Confluence Evolves with a Focus on Design

For over 15 years, Confluence, Atlassian’s collaborative workspace resembling a wiki, has served as a central hub for knowledge sharing within numerous organizations. Traditionally, Confluence has functioned primarily as a business application, often presenting information as extensive text blocks accompanied by occasional graphs, tables, or images.

However, evolving user expectations have prompted Atlassian to prioritize design enhancements within the service. This shift acknowledges a changing landscape where capturing and maintaining user attention is increasingly challenging.

New Features for Enhanced Visual Appeal

The latest update introduces features designed to improve the visual presentation of Confluence spaces. These include the ability to add cover images, utilize title emojis, and customize space avatars – essentially, icons representing specific sections within Confluence.

Recently, smart links were also implemented. These automatically recognize and display content from platforms like YouTube and Trello in their native formats when links are pasted.

Improved Content Management and Delivery

Additional features offer greater control over content publication. Users can now schedule the release of new pages, ensuring timely delivery to their intended audience.

Furthermore, pages can be converted into blog posts, reflecting a renewed interest in corporate blogging, particularly for internal communication, observed during the pandemic.

Addressing the Challenges of Information Overload

“We undertook a ‘love sprint,’ prioritizing around 30 enhancements centered on designing information for a world demanding increased reading and writing,” explains Natalia Baryshnikova, Head of Product Management for Atlassian’s Confluence Experience Group.

“With shrinking attention spans, the question becomes: how do we design for this situation and improve content discoverability?”

Inspired by Social Media and Remote Work Realities

The Confluence team drew inspiration from content production, management, and delivery practices prevalent in social media. However, some updates directly address the realities of the modern work environment.

The page scheduling feature, for instance, accommodates employees working unconventional hours due to personal commitments, such as childcare, while still ensuring content is published at optimal times for company-wide visibility.

Increased Usage Drives the Need for Standout Content

Confluence’s usage has surged in the past year, with over 60,000 companies now utilizing the platform. User activity has also significantly increased.

From March 2020 to March 2021, the number of Confluence pages created rose by more than 33%. The average user now creates 11% more pages, while power users have often doubled or tripled their output.

Competing for Attention in a Crowded Space

The increased volume of content necessitates strategies for capturing attention. Confluence’s growth has also contributed to a reduction in the number of meetings held within organizations.

However, Baryshnikova points out that “pages are now competing not only with meetings, but also with other pages.” Utilizing compelling visuals is therefore crucial for content to stand out amidst the constant flow of corporate information.

This dynamic, where documents must actively compete for attention within a corporate setting, is noteworthy. Just as on the public web, effective document design is essential for visibility and impact. The resurgence of corporate blogging may also be linked to the diminished opportunities for informal communication, like watercooler conversations.