Voice messages are annoying… so I made them better

Voice messages are annoying… so I made them better

Role

Product Designer

Timeline

7 days

Responsibilities

User research


UI Design
Prototyping
User testing

Tools

Brain
Figma
Jitter

Project background

Project background

I've gotten pretty annoyed many times with voice messages, especially long ones. Turns out, a lot of people feel the same way. So, that got me thinking ...

Phone mockup with AI summary of a voice message and notetaking for voice message feature on the screen.
Phone mockup with AI summary of a voice message and notetaking for voice message feature on the screen.
Phone mockup with AI summary of a voice message and notetaking for voice message feature on the screen.

How can we make voice messages less annoying?

How can we make voice messages less annoying?

Phone mockup with AI summary of a voice message and notetaking for voice message feature on the screen.
Phone mockup with AI summary of a voice message and notetaking for voice message feature on the screen.
How can we make voice messages less annoying?

Research

I began by conducting desk research, exploring articles, Reddit threads and utilizing AI tools to gather insights. Then, I interviewed a mix of individuals to understand pain points they were experiencing with (long) voice messages.

Challenges people face with voice messages: 1: I often forget a lot of what’s said, especially the first part of the message. 2:It’s hard to keep track of what each voice message is about. They all look the same, so finding something specific later is a hassle. 3: I never really know how private a voice message is. Can I safely listen in public, or should I wait until I’m alone? 4: There’s no way to search for keywords or context within voice messages, unlike in text messages. 5: Voice messages often drag on, with a lot of talking but not much useful info.
Challenges people face with voice messages: 1: I often forget a lot of what’s said, especially the first part of the message. 2:It’s hard to keep track of what each voice message is about. They all look the same, so finding something specific later is a hassle. 3: I never really know how private a voice message is. Can I safely listen in public, or should I wait until I’m alone? 4: There’s no way to search for keywords or context within voice messages, unlike in text messages. 5: Voice messages often drag on, with a lot of talking but not much useful info.
Challenges people face with voice messages: 1: I often forget a lot of what’s said, especially the first part of the message. 2:It’s hard to keep track of what each voice message is about. They all look the same, so finding something specific later is a hassle. 3: I never really know how private a voice message is. Can I safely listen in public, or should I wait until I’m alone? 4: There’s no way to search for keywords or context within voice messages, unlike in text messages. 5: Voice messages often drag on, with a lot of talking but not much useful info.
Challenges people face with voice messages: 1: I often forget a lot of what’s said, especially the first part of the message. 2:It’s hard to keep track of what each voice message is about. They all look the same, so finding something specific later is a hassle. 3: I never really know how private a voice message is. Can I safely listen in public, or should I wait until I’m alone? 4: There’s no way to search for keywords or context within voice messages, unlike in text messages. 5: Voice messages often drag on, with a lot of talking but not much useful info.

WhatsApp's current efforts to make voice messages less annoying

Exploring initial ideas

WhatsApp's current efforts to make voice messages less annoying

Exploring initial ideas

WhatsApp's current efforts to make voice messages less annoying

Exploring initial ideas

Solutions

AI summary

AI summary
AI summary

An obvious approach is leveraging AI for quick summaries. However, this doesn’t come without it’s challenges. To maintain end-to-end encryption, all data must remain on the device, meaning the AI needs to run locally. This requires significant storage and processing power, which not every phone can support.

But the biggest problem is: users simply do not trust Meta with their data. As a result many might not even use the feature at all. That’s where the next solution comes into play ...

An obvious approach is leveraging AI for quick summaries. However, this doesn’t come without it’s challenges. To maintain end-to-end encryption, all data must remain on the device, meaning the AI needs to run locally. This requires significant storage and processing power, which not every phone can support.

But the biggest problem is: users simply do not trust Meta with their data. As a result many might not even use the feature at all. That’s where the next solution comes into play ...

An obvious approach is leveraging AI for quick summaries. However, this doesn’t come without it’s challenges. To maintain end-to-end encryption, all data must remain on the device, meaning the AI needs to run locally. This requires significant storage and processing power, which not every phone can support.

But the biggest problem is: users simply do not trust Meta with their data. As a result many might not even use the feature at all. That’s where the next solution comes into play ...

