio/video component 120 can process audio and/or video data between attendees of the audio and/or video conversation and can generate a transcript of the audio and/or video data. In response to generating the transcript, the audio/video component 120 can cause the transcript to be published or otherwise presented via the communication channel. In at least one example, the audio/video component 120 can render one or more sections of the transcript selectable for commenting, such as to enable members of the communication channel to comment on, or further contribute to, the conversation. In some examples, the audio/video component 120 can update the transcript based on the comments.
In at least one example, the audio/video component 120 can manage one or more audio and/or video conversations in association with a virtual space associated with a group (e.g., organization, team, etc.) administrative or command center. The group administrative or command center can be referred to herein as a virtual (and/or digital) headquarters associated with the group. In at least one example, the audio/video component 120 can be configured to coordinate with the messaging component 118 and/or other components of the server(s) 102, to transmit communications in association with other virtual spaces that are associated with the virtual headquarters. That is, the messaging component 118 can transmit data (e.g., messages, images, drawings, files, etc.) associated with one or more communication channels, direct messaging instances, collaborative documents, canvases, and/or the like, that are associated with the virtual headquarters. In some examples, the communication channel(s), direct messaging instance(s), collaborative document(s), canvas(es), and/or the like can have associated therewith one or more audio and/or video conversations managed by the audio/video component 120. That is, the audio and/or video conversations associated with the virtual headquarters can be further associated with, or independent of, one or more other virtual spaces of the virtual headquarters.
In some examples, the communication platform can manage communication channels. In some examples, the communication platform can be a channel-based messaging platform, that in some examples, can be usable by group(s) of users. Users of the communication platform can communicate with other users via communication channels. A communication channel, or virtual space, can be a data route used for exchanging data between and among systems and devices associated with the communication platform. In some examples, a channel can be a virtual space where people can post messages, documents, and/or files. In some examples, access to channels can be controlled by permissions. In some examples, channels can be limited to a single organization, shared between different organizations, public, private, or special channels (e.g., hosted channels with guest accounts where guests can make posts but are prevented from performing certain actions, such as inviting other users to the channel). In some examples, some users can be invited to channels via email, channel invites, direct messages, text messages, and the like. Examples of channels and associated functionality are discussed throughout this disclosure.
In at least one example, the operating system 122 can manage the processor(s) 108, computer-readable media 110, hardware, software, etc. of the server(s) 102.
In at least one example, the datastore 124 can be configured to store data that is accessible, manageable, and updatable. In some examples, the datastore 124 can be integrated with the server(s) 102, as shown in
In at least one example, the user/org data 126 can include data associated with users of the communication platform. In at least one example, the user/org data 126 can store data in user profiles (which can also be referred to as “user accounts”), which can store data associated with a user, including, but not limited to, one or more user identifiers associated with multiple, different organizations or entities with which the user is associated, one or more communication channel identifiers associated with communication channels to which the user has been granted access, one or more group identifiers for groups (or, organizations, teams, entities, or the like) with which the user is associated, an indication whether the user is an owner or manager of any communication channels, an indication whether the user has any communication channel restrictions, a plurality of messages, a plurality of emojis, a plurality of conversations, a plurality of conversation topics, an avatar, an email address, a real name (e.g., John Doe), a username (e.g., j doe), a password, a time zone, a status, a token, and the like.
In at least one example, the user/org data 126 can include permission data associated with permissions of individual users of the communication platform. In some examples, permissions can be set automatically or by an administrator of the communication platform, an employer, enterprise, organization, or other entity that utilizes the communication platform, a team leader, a group leader, or other entity that utilizes the communication platform for communicating with team members, group members, or the like, an individual user, or the like. Permissions associated with an individual user can be mapped to, or otherwise associated with, an account or profile within the user/org data 126. In some examples, permissions can indicate which users can communicate directly with other users, which channels a user is permitted to access, restrictions on individual channels, which workspaces the user is permitted to access, restrictions on individual workspaces, and the like. In at least one example, the permissions can support the communication platform by maintaining security for limiting access to a defined group of users. In some examples, such users can be defined by common access credentials, group identifiers, or the like, as described above.
In at least one example, the user/org data 126 can include data associated with one or more organizations of the communication platform. In at least one example, the user/org data 126 can store data in organization profiles, which can store data associated with an organization, including, but not limited to, one or more user identifiers associated with the organization, one or more virtual space identifiers associated with the organization (e.g., workspace identifiers, communication channel identifiers, direct message instance identifiers, collaborative document identifiers, canvas identifiers, audio/video conversation identifiers, etc.), an organization identifier associated with the organization, one or more organization identifiers associated with other organizations that are authorized for communication with the organization, and the like.
In at least one example, the virtual space data 128 can include data associated with one or more virtual spaces associated with the communication platform. The virtual space data 128 can include textual data, audio data, video data, images, files, and/or any other type of data configured to be transmitted in association with a virtual space. Non-limiting examples of virtual spaces include workspaces, communication channels, direct messaging instances, collaborative documents, canvases, and audio and/or video conversations. In at least one example, the virtual space data can store data associated with individual virtual spaces separately, such as based on a discrete identifier associated with each virtual space. In some examples, a first virtual space can be associated with a second virtual space. In such examples, first virtual space data associated with the first virtual space can be stored in association with the second virtual space. For example, data associated with a collaborative document that is generated in association with a communication channel may be stored in association with the communication channel. For another example, data associated with an audio and/or video conversation that is conducted in association with a communication channel can be stored in association with the communication channel.
As discussed above, each virtual space of the communication platform can be assigned a discrete identifier that uniquely identifies the virtual space. In some examples, the virtual space identifier associated with the virtual space can include a physical address in the virtual space data 128 where data related to that virtual space is stored. A virtual space may be “public,” which may allow any user within an organization (e.g., associated with an organization identifier) to join and participate in the data sharing through the virtual space, or a virtual space may be “private,” which may restrict data communications in the virtual space to certain users or users having appropriate permissions to view. In some examples, a virtual space may be “shared,” which may allow users associated with different organizations (e.g., entities associated with different organization identifiers) to join and participate in the data sharing through the virtual space. Shared virtual spaces (e.g., shared channels) may be public such that they are accessible to any user of either organization, or they may be private such that they are restricted to access by certain users (e.g., users with appropriate permissions) of both organizations.
In some examples, the datastore 124 can be partitioned into discrete items of data that may be accessed and managed individually (e.g., data shards). Data shards can simplify many technical tasks, such as data retention, unfurling (e.g., detecting that message contents include a link, crawling the link's metadata, and determining a uniform summary of the metadata), and integration settings. In some examples, data shards can be associated with organizations, groups (e.g., workspaces), communication channels, users, or the like.
In some examples, individual organizations can be associated with a database shard within the datastore 124 that stores data related to a particular organization identification. For example, a database shard may store electronic communication data associated with members of a particular organization, which enables members of that particular organization to communicate and exchange data with other members of the same organization in real time or near-real time. In this example, the organization itself can be the owner of the database shard and has control over where and how the related data is stored. In some examples, a database shard can store data related to two or more organizations (e.g., as in a shared virtual space).
In some examples, individual groups can be associated with a database shard within the datastore 124 that stores data related to a particular group identification (e.g., workspace). For example, a database shard may store electronic communication data associated with members of a particular group, which enables members of that particular group to communicate and exchange data with other members of the same group in real time or near-real time. In this example, the group itself can be the owner of the database shard and has control over where and how the related data is stored.
In some examples, a virtual space can be associated with a database shard within the datastore 124 that stores data related to a particular virtual space identification. For example, a database shard may store electronic communication data associated with the virtual space, which enables members of that particular virtual space to communicate and exchange data with other members of the same virtual space in real time or near-real time. As discussed above, the communications via the virtual space can be synchronous and/or asynchronous. In at least one example, a group or organization can be the owner of the database shard and can control where and how the related data is stored.
In some examples, individual users can be associated with a database shard within the datastore 124 that stores data related to a particular user account. For example, a database shard may store electronic communication data associated with an individual user, which enables the user to communicate and exchange data with other users of the communication platform in real time or near-real time. In some examples, the user itself can be the owner of the database shard and has control over where and how the related data is stored.
In some examples, such as when a channel is shared between two organizations, each organization can be associated with its own encryption key. When a user associated with one organization posts a message or file to the shared channel it can be encrypted in the datastore 124 with the encryption key specific to the organization and the other organization can decrypt the message or file prior to accessing the message or file. Further, in examples where organizations are in different geographical areas, data associated with a particular organization can be stored in a location corresponding to the organization and temporarily cached at a location closer to a client (e.g., associated with the other organization) when such messages or files are to be accessed. Data can be maintained, stored, and/or deleted in the datastore 124 in accordance with a data governance policy associated with each specific organization.
The communication interface(s) 112 can include one or more interfaces and hardware components for enabling communication with various other devices (e.g., the user computing device 104), such as over the network(s) 106 or directly. In some examples, the communication interface(s) 112 can facilitate communication via WebSockets, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) (e.g., using API calls), Hypertext Transfer Protocols (HTTPs), etc.
The server(s) 102 can further be equipped with various input/output devices 114 (e.g., I/O devices). Such I/O devices 114 can include a display, various user interface controls (e.g., buttons, joystick, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, etc.), audio speakers, connection ports and so forth.
In at least one example, the user computing device 104 can include one or more processors 130, computer-readable media 132, one or more communication interfaces 134, and input/output devices 136.
In at least one example, each processor of the processor(s) 130 can be a single processing unit or multiple processing units, and can include single or multiple computing units or multiple processing cores. The processor(s) 130 can comprise any of the types of processors described above with reference to the processor(s) 108 and may be the same as or different than the processor(s) 108.
