Patience for Agility: Designing a Web-based Email Conversation Viewer

We present a case study describing the process and resulting design for the bluemail conversation viewer: a web-based mashup between social networking information and email threads within a corporate setting. In particular, we look closely at the role design played when adjoined to an agile development process. We discuss the benefits and trade-offs from working in highly iterative and modestly scoped development cycles. In our experience, establishing an equally significant design role served as a valuable means to maintain strategic focus across many parallel development activities. Additionally, we talk about how the nature of agile development and the broad reach of email enabled frequent user input to continuously ignite design direction.