Addresses these pain points:

🤔

I often forget a lot of what's said, especially the first part of the message.

🥱

Voice messages often drag on, with a lot of talking but not much useful info.

Solutions

Taking notes: a simple solution

Taking notes: a simple solution
Taking notes: a simple solution

This approach actually addresses a couple issues that AI summaries don’t:

First, you only take notes on the parts that matter to you, rather than relying on an AI to summarize the entire message.
Second, you can quickly write down your own thoughts or responses as you listen, so you don’t lose track while preparing your reply. That’s where this solution really makes a difference.

This approach actually addresses a couple issues that AI summaries don’t:

First, you only take notes on the parts that matter to you, rather than relying on an AI to summarize the entire message.
Second, you can quickly write down your own thoughts or responses as you listen, so you don’t lose track while preparing your reply. That’s where this solution really makes a difference.

This approach actually addresses a couple issues that AI summaries don’t:

First, you only take notes on the parts that matter to you, rather than relying on an AI to summarize the entire message.
Second, you can quickly write down your own thoughts or responses as you listen, so you don’t lose track while preparing your reply. That’s where this solution really makes a difference.

Addresses these pain points:

🤔

I often forget a lot of what's said, especially the first part of the message.

👨‍🦯

It's hard to keep track of what each voice message is about. They all look the same, so finding something specific later is a hassle.

Another great advantage of this solution is by adding notes, you can effectively “tag” voice messages and make them searchable. This means you’ll always know what a message was about at a glance and you can quickly find specific voice notes just by search for keywords in your notes.

Another great advantage of this solution is by adding notes, you can effectively “tag” voice messages and make them searchable. This means you’ll always know what a message was about at a glance and you can quickly find specific voice notes just by search for keywords in your notes.

Another great advantage of this solution is by adding notes, you can effectively “tag” voice messages and make them searchable. This means you’ll always know what a message was about at a glance and you can quickly find specific voice notes just by search for keywords in your notes.

Addresses this pain point:

🔎

There's no way to search for keywords or context within voice messages, unlike in text messages.

Voice message labeling

Voice message labeling
Voice message labeling

To help users quickly understand the privacy or importance of a voice message, I’ve introduced a labeling feature. Senders can label a voice message to indicate how private the message is, how important the message is or any other context the user wants to add.

This gives the recipient a clear heads-up, so they know whether to listen right away or wait for a private moment. Or you know, senders use the label to convey anything else the feel is important before the recipient listens to the message.

To help users quickly understand the privacy or importance of a voice message, I’ve introduced a labeling feature. Senders can label a voice message to indicate how private the message is, how important the message is or any other context the user wants to add.

This gives the recipient a clear heads-up, so they know whether to listen right away or wait for a private moment. Or you know, senders use the label to convey anything else the feel is important before the recipient listens to the message.

To help users quickly understand the privacy or importance of a voice message, I’ve introduced a labeling feature. Senders can label a voice message to indicate how private the message is, how important the message is or any other context the user wants to add.

This gives the recipient a clear heads-up, so they know whether to listen right away or wait for a private moment. Or you know, senders use the label to convey anything else the feel is important before the recipient listens to the message.

Addresses this pain point:

🤷‍♀️

I never really know how private a voice message is. Can I safely listen in public, or should I wait until l'm alone?

Reflection

Takeaways

During this project, I learned that you don't need fancy features to create effective solutions. Sometimes, the best answers are as simple as writing something down on paper, or in this case, on your phone. What matters most is that the solution truly solves the problem at hand.

Product Design, Strategy, Design for Social Good

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Any questions?
Reach out to me.

hello@tomjcb.com

hello@tomjcb.com

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© 2025 Thomas Jacobowitz.
Designed and developed by me.

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Currently exploring new opportunities

Any questions?
Reach out to me.

hello@tomjcb.com

hello@tomjcb.com

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© 2025 Thomas Jacobowitz.
Designed and developed by me.

tomjcb

Currently exploring new opportunities

Any questions?
Reach out to me.

hello@tomjcb.com

hello@tomjcb.com

Copied

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© 2025 Thomas Jacobowitz.

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