The computer-readable media 132 can comprise any of the types of computer-readable media 132 described above with reference to the computer-readable media 110 and may be the same as or different than the computer-readable media 110. Functional components stored in the computer-readable media can optionally include at least one application 138 and an operating system 140.
In at least one example, the application 138 can be a mobile application, a web application, or a desktop application, which can be provided by the communication platform or which can be an otherwise dedicated application. In some examples, individual user computing devices associated with the environment 100 can have an instance or versioned instance of the application 138, which can be downloaded from an application store, accessible via the Internet, or otherwise executable by the processor(s) 130 to perform operations as described herein. That is, the application 138 can be an access point, enabling the user computing device 104 to interact with the server(s) 102 to access and/or use communication services available via the communication platform. In at least one example, the application 138 can facilitate the exchange of data between and among various other user computing devices, for example via the server(s) 102. In at least one example, the application 138 can present user interfaces, as described herein. In at least one example, a user can interact with the user interfaces via touch input, keyboard input, mouse input, spoken input, or any other type of input.
A non-limiting example of a user interface 142 is shown in
In at least one example, the user interface 142 can include a third region 148, or pane, that can be associated with a data feed (or, “feed”) indicating messages posted to and/or actions taken with respect to one or more communication channels and/or other virtual spaces for facilitating communications (e.g., a virtual space associated with direct message communication(s), a virtual space associated with event(s) and/or action(s), etc.) as described herein. In at least one example, data associated with the third region 148 can be associated with the same or different workspaces. That is, in some examples, the third region 148 can present data associated with the same or different workspaces via an integrated feed. In some examples, the data can be organized and/or is sortable by workspace, time (e.g., when associated data is posted or an associated operation is otherwise performed), type of action, communication channel, user, or the like. In some examples, such data can be associated with an indication of which user (e.g., member of the communication channel) posted the message and/or performed an action. In examples where the third region 148 presents data associated with multiple workspaces, at least some data can be associated with an indication of which workspace the data is associated with. In some examples, the third region 148 may be resized or popped out as a standalone window.
In at least one example, the operating system 140 can manage the processor(s) 130, computer-readable media 132, hardware, software, etc. of the server(s) 102.
The communication interface(s) 134 can include one or more interfaces and hardware components for enabling communication with various other devices (e.g., the user computing device 104), such as over the network(s) 106 or directly. In some examples, the communication interface(s) 134 can facilitate communication via WebSockets, APIs (e.g., using API calls), HTTPs, etc.
The user computing device 104 can further be equipped with various input/output devices 136 (e.g., I/O devices). Such I/O devices 136 can include a display, various user interface controls (e.g., buttons, joystick, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, etc.), audio speakers, connection ports and so forth.
While techniques described herein are described as being performed by workflow builder component 115, the messaging component 118, the audio/video component 120, and the application 138, techniques described herein can be performed by any other component, or combination of components, which can be associated with the server(s) 102, the user computing device 104, or a combination thereof.
The user interface 200 comprises a plurality of objects such as panes, text entry fields, buttons, messages, or other user interface components that are viewable by a user of the group-based communication system. As depicted, the user interface 200 comprises a title bar 202, a workspace pane 204, a navigation pane 206, channels 208, documents 210 (e.g., collaborative documents), direct messages 212, applications 214, a synchronous multimedia collaboration session pane 216, and channel pane 218.
By way of example and without limitation, when a user opens the user interface 200 they can select a workspace via the workspace pane 204. A particular workspace may be associated with data specific to the workspace and accessible via permissions associated with the workspace. Different sections of the navigation pane 206 can present different data and/or options to a user. Different graphical indicators may be associated with virtual spaces (e.g., channels) to summarize an attribute of the channel (e.g., whether the channel is public, private, shared between organizations, locked, etc.). When a user selects a channel, a channel pane 218 may be presented. In some examples, the channel pane 218 can include a header, pinned items (e.g., documents or other virtual spaces), an “about” document providing an overview of the channel, and the like. In some cases, members of a channel can search within the channel, access content associated with the channel, add other members, post content, and the like. In some examples, depending on the permissions associated with a channel, users who are not members of the channel may have limited ability to interact with (or even view or otherwise access) a channel. As users navigate within a channel they can view messages 222 and may react to messages (e.g., a reaction), reply in a thread, start threads, and the like. Further, a channel pane 218 can include a compose pane 228 to compose message(s) and/or other data to associate with a channel. In some examples, the user interface 200 can include a thread pane 230 that provides additional levels of detail of the messages 222. In some examples, different panes can be resized, panes can be popped out to independent windows, and/or independent windows can be merged to multiple panes of the user interface 200. In some examples, users may communicate with other users via a collaboration pane 216, which may provide synchronous or asynchronous voice and/or video capabilities for communication. Of course, these are illustrative examples and additional examples of the aforementioned features are provided throughout this disclosure.
In some examples, title bar 202 comprises search bar 220. The search bar 220 may allow users to search for content located in the current workspace of the group-based communication system, such as files, messages, channels, members, commands, functions, and the like. Users may refine their searches by attributes such as content type, content author, and by users associated with the content. Users may optionally search within specific workspaces, channels, direct message conversations, or documents. In some examples, the title bar 202 comprises navigation commands allowing a user to move backwards and forwards between different panes, as well as to view a history of accessed content. In some examples, the title bar 202 may comprise additional resources such as links to help documents and user configuration settings.
In some examples, the group-based communication system can comprise a plurality of distinct workspaces, where each workspace is associated with different groups of users and channels. Each workspace can be associated with a group identifier and one or more user identifiers can be mapped to, or otherwise associated with, the group identifier. Users corresponding to such user identifiers may be referred to as members of the group. In some examples, the user interface 200 comprises the workspace pane 204 for navigating between, adding, or deleting various workspaces in the group-based communication system. For example, a user may be a part of a workspace for Acme, where the user is an employee of or otherwise affiliated with Acme. The user may also be a member of a local volunteer organization that also uses the group-based communication system to collaborate. To navigate between the two groups, the user may use the workspace pane 204 to change from the Acme workspace to the volunteer organization workspace. A workspace may comprise one or more channels that are unique to that workspace and/or one or more channels that are shared between one or more workspaces. For example, the Acme company may have a workspace for Acme projects, such as Project Zen, a workspace for social discussions, and an additional workspace for general company matters. In some examples, an organization, such as a particular company, may have a plurality of workspaces, and the user may be associated with one or more workspaces belonging to the organization. In yet other examples, a particular workspace can be associated with one or more organizations or other entities associated with the group-based communication system.
In some examples, the navigation pane 206 permits users to navigate between virtual spaces such as pages, channels 208, collaborative documents 210 (such as those discussed at
In some examples, a virtual space can be associated with the same type of event and/or action. For example, “threads” can be associated with messages, files, etc. posted in threads to messages posted in a virtual space and “mentions and reactions” can be associated with messages or threads where the user has been mentioned (e.g., via a tag) or another user has reacted (e.g., via an emoji, reaction, or the like) to a message or thread posted by the user. That is, in some examples, the same types of events and/or actions, which can be associated with different virtual spaces, can be presented via the same feed. As with the “unreads” virtual space, data associated with such virtual spaces can be organized and/or is sortable by virtual space, time, type of action, user, and/or the like.
In some examples, a virtual space can be associated with facilitating communications between a user and other users of the communication platform. For example, “connect” can be associated with enabling the user to generate invitations to communicate with one or more other users. In at least one example, responsive to receiving an indication of selection of the “connect” indicator, the communication platform can cause a connections interface to be presented.
In some examples, a virtual space can be associated with one or more boards or collaborative documents with which the user is associated. In at least one example, a document can include a collaborative document configured to be accessed and/or edited by two or more users with appropriate permissions (e.g., viewing permissions, editing permissions, etc.). In at least one example, if the user requests to access the virtual space associated with one or more documents with which the user is associated, the one or more documents can be presented via the user interface 200. In at least one example, the documents, as described herein, can be associated with an individual (e.g., private document for a user), a group of users (e.g., collaborative document), and/or one or more communication channels (e.g., members of the communication channel rendered access permissions to the document), such as to enable users of the communication platform to create, interact with, and/or view data associated with such documents. In some examples, the collaborative document can be a virtual space, a board, a canvas, a page, or the like for collaborative communication and/or data organization within the communication platform. In at least one example, the collaborative document can support editable text and/or objects that can be ordered, added, deleted, modified, and/or the like. In some examples, the collaborative document can be associated with permissions defining which users of a communication platform can view and/or edit the document. In some examples, a collaborative document can be associated with a communication channel, and members of the communication channel can view and/or edit the document. In some examples, a collaborative document can be sharable such that data associated with the document is accessible to and/or interactable for members of the multiple communication channels, workspaces, organizations, and/or the like.
In some examples, a virtual space can be associated with a group (e.g., organization, team, etc.) headquarters (e.g., administrative or command center). In at least one example, the group headquarters can include a virtual or digital headquarters for administrative or command functions associated with a group of users. For example, “HQ” can be associated with an interface including a list of indicators associated with virtual spaces configured to enable associated members to communicate. In at least one example, the user can associate one or more virtual spaces with the “HQ” virtual space, such as via a drag and drop operation. That is, the user can determine relevant virtual space(s) to associate with the virtual or digital headquarters, such as to associate virtual space(s) that are important to the user therewith.
In some examples, a virtual space can be associated with one or more boards or collaborative documents with which the user is associated. In at least one example, a document can include a collaborative document configured to be accessed and/or edited by two or more users with appropriate permissions (e.g., viewing permissions, editing permissions, etc.). In at least one example, if the user requests to access the virtual space associated with one or more documents with which the user is associated, the one or more documents can be presented via the user interface 200. In at least one example, the documents, as described herein, can be associated with an individual (e.g., private document for a user), a group of users (e.g., collaborative document), and/or one or more communication channels (e.g., members of the communication channel rendered access permissions to the document), such as to enable users of the communication platform to create, interact with, and/or view data associated with such documents. In some examples, the collaborative document can be a virtual space, a board, a canvas, a page, or the like for collaborative communication and/or data organization within the communication platform. In at least one example, the collaborative document can support editable text and/or objects that can be ordered, added, deleted, modified, and/or the like. In some examples, the collaborative document can be associated with permissions defining which users of a communication platform can view and/or edit the document. In some examples, a collaborative document can be associated with a communication channel, and members of the communication channel can view and/or edit the document. In some examples, a collaborative document can be sharable such that data associated with the document is accessible to and/or interactable for members of the multiple communication channels, workspaces, organizations, and/or the like.
Additionally or in the alternative, in some examples, a virtual space can be associated with one or more canvases with which the user is associated. In at least one example, the canvas can include a flexible canvas for curating, organizing, and sharing collections of information between users. That is, the canvas can be configured to be accessed and/or modified by two or more users with appropriate permissions. In at least one example, the canvas can be configured to enable sharing of text, images, videos, GIFs, drawings (e.g., user-generated drawing via a canvas interface), gaming content (e.g., users manipulating gaming controls synchronously or asynchronously), and/or the like. In at least one example, modifications to a canvas can include adding, deleting, and/or modifying previously shared (e.g., transmitted, presented) data. In some examples, content associated with a canvas can be shareable via another virtual space, such that data associated with the canvas is accessible to and/or rendered interactable for members of the virtual space.
The navigation pane 206 may further comprise indicators representing communication channels (e.g., the channels 208). In some examples, the communication channels can include public channels, private channels, shared channels (e.g., between groups or organizations), single workspace channels, cross-workspace channels, combinations of the foregoing, or the like. In some examples, the communication channels represented can be associated with a single workspace. In some examples, the communication channels represented can be associated with different workspaces (e.g., cross-workspace). In at least one example, if a communication channel is cross-workspace (e.g., associated with different workspaces), the user may be associated with both workspaces, or may only be associated with one of the workspaces. In some examples, the communication channels represented can be associated with combinations of communication channels associated with a single workspace and communication channels associated with different workspaces.
In some examples, the navigation pane 206 may depict some or all of the communication channels that the user has permission to access (e.g., as determined by the permission data). In such examples, the communication channels can be arranged alphabetically, based on most recent interaction, based on frequency of interactions, based on communication channel type (e.g., public, private, shared, cross-workspace, etc.), based on workspace, in user-designated sections, or the like. In some examples, the navigation pane 206 can depict some or all of the communication channels that the user is a member of, and the user can interact with the user interface 200 to browse or view other communication channels that the user is not a member of but are not currently displayed in the navigation pane 206. In some examples, different types of communication channels (e.g., public, private, shared, cross-workspace, etc.) can be in different sections of the navigation pane 206, or can have their own sub-regions or sub-panes in the user interface 200. In some examples, communication channels associated with different workspaces can be in different sections of the navigation pane 206, or can have their own regions or panes in the user interface 200.
In some examples, the indicators can be associated with graphical elements that visually differentiate types of communication channels. For example, project_zen is associated with a lock graphical element. As a non-limiting example, and for the purpose of this discussion, the lock graphical element can indicate that the associated communication channel, project_zen, is private and access thereto is limited, whereas another communication channel, general, is public and access thereto is available to any member of an organization with which the user is associated. In some examples, additional or alternative graphical elements can be used to differentiate between shared communication channels, communication channels associated with different workspaces, communication channels with which the user is or is not a current member, and/or the like.
In at least one example, the navigation pane 206 can include indicators representative of communications with individual users or multiple specified users (e.g., instead of all, or a subset of, members of an organization). Such communications can be referred to as “direct messages.” The navigation pane 206 can include indicators representative of virtual spaces that are associated with private messages between one or more users.
The direct messages 212 may be communications between a first user and a second user, or they may be multi-person direct messages between a first user and two or more second users. The navigation pane 206 may be sorted and organized into hierarchies or sections depending on the user's preferences. In some examples, all of the channels to which a user has been granted access may appear in the navigation pane 206. In other examples, the user may choose to hide certain channels or collapse sections containing certain channels. Items in the navigation pane 206 may indicate when a new message or update has been received or is currently unread, such as by bolding the text associated with a channel in which an unread message is located or adding an icon or badge (for example, with a count of unread messages) to the channel name. In some examples, the group-based communication system may additionally or alternatively store permissions data associated with permissions of individual users of the group-based communication system, indicating which channels a user may view or join. Permissions can indicate, for example, which users can communicate directly with other users, which channels a user is permitted to access, restrictions on individual channels, which workspaces the user is permitted to access, and restrictions on individual workspaces.
Additionally or in the alternative, the navigation pane 206 can include a sub-section that is a personalized sub-section associated with a team of which the user is a member. That is, the “team” sub-section can include affordance(s) of one or more virtual spaces that are associated with the team, such as communication channels, collaborative documents, direct messaging instances, audio or video synchronous or asynchronous meetings, and/or the like. In at least one example, the user can associate selected virtual spaces with the team sub-section, such as by dragging and dropping, pinning, or otherwise associating selected virtual spaces with the team sub-section.
In some examples, the group-based communication system is a channel-based messaging platform, as shown in
For purposes of this discussion, a “message” can refer to any electronically generated digital object provided by a user using the user computing device 104 and that is configured for display within a communication channel and/or other virtual space for facilitating communications (e.g., a virtual space associated with direct message communication(s), etc.) as described herein. A message may include any text, image, video, audio, or combination thereof provided by a user (using a user computing device). For instance, the user may provide a message that includes text, as well as an image and a video, within the message as message contents. In such an example, the text, image, and video would comprise the message. Each message sent or posted to a communication channel of the communication platform can include metadata comprising a sending user identifier, a message identifier, message contents, a group identifier, a communication channel identifier, or the like. In at least one example, each of the foregoing identifiers may comprise American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) text, a pointer, a memory address, or the like.
The channel discussion may persist for days, months, or years and provide a historical log of user activity. Members of a particular channel can post messages within that channel that are visible to other members of that channel together with other messages in that channel. Users may select a channel for viewing to see only those messages relevant to the topic of that channel without seeing messages posted in other channels on different topics. For example, a software development company may have different channels for each software product being developed, where developers working on each particular project can converse on a generally singular topic (e.g., project) without noise from unrelated topics. Because the channels are generally persistent and directed to a particular topic or group, users can quickly and easily refer to previous communications for reference. In some examples, the channel pane 218 may display information related to a channel that a user has selected in the navigation pane 206. For example, a user may select the project_zen channel to discuss the ongoing software development efforts for Project Zen. In some examples, the channel pane 218 may include a header comprising information about the channel, such as the channel name, the list of users in the channel, and other channel controls. Users may be able to pin items to the header for later access and add bookmarks to the header. In some examples, links to collaborative documents may be included in the header. In further examples, each channel may have a corresponding virtual space which includes channel-related information such as a channel summary, tasks, bookmarks, pinned documents, and other channel-related links which may be editable by members of the channel.
A communication channel or other virtual space can be associated with data and/or content other than messages, or data and/or content that is associated with messages. For example, non-limiting examples of additional data that can be presented via the channel pane 218 of the user interface 200 include collaborative documents (e.g., documents that can be edited collaboratively, in real-time or near real-time, etc.), audio and/or video data associated with a conversation, members added to and/or removed from the communication channel, file(s) (e.g., file attachment(s)) uploaded and/or removed from the communication channel), application(s) added to and/or removed from the communication channel, post(s) (data that can be edited collaboratively, in near real-time by one or members of a communication channel) added to and/or removed from the communication channel, description added to, modified, and/or removed from the communication channel, modifications of properties of the communication channel, etc.
The channel pane 218 may include messages such as message 222, which is content posted by a user into the channel. Users may post text, images, videos, audio, or any other file as the message 222. In some examples, particular identifiers (in messages or otherwise) may be denoted by prefixing them with predetermined characters. For example, channels may be prefixed by the “#” character (as in #project_zen) and username may be prefixed by the “@” character (as in @J_Smith or @User_A). Messages such as the message 222 may include an indication of which user posted the message and the time at which the message was posted. In some examples, users may react to messages by selecting a reaction button 224. The reaction button 224 allows users to select an icon (sometimes called a reacji in this context), such as a thumbs up, to be associated with the message. Users may respond to messages, such as the message 222, of another user with a new message. In some examples, such conversations in channels may further be broken out into threads. Threads may be used to aggregate messages related to a particular conversation together to make the conversation easier to follow and reply to, without cluttering the main channel with the discussion. Under the message beginning the thread appears a thread reply preview 226. The thread reply preview 226 may show information related to the thread, such as, for example, the number of replies and the members who have replied. Thread replies may appear in a thread pane 230 that may be separate from the channel pane 218 and may be viewed by other members of the channel by selecting the thread reply preview 226 in the channel pane 218.
In some examples, one or both of the channel pane 218 and the thread pane 230 may include a compose pane 228. In some examples, the compose pane 228 allows users to compose and transmit messages 222 to the members of the channel or to those members of the channel who are following the thread (when the message is sent in a thread). The compose pane 228 may have text editing functions such as bold, strikethrough, and italicize, and/or may allow users to format their messages or attach files such as collaborative documents, images, videos, or any other files to share with other members of the channel. In some examples, the compose pane 228 may enable additional formatting options such as numbered or bulleted lists via either the user interface or an API. The compose pane 228 may also function as a workflow trigger to initiate workflows related to a channel or message. In further examples, links or documents sent via the compose pane 228 may include unfurl instructions related to how the content should be displayed.
Synchronous multimedia collaboration session pane 216 may be associated with a session conducted for a plurality of users in a channel, users in a multi-person direct message conversation, or users in a direct message conversation. Thus, a synchronous multimedia collaboration session may be started for a particular channel, multi-person direct message conversation, or direct message conversation by one or more members of that channel or conversation. Users may start a synchronous multimedia collaboration session in a channel as a means of communicating with other members of that channel who are presently online. For example, a user may have an urgent decision and want immediate verbal feedback from other members of the channel. As another example, a synchronous multimedia collaboration session may be initiated with one or more other users of the group-based communication system through direct messaging. In some examples, the audience of a synchronous multimedia collaboration session may be determined based on the context in which the synchronous multimedia collaboration session was initiated. For example, starting a synchronous multimedia collaboration session in a channel may automatically invitation the entire channel to attend. As another example. Starting a synchronous multimedia collaboration session allows the user to start an immediate audio and/or video conversation with other members of the channel without requiring scheduling or initiating a communication session through a third-party interface. In some examples, users may be directly invited to attend a synchronous multimedia collaboration session via a message or notification.
Synchronous multimedia collaboration sessions may be short, ephemeral sessions from which no data is persisted. Alternatively, in some examples, synchronous multimedia collaboration sessions may be recorded, transcribed, and/or summarized for later review. In other examples, contents of the synchronous multimedia collaboration session may automatically be persisted in a channel associated with the synchronous multimedia collaboration session. Members of a particular synchronous multimedia collaboration session can post messages within a messaging thread associated with that synchronous multimedia collaboration session that are visible to other members of that synchronous multimedia collaboration session together with other messages in that thread.
The multimedia in a synchronous multimedia collaboration session may include collaboration tools such as any or all of audio, video, screen sharing, collaborative document editing, whiteboarding, co-programming, or any other form of media. Synchronous multimedia collaboration sessions may also permit a user to share the user's screen with other members of the synchronous multimedia collaboration session. In some examples, members of the synchronous multimedia collaboration session may mark-up, comment on, draw on, or otherwise annotate a shared screen. In further examples, such annotations may be saved and persisted after the synchronous multimedia collaboration session has ended. A canvas may be created directly from a synchronous multimedia collaboration session to further enhance the collaboration between users.
In some examples, a user may start a synchronous multimedia collaboration session via a toggle in synchronous multimedia collaboration session pane 216 shown in
In some cases, the synchronous multimedia collaboration session pane 216 may persist in the navigation pane 206 regardless of the state of the group-based communication system. In some examples, when no synchronous multimedia collaboration session is active and/or depending on which item is selected from the navigation pane 206, the synchronous multimedia collaboration session pane 216 may be hidden or removed from being presented via the user interface 200. In some instances, when the pane 216 is active, the pane 216 can be associated with a currently selected channel, direct message, or multi-person direct message such that a synchronous multimedia collaboration session may be initiated and associated with the currently selected channel, direct message, or multi-person direct message.
A list of synchronous multimedia collaboration sessions may include one or more active synchronous multimedia collaboration sessions selected for recommendation. For example, the synchronous multimedia collaboration sessions may be selected from a plurality of currently active synchronous multimedia collaboration sessions. Further, the synchronous multimedia collaboration sessions may be selected based in part on user interaction with the sessions or some association of the instant user with the sessions or users involved in the sessions. For example, the recommended synchronous multimedia collaboration sessions may be displayed based in part on the instant user having been invited to a respective synchronous multimedia collaboration session or having previously collaborated with the users in the recommended synchronous multimedia collaboration session. In some examples, the list of synchronous multimedia collaboration sessions further includes additional information for each respective synchronous multimedia collaboration session, such as an indication of the participating users or number of participating users, a topic for the synchronous multimedia collaboration session, and/or an indication of an associated group-based communication channel, multi-person direct message conversation, or direct message conversation.
In some examples, a list of recommended active users may include a plurality of group-based communication system users recommended based on at least one of user activity, user interaction, or other user information. For example, the list of recommended active users may be selected based on an active status of the users within the group-based communication system; historic, recent, or frequent user interaction with the instant user (such as communicating within the group-based communication channel); or similarity between the recommended users and the instant user (such as determining that a recommended user shares common membership in channels with the instant user). In some examples, machine learning techniques such as cluster analysis can be used to determine recommended users. The list of recommended active users may include status user information for each recommended user, such as whether the recommended user is active, in a meeting, idle, in a synchronous multimedia collaboration session, or offline. In some examples, the list of recommended active users further comprises a plurality of actuatable buttons corresponding to some of or all the recommended users (for example, those recommended users with a status indicating availability) that, when selected, may be configured to initiate at least one of a text-based communication session (such as a direct message conversation) or a synchronous multimedia collaboration session.
In some examples, one or more recommended asynchronous multimedia collaboration sessions or meetings can be displayed in an asynchronous meeting section. By contrast with a synchronous multimedia collaboration session (described above), an asynchronous multimedia collaboration session allows each participant to collaborate at a time convenient to them. This collaboration participation is then recorded for later consumption by other participants, who can generate additional multimedia replies. In some examples, the replies are aggregated in a multimedia thread (for example, a video thread) corresponding to the asynchronous multimedia collaboration session. For example, an asynchronous multimedia collaboration session may be used for an asynchronous meeting where a topic is posted in a message at the beginning of a meeting thread and participants of the meeting may reply by posting a message or a video response. The resulting thread then comprises any documents, video, or other files related to the asynchronous meeting. In some examples, a preview of a subset of video replies may be shown in the asynchronous collaboration session or thread. This can allow, for example, a user to jump to a relevant segment of the asynchronous multimedia collaboration session or to pick up where they left off previously.
The connect pane 252 may comprise a connect search bar 254, recent contacts 256, connections 258, a create channel button 260, and/or a start direct message button 262. In some examples, the connect search bar 254 may permit a user to search for users within the group-based communication system. In some examples, only users from organizations that have connected with the user's organization will be shown in the search results. In other examples, users from any organization that uses the group-based communication system can be displayed. In still other examples, users from organizations that do not yet use the group-based communication can also be displayed, allowing the searching user to invite them to join the group-based communication system. In some examples, users can be searched for via their group-based communication system username or their email address. In some examples, email addresses may be suggested or autocompleted based on external sources of data such as email directories or the searching user's contact list.
In some examples, external organizations as well as individual users may be shown in response to a user search. External organizations may be matched based on an organization name or internet domain, as search results may include organizations that have not yet joined the group-based communication system (similar to searching and matching for a particular user, discussed above). External organizations may be ranked based in part on how many users from the user's organization have connected with users of the external organization. Responsive to a selection of an external organization in a search result, the searching user may be able to invite the external organization to connect via the group-based communication system.
In some examples, the recent contacts 256 may display users with whom the instant user has recently interacted. The recent contacts 256 may display the user's name, company, and/or a status indication. The recent contacts 256 may be ordered based on which contacts the instant user most frequently interacts with or based on the contacts with whom the instant user most recently interacted. In some examples each recent contact of the recent contacts 256 may be an actuatable control allowing the instant user to quickly start a direct message conversation with the recent contact, invite them to a channel, or take any other appropriate user action for that recent contact.
In some examples, the connections 258 may display a list of companies (e.g., organizations) with which the user has interacted. For each company, the name of the company may be displayed along with the company's logo and an indication of how many interactions the user has had with the company, for example the number of conversations. In some examples, each connection of the connections 258 may be an actuatable control allowing the instant user to quickly invite the external organization to a shared channel, display recent connections with that external organization, or take any other appropriate organization action for that connection.
In some examples, the create channel button 260 allows a user to create a new shared channel between two different organizations. Selecting the create channel button 260 may further allow a user to name the new connect channel and enter a description for the connect channel. In some examples, the user may select one or more external organizations or one or more external users to add to the shared channel. In other examples, the user may add external organizations or external users to the shared channel after the shared channel is created. In some examples, the user may elect whether to make the connect channel private (e.g., accessible only by invitation from a current member of the private channel).
In some examples, the start direct message button 262 allows a user to quickly start a direct message (or multi-person direct message) with external users at an external organization. In some examples, the external user identifier at an external organization may be supplied by the instant user as the external user's group-based communication system username or as the external user's email address. In some examples, an analysis of the email domain of the external user's email address may affect the message between the user and the external user. For example, the external user's identifier may indicate (for example, based on an email address domain) that the user's organization and the external user's organization are already connected. In some such examples, the email address may be converted to a group-based communication system username.
Alternatively, the external user's identifier may indicate that the external user's organization belongs to the group-based communication system but is not connected to the instant user's organization. In some such examples, an invitation to connect to the instant user's organization may be generated in response. As another alternative, the external user may not be a member of the group-based communication system, and an invitation to join the group-based communication system as a guest or a member may be generated in response.
In some examples, the user interface 200 can comprise one or more collaborative documents (or one or more links to such collaborative documents). A collaborative document (also referred to as a document or canvas) can include a flexible workspace for curating, organizing, and sharing collections of information between users. Such documents may be associated with a synchronous multimedia collaboration session, an asynchronous multimedia collaboration session, a channel, a multi-person direct message conversation, and/or a direct message conversation. Shared canvases can be configured to be accessed and/or modified by two or more users with appropriate permissions. Alternatively or in addition, a user might have one or more private documents that are not associated with any other users.
Further, such documents can be @mentioned, such that particular documents can be referred to within channels (or other virtual spaces or documents) and/or other users can be @mentioned within such a document. For example, @mentioning a user within a document can provide an indication to that user and/or can provide access to the document to the user. In some examples, tasks can be assigned to a user via an @mention and such task(s) can be populated in the pane or sidebar associated with that user.
In some examples, a channel and a collaborative document 268 can be associated such that when a comment is posted in a channel it can be populated to a collaborative document 268, and vice versa.
In some examples, when a first user interacts with a collaborative document, the communication platform can identify a second user account associated with the collaborative document and present an affordance (e.g., a graphical element) in a sidebar (e.g., the navigation pane 206) indicative of the interaction. Further, the second user can select the affordance and/or a notification associated with or representing the interaction to access the collaborative document, to efficiently access the document and view the update thereto.
In some examples, as one or more users interact with a collaborative document, an indication (e.g., an icon or other user interface element) can be presented via user interfaces with the collaborative document to represent such interactions. For examples, if a first instance of the document is presently open on a first user computing device of a first user, and a second instance of the document is presently open on a second user computing device of a second user, one or more presence indicators can be presented on the respective user interfaces to illustrate various interactions with the document and by which user. In some examples, a presence indicator may have attributes (e.g., appearance attributes) that indicate information about a respective user, such as, but not limited to, a permission level (e.g., edit permissions, read-only access, etc.), virtual-space membership (e.g., whether the member belongs to a virtual space associated with the document), and the manner in which the user is interacting with the document (e.g., currently editing, viewing, open but not active, etc.).
In some examples, a preview of a collaborative document can be provided. In some examples, a preview can comprise a summary of the collaborative document and/or a dynamic preview that displays a variety of content (e.g., as changing text, images, etc.) to allow a user to quickly understand the context of a document. In some examples, a preview can be based on user profile data associated with the user viewing the preview (e.g., permissions associated with the user, content viewed, edited, created, etc. by the user), and the like.
In some examples, a collaborative document can be created independent of or in connection with a virtual space and/or a channel. A collaborative document can be posted in a channel and edited or interacted with as discussed herein, with various affordances or notifications indicating presence of users associated with documents and/or various interactions.
In some examples, a machine learning model can be used to determine a summary of contents of a channel and can create a collaborative document comprising the summary for posting in the channel. In some examples, the communication platform may identify the users within the virtual space, actions associated with the users, and other contributions to the conversation to generate the summary document. As such, the communication platform can enable users to create a document (e.g., a collaborative document) for summarizing content and events that transpired within the virtual space.
In some examples, documents can be configured to enable sharing of content including (but not limited to) text, images, videos, GIFs, drawings (e.g., user-generated drawings via a drawing interface), or gaming content. In some examples, users accessing a canvas can add new content or delete (or modify) content previously added. In some examples, appropriate permissions may be required for a user to add content or to delete or modify content added by a different user. Thus, for example, some users may only be able to access some or all of a document in view-only mode, while other users may be able to access some or all of the document in an edit mode allowing those users to add or modify its contents. In some examples, a document can be shared via a message in a channel, multi-person direct message, or direct message, such that data associated with the document is accessible to and/or rendered interactable for members of the channel or recipients of the multi-person direct message or direct message.
In some examples, the collaboration document pane 264 may comprise collaborative document toolbar 266 and collaborative document 268. In some examples, collaborative document toolbar 266 may provide the ability to edit or format posts, as discussed herein.
In some examples, collaborative documents may comprise free-form unstructured sections and workflow-related structured sections. In some examples, unstructured sections may include areas of the document in which a user can freely modify the collaborative document without any constraints. For example, a user may be able to freely type text to explain the purpose of the document. In some examples, a user may add a workflow or a structured workflow section by typing the name of (or otherwise mentioning) the workflow. In further examples, typing the “at” sign (@), a previously selected symbol, or a predetermined special character or symbol may provide the user with a list of workflows the user can select to add to the document. For example, a user may indicate that a marketing team member needs to sign off on a proposal by typing “!Marketing Approval” to initiate a workflow that culminates in a member of the marketing team approving the proposal. Placement of an exclamation point prior to the group name of “Marketing Approval” initiates a request for a specification action, in this case routing the proposal for approval. In some examples, structured sections may include text entry, selection menus, tables, checkboxes, tasks, calendar events, or any other document section. In further examples, structured sections may include text entry spaces that are a part of a workflow. For example, a user may enter text into a text entry space detailing a reason for approval, and then select a submit button that will advance the workflow to the next step of the workflow. In some examples, the user may be able to add, edit, or remove structured sections of the document that make up the workflow components.
In examples, sections of the collaborative document may have individual permissions associated with them. For example, a collaborative document having sections with individual permissions may provide a first user permission to view, edit, or comment on a first section, while a second user does not have permission to view, edit, or comment on the first section. Alternatively, a first user may have permissions to view a first section of the collaborative document, while a second user has permissions to both view and edit the first section of the collaborative document. The permissions associated with a particular section of the document may be assigned by a first user via various methods, including manual selection of the particular section of the document by the first user or another user with permission to assign permissions, typing or selecting an “assignment” indicator, such as the “@” symbol, or selecting the section by a name of the section. In further examples, permissions can be assigned for a plurality of collaborative documents at a single instance via these methods. For example, a plurality of collaborative documents each has a section entitled “Group Information,” where the first user with permission to assign permissions desires an entire user group to have access to the information in the “Group Information” section of the plurality of collaborative documents. In examples, the first user can select the plurality of collaborative documents and the “Group Information” section to effectuate permissions to access (or view, edit, etc.) to the entire user group the “Group Information” section of each of the plurality of collaborative documents.
The workflow tab 304 may be selected to enable a user to create a new workflow or to modify an existing workflow. For example, a user may wish to create a workflow to automatically welcome new users who join a channel. A workflow may comprise workflow steps 310. Workflow steps 310 may comprise at least one trigger which initiates the workflow and at least one function which takes an action once the workflow is triggered. For example, a workflow may be triggered when a user joins a channel and a function of the workflow may be to post within the channel welcoming the new user. In some examples, workflows may be triggered from a user action, such as a user reacting to a message, joining a channel, or collaborating in a collaborative document, from a scheduled date and time, or from a web request from a third-party application or service. In further examples, workflow functionality may include sending messages or forms to users, channels, or any other virtual space, modifying collaborative documents, or interfacing with applications. Workflow functionality may include workflow variables 312. For example, a welcome message may include a user's name via a variable to allow for a customized message. Users may edit existing workflow steps or add new workflow steps depending on the desired workflow functionality. Once a workflow is complete, a user may publish the workflow using publish button 314. A published workflow will wait until it is triggered, at which point the functions will be executed.
Activity tab 306 may display information related to a workflow's activity. In some examples, the activity tab 306 may show how many times a workflow has been executed. In further examples, the activity tab 306 may include information related to each workflow execution including the status, last activity date, time of execution, user who initiated the workflow, and other relevant information. The activity tab 306 may permit a user to sort and filter the workflow activity to find useful information.
A settings tab 308 may permit a user to modify the settings of a workflow. In some examples, a user may change a title or an icon associated with the workflow. Users may also manage the collaborators associated with a workflow. For example, a user may add additional users to a workflow as collaborators such that the additional users can modify the workflow. In some examples, settings tab 308 may also permit a user to delete a workflow.
Additionally, triggers 318 may take the form of the webhook 322. The webhook 322 may be a software component that listens at a webhook URL and port. In some examples, a trigger fires when an appropriate HTTP request is received at the webhook URL and port. In some examples, the webhook 322 requires proper authentication such as by way of a bearer token. In other examples, triggering will be dependent on payload content.
Another source of one of the trigger(s) 318 is a shortcut in the shortcut(s) 324. In some examples, the shortcut(s) 324 may be global to a group-based communication system and are not specific to a group-based communication system channel or workspace. Global shortcuts may trigger functions that are able to execute without the context of a particular group-based communication system message or group-based communication channel. By contrast, message or channel-based shortcuts are specific to a group-based communication system message or channel and operate in the context of the group-based communication system message or group-based communication channel.
A further source of one of triggers 318 may be provided by way of slash commands 326. In some examples, the slash command(s) 326 may serve as entry points for group-based communication system functions, integrations with external services, or group-based communication system message responses. In some examples, the slash commands 326 may be entered by a user of a group-based communication system to trigger execution of application functionality. Slash commands may be followed by slash-command-line parameters that may be passed along to any group-based communication system function that is invoked in connection with the triggering of a group-based communication system function such as one of functions 336.
An additional way in which a function is invoked is when an event (such as one of events 328) matches one or more conditions as predetermined in a subscription (such as subscription 334). Events 328 may be subscribed to by any number of subscriptions 334, and each subscription may specify different conditions and trigger a different function. In some examples, events are implemented as group-based communication system messages that are received in one or more group-based communication system channels. For example, all events may be posted as non-user visible messages in an associated channel, which is monitored by subscriptions 334. App events 330 may be group-based communication system messages with associated metadata that are created by an application in a group-based communication system channel. Events 328 may also be direct messages received by one or more group-based communication system users, which may be an actual user or a technical user, such as a bot. A bot is a technical user of a group-based communication system that is used to automate tasks. A bot may be controlled programmatically to perform various functions. A bot may monitor and help process group-based communication system channel activity as well as post messages in group-based communication system channels and react to members' in-channel activity. Bots may be able to post messages and upload files as well as be invited or removed from both public and private channels in a group-based communication system.
Events 328 may also be any event associated with a group-based communication system. Such group-based communication system events 332 include events relating to the creation, modification, or deletion of a user account in a group-based communication system or events relating to messages in a group-based communication system channel, such as creating a message, editing or deleting a message, or reacting to a message. Events 328 may also relate to creation, modification, or deletion of a group-based communication system channel or the membership of a channel. Events 328 may also relate to user profile modification or group creation, member maintenance, or group deletion.
As described above, subscription 334 indicates one or more conditions that, when matched by events, trigger a function. In some examples, a set of event subscriptions is maintained in connection with a group-based communication system such that when an event occurs, information regarding the event is matched against a set of subscriptions to determine which (if any) of functions 336 should be invoked. In some examples, the events to which a particular application may subscribe are governed by an authorization framework. In some instances, the event types matched against subscriptions are governed by OAuth permission scopes that may be maintained by an administrator of a particular group-based communication system.
In some examples, functions 336 can be triggered by triggers 318 and events 328 to which the function is subscribed. Functions 336 take zero or more inputs, perform processing (potentially including accessing external resources), and return zero or more results. Functions 336 may be implemented in various forms. First, there are group-based communication system built-ins 338, which are associated with the core functionality of a particular group-based communication system. Some examples include creating a group-based communication system user or channel. Second are no-code builder functions 340 that may be developed by a user of a group-based communication system user in connection with an automation user interface such as workflow builder user interface. Third, there are hosted-code functions 342 that are implemented by way of group-based communication system applications developed as software code in connection with a software development environment.
These various types of functions 336 may in turn integrate with APIs 344. In some examples, APIs 344 are associated with third-party services that functions 336 employ to provide a custom integration between a particular third-party service and a group-based communication system. Examples of third-party service integrations include video conferencing, sales, marketing, customer service, project management, and engineering application integration. In such an example, one of the triggers 318 would be a slash command 326 that is used to trigger a hosted-code function 342, which makes an API call to a third-party video conferencing provider by way of one of the APIs 344. As shown in
In addition to integrating with APIs 344, functions 336 may persist and access data in tables 346. In some examples, tables 346 are implemented in connection with a database environment associated with a serverless execution environment in which a particular event-based application is executing. In some instances, tables 346 may be provided in connection with a relational database environment. In other examples, tables 346 are provided in connection with a database mechanism that does not employ relational database techniques. As shown in
The workflow recommendation section 410 may include one or more recommended workflows (e.g., recommended workflows 414A-414L) that a user may be interested in generating. That is, a recommended workflow may not be generated until a user selects a recommended workflow affordance, reviews the generated preview of the suggested series of steps, and publishes the workflow. The recommended workflows may be organized into subsections 412A-412C. For example, a first subsection 412A titled “sprinkle some delight!” may include recommended workflows 414A-414E that generate an encouraging, happy, and/or welcoming message to another user. Examples may include creating an automated workflow that sends a birthday wish to another user, sends a message that celebrates an achievement, sends a daily message or gif, sends a congratulations or praise message, sends a welcome message to a new employee, and the like. A second subsection 412B titled “help me be more productive” may include recommended workflows 414F-414I that automatically perform tasks related to productivity. Examples may include creating an automated workflow that summarizes messages in a channel, sends the user a reminder, sends a weekly reminder for a team standup, sends a meeting invite, and the like. A third subsection 412C titled “save me time to close more deals” may include recommended workflows 414J-414J that automatically perform tasks are that are related to a user role or job title. For example, a user associated with a “finance” type role may be presented with recommended workflows that can get the user up to speed with an account by retrieving relevant data associated with the account, drafting an executive summary of a document, creating an account plan, and the like.
In some examples, the workflow recommendation section 410 may include recommended workflow(s) that are recommended based at least in part on user data associated with a user account (i.e., an individual preference). User data may include, for example, a channel and/or types of channels associated with a user account, a role associated with a user account (new employee, manager, CEO, job title, etc.), a permission setting associated with the user account (e.g., what data the user has access to on the communication platform), and/or user interaction data associated with the user account (e.g., messages sent/received, frequency of messages, reactions, emojis, applications the user account has downloaded and/or uses most frequently), login and logout times (timestamps indicating when a user logs in and out of the communication platform, timestamps associated with when the user initiates certain applications, etc.), notification preferences, workflows the user has previously generated, and any other available metadata. In some examples, workflows and/or individual steps may be recommended based at least in part on workflows the user has previously generated, workflows the user initiates a threshold number of times (e.g., recommend a “celebrate a win” workflow based at least in part on the user initiating a “provide good feedback” workflow a threshold number of times), workflows users with a similar role initiate a threshold number of times (e.g., a coworker with a similar title or role as the user), and the like.
In some examples, workflows and/or suggested steps may be recommended based at least in part on team preference data. A team may be a group of associates or users assigned to a project (e.g., development of a product), assigned to the same department of an organization (e.g., legal team), associated with a particular channel or workspace, and the like. Team preferences may depend on factors such as the team's goal, workstyle, tasks the team works on (e.g., communication preferences, preferred collaboration tools, work schedules, feedback styles, and the like). In some examples, workflows may be recommended based at least in part on an organizational preference. An organization may include a company, enterprise, firm, institution, business, etc. Organizational preferences may depend on the organization's goals and/or industry and may include, for example, a preference for a particular technology platform (e.g., applications or platforms specific to an organization may be prioritized over third-party applications), software tools (e.g., Cisco Webex® versus Google Meet®), communication preferences (e.g., email versus video chat), and the like.
In some examples, the recommended workflows and/or subsections may be organized based at least in part on a complexity (e.g., simpler workflows including fewer steps and data may be presented in the first subsection and more complex workflows that include more steps and/or API calls may be presented in a third subsection). In some examples, the recommended workflows may be organized based at least in part on the number of times a workflow has been published, initiated, number of positive feedback received, and the like. For example, the workflow builder may determine that a threshold number of users associated with the communication platform have generated the “send a happy birthday wish” workflow 414A and/or initiated the “send a happy birthday wish” workflow a threshold number of times and present that workflow toward the top of the workflow recommendation section 410.
In some examples, new recommended workflows may be generated to replace prior recommendations. For example, the workflow builder component may determine that a user is not interested in generating a particular recommended workflow based at least in part on determining a threshold period of time has passed and/or determining a threshold number of other workflows were generated since the recommended workflow was presented. The workflow builder component may remove or replace the recommended workflow with a different recommended workflow that the user may be interested in. In some examples, new recommended workflows may be generated to replace recommendations based at least in part on new data (e.g., user account data, team preference data, organizational preference data, etc.) that is received. For instance, the workflow builder component may determine that a user joins a threshold number of channels, sends a threshold number of messages to another user, changes their role (e.g., to a managerial position), downloads a new application, changes their work hours, etc., and generate a new recommended workflow based at least in part on the new information.
The workflow builder bot 404 may be configured to engage one or more machine learning model(s) (e.g., AI, generative AI that generates text using one or more generative models, transformer (e.g., generative pre-trained transformer), neural networks, etc.) trained to generate a suggested workflow based on a received prompt. For example, a user of the communication platform may type a text string into a text box 408 associated with the workflow builder bot 404. In the particular example, a user has entered “collect bug info and create a ticket in channel” as a prompt to generate a workflow. In response to receiving the prompt, a workflow builder component may generate a suggested workflow including a series of steps.
The partially generated workflow may comprise a series of workflow steps 416. In the particular example shown in
In further examples, the functionality of one or more steps may include sending messages (e.g., a send message step), requesting users enter information in a form (e.g., a form step that comprises one or more responses to be provided by one or more users associated with the communication platform), generating a channel, workspace, canvas (e.g., a virtual space generation step configured to automatically generate a virtual space), modifying collaborative documents, generating documents (e.g., a document generation step configured to automatically generate a document), retrieving data (e.g., a collect data step configured to collect or retrieve data from a database(s) and/or other data source using an API(s)), modifying data, sharing links, and/or interfacing with applications. For example, the second step 420 comprises providing a form to one or more users in order to collect additional information regarding an issue (e.g., by presenting a form in a messaging feed, in a channel, during a video conference associated with the communication platform, etc.). The third step 422 may include creating a ticket using the information provided by the one or more users in the second step 420. That is, the communication platform may automatically generate a ticket based on receiving a response to the form. The fourth step 424 may include automatically sending a message to a channel with a link to the ticket. In some examples, the message may be sent to multiple channels, users, etc. In some examples, the message may be posted by a bot (i.e., a technical user of a group-based communication system that is used to automate tasks).
In some examples, one or more steps of a workflow may be associated with one or more APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that are configured to access a machine learning model(s) (e.g., a large language model such as a generative pre-trained transformer 3, a bidirectional encoder representations transformer, text-to-text transfer transformer, XLNet, and the like). In some examples, the machine learning model may be trained to access and/or retrieve data from a particular database or source.
In some examples, the series of steps presented in the prebuilt workflow may be based at least in part on applications that are installed on the computing device and/or application usage data associated with a user account, profile, computing device, etc. For instance, a user may have multiple video conferencing applications installed on a computing device (e.g., Cisco Webex®, Google Meet®, Skype®, etc.). However, a user may use a first video conferencing application more often than a second video conferencing application. Additionally, a user may use the first video conferencing application when performing a first task (e.g., communicating with a first group of users at a first organization) and a second video conferencing application when performing a second task (e.g., communicating with a second group of users associated with a second organization). The application usage data associated with a user may be input into the one or more machine learning models associated with the workflow builder and be configured to output suggested workflows and workflow steps that are customized for the user.
In some examples, one or more of the steps may be associated with a hint 426 that provides users with additional context as to the function of a step. For example, the second step 420 may include a hint that provides the “form step is to collect bug info,” the third step 422 may include a hint that provides that the third step “creates a new issue with the bug info collected from the form,” and the fourth step 424 may include a hint that provides that the fourth step “sends a message to channel with a link to the ticket.”
In some examples, the workflow builder component may determine that one or more of the suggested steps is missing information relevant to generating at least a portion of a workflow. The workflow builder bot may ask the user to provide additional information 428 regarding one or more particular steps. For example, the workflow builder bot may ask the user what information the user would like to collect in the form step. In some examples, the workflow builder bot may ask the user where the workflow is to be published (e.g., which channel, workspace, etc.). In some examples, the workflow builder bot may ask the user what application the user would prefer to include in a step. For example, if the user has two video conferencing applications installed (e.g., Cisco Webex® and Google Meet®), the workflow builder bot may ask the user which video conferencing application the user prefers to include in a step. In some instances, a response the user provides to the workflow builder bot may be used as training data to retrain the machine learning model.
The user may respond to the workflow builder bot by entering a second prompt (e.g., a text string) into text box 430. In some examples, the workflow builder bot may present the user two or more options (e.g., via a list) from which the user can select a response (e.g., the workflow builder bot may present the user with a list of channels associated with the user profile and the user can respond by selecting one or more channels to send a message to in association with a step). The user may respond to the workflow builder bot by providing questions, key points, topics, etc. that the user would like to collect in the form step. For example, the user may type “urgency, bug description, additional comments” into text box 430. The user's response may be input into one or more machine learning model(s) configured to output a list of questions to include in a form step. For example, a machine learning model may be a large language model configured to recognize key components mentioned in a prompt or input (i.e., “urgency, bug description, additional comments”), and formulate questions to gather information about each of the key components. The large language model may be trained to understand contextual relationships between words and phrases and output a contextually appropriate question. Automatically generating questions from keywords or phrases saves the user time as the user does not have to manually enter complete questions in the form step.
In some examples, the machine learning model may output, based at least in part on the prompt provided by the user and/or the question type, an answer type associated with individual questions in the form step. Using a variety of answer types provides flexibility in collecting various information and helps create structured and user-friendly interfaces for data collection. Answer types may include a text box, a list of prefilled options (e.g., a generated list of predefined answers collected from a database) multiple-choice, checkboxes, slider, date/time selection, phone number fields, and the like. The answer type may depend at least in part on the information being sought (e.g., a question type). For example, a question related to “urgency” may be generated in association with a multiple-choice answer type (e.g., options A through D), a slider, or a list of predetermined options (e.g., not urgent, moderately urgent, highly urgent, etc.), while a question related to “additional comments” may be generated in association with a text box answer type in order to provide users with more room to respond to the open-ended question type.
In some examples, the list of steps 444 may include actions or commands that are associated with third-party applications, such as Google Meet®, Google Sheets®, JIRA cloud®, etc. The list of steps 444 may be searchable using step search bar. The example list of steps presented in user interface 400D are merely illustrative and additional, different, and/or fewer steps may be presented depending on applications a user has downloaded, organizational preferences, administrative approval, etc.
The workflow builder component may be configured to provide one or more step recommendations to assist the user in creating an effective workflow. The workflow builder component can recommend the user add additional steps to the suggested workflow and/or recommend the user edit individual steps. For example, the workflow builder component can be configured to present an attention icon in association with one or more step(s), such a first attention icon 438A and a second attention icon 438B. Attention icons can be used to indicate the workflow builder component has identified a step or portion of the workflow the user may be interested in modifying. A user may select the publish affordance 446 to publish the workflow within the communication platform. Alternatively, the user may save an unpublished copy of the workflow and publish at a later time.
At operation 502, the process can include receiving, from a user computing device of a user associated with the communication platform, a request to generate a workflow. For example, a user may select a workflow builder application affordance from within the communication platform. In some examples, a user may request to generate a workflow by typing the name of (or otherwise mentioning) the workflow builder (e.g., typing @workflow builder into a messaging instance).
At operation 504, the communication platform may cause, in response to the request, a workflow builder (e.g., a workflow builder application) to be presented (or displayed) via a user interface associated with the computing device. The workflow builder may be associated with a workflow builder bot that is configured to receive a prompt from a user. The prompt defines a task to be performed by one or more machine learning models associated with the workflow builder.
At operation 506, the process may include receiving, via a text box associated with the workflow builder bot, a prompt from the user. The prompt may be a request from a user in the form of a text string defining a task to be automated and received via the user computing device. For example, a user may type a task the user wants to automate into a text box associated with the workflow builder. For instance, a user may specify that a user wants to automate a task that includes collecting or retrieving data (e.g., message data, customer information, financial data, issue data, etc.), requesting additional information from another user or customer, creating a new workspace (e.g., a channel or canvas), and/or sharing the information with another user or workspace. In the particular example shown in
At operation 508, the process may include inputting the prompt (e.g., the text string defining the task to be automated) into a machine learning model(s) associated with the workflow builder. The machine learning model(s) may any type of model, such as, for example a large language model. In some examples, the communication platform may send a request to a large language model through a corresponding API (Application Programming Interface) along with the prompt and any other relevant parameters.
At operation 510, the process may include receiving, from the machine learning model, an incomplete or partial workflow. That is, one or more steps of the prebuilt workflow may be missing information that is relevant to performing the requested automated task. The partially generated or prebuilt workflow may include a first step 512 associated with a trigger (e.g., an action or event that initiates the automation of a task), a second step 514 (e.g., a form step that serves to collect information from other users in a structured format and designed to gather details or responses from users), a third step 516 (e.g., an AI step that is configured to use artificial intelligence, such a machine learning model, to get information from a source, such as a third-party database), a fourth step 518 (e.g., a generation step configured to generate a workspace, such as a canvas, in the communication platform) and/or a fifth step 520 (e.g., a message step that generates and sends a message to another user or workspace including a link to the newly generated workspace that was generated in response to the fourth step 518, for example). Of course, this is a non-limiting example and any number of different, fewer, or more steps may be generated based at least in part on the prompt provided by the user. Additionally, the steps may be arranged in a different order based at least in part on the provided prompt.
At operation 522, the process may include determining additional information to be included in one or more steps, such as a form step. The workflow builder may determine (e.g., using one or more machine learning models) that the prompt the user provided does not include sufficient information or context as to what the user intended. A workflow builder bot associated with the workflow builder may prompt or ask the user to provide additional details or information regarding one or more steps. That is, the workflow builder may cause the user interface to display an instruction to the user to provide input data defining a type of data to collect in association with one or more steps (e.g., a form step). As a nonlimiting example,
At operation 524, the process may include receiving user input data defining a type of data to collect in association with one or more steps (e.g., a form step). User input data may include any type of input (e.g., text string input, audio data (e.g., voice command), etc.). The user input data may be input into a text box associated with the workflow builder bot that requested additional information. The user input data need not be provided in the form of a complete sentence and/or question. For example, the user input data may comprise a few, short phrases separated by one or more commas.
At operation 526, the process may include generating a suggested, prebuilt workflow including form questions in the form step. For example, one or more machine learning model(s) associated with the workflow builder can be configured to receive, as input, user input data (e.g., in the form of a text string comprising short phrases) and output one or more questions. A machine learning model (e.g., a large language model) may be configured to recognize key components or phrases of the user input (e.g., “company name, who is responsible for the company”), and formulate questions to gather information about each of the key components or phrases. The large language model may be trained to understand contextual relationships between words and phrases and output a contextually appropriate question or instruction to include in a form step.
At operation 528, the process may include receiving a request to publish the workflow. For example, a user may select a “publish” affordance associated with the workflow. The request to publish the workflow may be associated with a confirmation to generate the workflow.
At operation 530, the process may include publishing the generating the workflow, in response to receiving the request to publish the workflow, the workflow builder may publish the workflow. That is, the workflow may be generated and stored in a datastore or database system and may be made available to users as defined by the workflow parameters (e.g., security settings associated with the workflow, operations included in the workflow, administrative approval, etc.) or permission parameters (e.g., a user's role or membership within the communication platform).
At operation 532, the process may include receiving a request to initiate the workflow. For example, a user may select a “start workflow” affordance 534 (or link) associated with a workflow. In some examples, the request to initiate the workflow may correspond to the trigger associated with the workflow. A trigger may be an action or event that initiates an automated workflow. A first step of a workflow may be associated with a trigger. A trigger may include, for example, a user selection (e.g., determining a user selects a “start workflow” affordance associated with a workflow, a link, selectable icon, interactive slider, determining a user initiates a web clock (i.e., a time and attendance tool that allows a user to track their work duration, etc.)), a user joining a channel or workspace, a reaction (e.g., determining a user reacted to a message, a thread, a document, a virtual space, a video, etc.), a collection of a threshold amount of data in association with the communication platform or the user (e.g., determining a user preformed an action a threshold number of times, determining two or more users have exchanged a threshold amount of messages, determining a user has joined a threshold number of channels, etc.), a user adding an event or new record (e.g., determining a user generates a new calendar event on a schedule at a certain day/time, determining a user created a new incident ticket, etc.), and the like. In some examples, a trigger may be associated with a predefined time-based trigger. For example, a workflow may be triggered at a particular time and/or interval of time. For instance, a workflow may be used to send an email at 8 am in the morning on Mondays. In some examples, a trigger may be associated with the non-occurrence of an action or event. For example, a trigger may include determining that a user has not viewed a new message after a threshold period of time (e.g., after 2 days) and initiating a workflow that generates a reminder to view the message.
In some examples, a user may share workflow with other users, channels, workspaces, etc. For example, a first user may request to share the workflow with a second user by selecting a share affordance 536 associated with the workflow. In response to the request to share the workflow, the communication platform may cause a notification to be sent to the second user. The notification may be associated with an instruction to create or install the workflow for the second user. In some examples, the communication platform may automatically associate the shared workflow with a user account associated with the second user. This enables users to quickly share their favorite workflows with team members that may desire to automate similar tasks. In some examples, the workflow may be associated with a message box 538 capable of receiving text input, graphics (e.g., images, emojis, GIFs, etc.) links, and the like. The message box 538 may enable users to communicate with one another regarding a performance of the workflow, suggest changes, and the like. In other embodiments, upon being generated, a workflow may be used in association with various virtual spaces of the communication platform, such as channels, workspaces, direct messages, and so on. As a result, different users of the communication platform may access and utilize a workflow even though the user that generated the workflow using the workflow builder did not share the workflow with a particular user and/or virtual space.
At operation 540, the process may include initiating a form step associated with the workflow in response to the trigger (i.e., receiving a selection of the “start workflow” affordance 534). The form step may include questions generated by a machine learning model based at least in part on a prompt received from a user. In some examples, the machine learning model may determine, based at least in part on the prompt, an answer type associated with individual answers. An answer type (or answer format) represents the structure of a response to the questions based at least in part on the question type (e.g., an open-ended question versus a question with a finite number of possible answers). In the particular example show in
At operation 542, the process may include receiving a submission of the form completed at operation 540. In some examples, submission of the completed form may initiate subsequent workflow steps, such as those discussed in relation to
At operation 544, the process may include initiating, in response to receiving submission of the form at operation 542, subsequent series of steps associated with the workflow. For example, information collected in the form step (step 514) may be input into a machine learning model (e.g., a data integration model) configured to automatically access and retrieve data (e.g., financial data associated with a customer as indicated in step 516) from relevant sources and databases. The workflow may then proceed to create a canvas (step 518) and paste the retrieved financial data associated with the customer into the canvas. The canvas may then be shared as a message in a channel (step 520). The message posted in the channel may include a link to the canvas. In some examples, the workflow may tag a user (e.g., @userA check this out!) in association with the link.
A. A method implemented at least in part by one or more computing devices of a communication platform, the method comprising: receiving, from a user computing device of a user associated with the communication platform, a request to generate a workflow, the workflow configured to perform a series of steps to facilitate completion of one or more tasks in response to a trigger that initiates the series of steps; causing, in response to the request, a workflow builder to be displayed via a user interface associated with the user computing device, the workflow builder associated with a machine learning model configured to generate at least a portion of the workflow; receiving, from the user computing device, a prompt defining a task to be completed; inputting the prompt into the machine learning model; receiving, as output by the machine learning model, a suggested workflow including a suggested series of steps to complete the task, wherein at least one step of the suggested series of steps comprises an interaction with at least one other user via the communication platform; receiving, from the user computing device, an indication of a selection to publish the suggested workflow; and publishing, based at least in part on the indication, the suggested workflow in association with the communication platform.
B: The method of paragraph A, wherein the trigger represents an event that initiates the workflow, the event comprising at least one of: a user selection, by the user, of a selectable element associated with the communication platform; the user joining a channel of the communication platform; a user reaction by the user in association with a message, a thread, a document, or a virtual space; a predefined time-based trigger configured to initiate the workflow at a particular time; or a collection of a threshold amount of data in association with the communication platform or the user.
C: The method of paragraph A, wherein the output is a first output, the method further comprising: determining user data associated with a user account associated with the user, the user data comprising at least one of a channel in which the user account is a member, a role associated with the user account, a permission setting associated with the user account, or user interaction data associated with the user account; inputting the user data into the machine learning model; receiving, as a second output by the machine learning model, one or more recommended workflows; and causing the one or more recommended workflows to be displayed via the user interface.
D: The method of paragraph A, wherein the prompt is a first prompt, the method further comprising: determining first application usage data and second application usage data associated with a user account associated with the user; determining that the first application usage data meets a threshold application usage; and generating, based at least in part on the first application usage data meeting the threshold application usage, a suggested step associated with the suggested workflow.
E: The method of paragraph A, further comprising: presenting a preview of the suggested workflow, the preview of the suggested workflow including a first step associated with the trigger and a second step associated with at least one of: a form step that comprises one or more responses to be provided by one or more users associated with the communication platform, a document generation step configured to generate a document, a collect data step configured to collect or retrieve data from a database, a send message step configured to generate and send an automatic message, or a virtual space generation step configured to generate a virtual space.
F: The method of paragraph A, further comprising: generating, based at least in part on the prompt, a form step associated with the suggested workflow, the form step including one or more responses to be provided by one or more users associated with the communication platform; and causing the user interface to display an instruction to the user to provide input data defining a type of data to collect in association with the form step.
G: The method of paragraph A, wherein the suggested workflow is a first suggested workflow and the task is a first task, the method further comprising: determining that the user performed a second task a threshold number of times; and causing the user interface to present a recommendation to generate a second suggested workflow associated with the second task, the second suggested workflow comprising a second suggested series of steps to facilitate completion of the second task.
H: The method of paragraph A, further comprising: receiving user input indicating that the suggested workflow or a suggested step of the suggested series of steps is unrelated to the task to be completed; and causing the machine learning model to be retrained based at least in part on the user input.
I: The method of paragraph A, wherein an individual step of the suggested series of steps is associated with a selectable control configured to enable the user to modify the individual step.
J: The method of paragraph A, wherein the user is a first user, the request is a first request, further comprising: receiving, from the first user, a second request to share the workflow with a second user; and causing a notification to be sent to the second user, the notification associated with an instruction to generate the suggested workflow.
K. A system comprising: one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a user associated with a communication platform, a prompt defining one or more tasks to be completed automatically; inputting the prompt into a machine learning model associated with a workflow builder; receiving, as output by the machine learning model, a workflow including a series of steps to complete the one or more tasks; receiving, from the user, a request to publish the workflow; and publishing the workflow based at least in part on the request, the workflow associated with a trigger that initiates the series of steps.
L: The system of paragraph K, wherein the trigger represents an event that initiates the workflow, the event comprising at least one of: a user selection, by the user, of a selectable element associated with the communication platform; the user joining a channel of the communication platform; a user reaction by the user in association with a message, a thread, a document, or a virtual space; a predefined time-based trigger configured to initiate the workflow at a particular time; or a collection of a threshold amount of data in association with the communication platform or the user.
M: The system of paragraph K, wherein the output is a first output, the operations further comprising: determining user data associated with a user account associated with the user, the user data comprising at least one of a channel in which the user account is a member, a role associated with the user account, a permission setting associated with the user account, or user interaction data associated with the user account; inputting the user data into the machine learning model; receiving, as a second output by the machine learning model, one or more recommended workflows; and causing the one or more recommended workflows to be displayed via a user interface.
N: The system of paragraph K, the operations further comprising: determining first application usage data and second application usage data associated with the user; determining the first application usage data meets a threshold application usage; and generating, based at least in part on the first application usage data meeting the threshold application usage, a step associated with the workflow.
O: One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a user associated with a communication platform, a prompt defining one or more tasks to be completed automatically; inputting the prompt into a machine learning model associated with a workflow builder; receiving, as output by the machine learning model, a workflow including a series of steps to complete the one or more tasks; receiving, from the user, a request to publish the workflow; and publishing the workflow based at least in part on the request, the workflow associated with a trigger that initiates the series of steps.
P: The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of paragraph O, the operations further comprising: presenting a preview of the workflow, the preview of the workflow including a first step associated with the trigger and a second step associated with at least one of: a form step that comprises one or more responses to be provided by one or more users associated with the communication platform, a document generation step configured to generate a document, a collect data step configured to collect or retrieve data from a database, a send message step configured to generate and send an automatic message, or a virtual space generation step configured to generate a virtual space.
Q: The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of paragraph O, the operations further comprising: generating, based at least in part on the prompt, a form step associated with the workflow, the form step including one or more responses to be provided by one or more users associated with the communication platform; and causing a user interface to display an instruction to the user to provide input data defining one or more questions to present in association with the form step.
R: The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of paragraph O, wherein the workflow is a first workflow, the operations further comprising: determining that the user performed a task a threshold number of times; and causing a user interface to present a recommendation to generate a second workflow associated with automating the task, the second workflow comprising a second series of steps.
S: The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of paragraph O, the operations further comprising: receiving user input indicating that the workflow or a step of the series of steps is unrelated to the one or more tasks to be completed; and causing the machine learning model to be retrained based at least in part on the user input.
T: The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of paragraph O, wherein the user is a first user, the operations further comprising: receiving, from the first user, a request to share the workflow with a second user; and sending a notification to the second user, the notification associated with an instruction to generate the workflow.
While the example clauses described above are described with respect to one particular implementation, it should be understood that, in the context of this document, the content of the example clauses can also be implemented via a method, device, system, a computer-readable medium, and/or another implementation. Additionally, any of examples A-T may be implemented alone or in combination with any other one or more of the examples A-T.
While one or more examples of the techniques described herein have been described, various alterations, additions, permutations and equivalents thereof are included within the scope of the techniques described herein.
In the description of examples, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, which show by way of illustration specific examples of the claimed subject matter. It is to be understood that other examples can be used and that changes or alterations, such as structural changes, can be made. Such examples, changes or alterations are not necessarily departures from the scope with respect to the intended claimed subject matter. While the steps herein can be presented in a certain order, in some cases the ordering can be changed so that certain inputs are provided at different times or in a different order without changing the function of the systems and methods described. The disclosed procedures could also be executed in different orders. Additionally, various computations that are herein need not be performed in the order disclosed, and other examples using alternative orderings of the computations could be readily implemented. In addition to being reordered, the computations could also be decomposed into sub-computations with the same results.
