Jun 19, 2024
How threads unlock more productive conversations
Chat platforms are chaotic spaces: conversations overflow, topics change on a whim. You’ll get cross-talk and disruption from even the simplest of questions. This is amplified by the number of channels you’re a member of, seeing everyone darting from channel-to-channel like pigeons desperate for the next crumb of bread. Some teams wrestle users to herd these discussions: “@emi please respond in thread,” “@Gary move this to the dev channel.” But that’s disrupting too! What’s worse, the app starts demanding your attention instead of facilitating meaningful communication. If you don’t keep up, you get lost, spiraling your focus, and diminishing your concentration.
It’s pretty messy! Worse yet, this issue compounds across your entire team, undermining everyone’s ability to engage in the deep, focused work necessary to effectively get things done.
And here’s the kicker: smooth communication is the backbone of successful teamwork. If you can’t communicate, your team will stumble, falter, and miss key opportunities. Yet, we’re using apps loaded with all this hidden friction—and to us, friction equals failure. As your team and users grow, the need for clear, focused dialogues becomes more essential. But how do we get there? How can we make this better?
Struct's main feed previews the latest messages, and jumping into thread view lets you track the whole conversation
Enter Struct. With our radical threads-first approach, Struct is creating a whole new playbook for team communication and community engagement. Whether it’s improving focus, streamlining workflows, or enhancing the clarity of your discussions, threads are the linchpin of a more productive communication ecosystem. Let’s dig in.
Threads rule,
noise drools
Threads have taken many forms over the years, from the quaint digital town squares of old-school forums to the never-ending cascades of email chains, to the breakout streams of Slack’s current iteration. Rooted in a topic, question, or pressing issue, a conversation thread is naturally more focused and organized. Historically, threads were more static affairs. They would gather dust as static responses trickled in from knowledge experts or interested parties, slowly layering over time. This method often lacked the giddy, real-time thrill of live conversation—after all, the currency of today’s communication is speed and immediacy. We’re not just talking; we’re trying to get things done fast and efficiently.
The main feed gives you a real-time overview of the latest conversations (your threads) happening in your team or community
Struct revolutionizes this paradigm. It marries the thread-first approach with the adrenaline of real-time interactions. Conversations remain on topic, the crosstalk diminishes, and teams stay coordinated. Chatting is just as dynamic — still vibrantly lively and immediately responsive, but with an added layer of focus that keeps everyone on track.
Get the full picture
Each thread in Struct greets you with its own title and summary, offering a snapshot of the entire discussion in a glance. These summaries do more than just save time; they help you strategize how to invest it. You can quickly scan the titles and summaries to determine where to skip, where to skim, and where to dive deep—especially in areas where your expertise shines brightest.
Moreover, these summaries equip every user with both context and confidence. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a newcomer, you’re empowered to jump into the fray with a clear understanding of the conversation’s history and direction. This isn't just about keeping everyone on the same page—it's about making that page incredibly easy to find and follow.
Click less, see more
Keeping up with the same converstations in Slack require dozens more clicks and UI than Struct.
Your feed in Struct becomes a curated playlist of your conversations—tailored just for you. Populated only by threads from channels you’re a member of, your feed brings every conversation directly to you in a scrollable format. Much like social media or RSS feeds, you can now consume a ton of information through just a quick scroll through your feed. No more clicking-around everywhere to find the latest updates. Feeds make your conversations much more discoverable, making it easy to catch-up, or stay engaged through a quick scan of the latest threads in your feed.
Find Threads in a Flash
The driving philosophy behind Struct is that conversations have extraordinary value – crucial research is shared, code discoveries, even simple things like schedules and briefs. Think about all the time we spend in chat apps, and all the information that is shared casually through them. Shouldn't accessing this knowledge be easier? Why do chat search results always suck?
Threads unlock really search in a really powerful way.Struct treats threads like documents. We index the content of the conversations, as well as their titles and summaries. Combining the precision of vector search with the nuance of semantic analysis, Struct delivers precise, context-rich results. Our approach allows us to deliver actual results, rather than just sending you adrift into the middle of an infinite conversation, as is common with most chat search applications.
Threads unlock fundamentally better search results that competing chat platforms
If you’re looking for a file, a link, or past conversation just hit Cmd/Ctrl+K to enter our search interface and find what you need in seconds. Or give Struct bot a call. It knows the ins and outs of your knowledge base and can answer questions based on your team's chat history.
Going global
Reaching back to Struct’s philosophy once more: our conversations matter. Powerful knowledge is shared within our walls everyday. Couldn’t those be put to use in our community? Why restrict the benefits of our insights to just those inside Slack or Discord? Here's where threads in Struct bring a transformative opportunity
In Struct you can make your threads public to the entire internet. When you switch a channel to public, Struct automatically generates an SEO-optimized page for every thread. This means every Q&A session you have, every announcement you make, every developer question you answer will now be indexed by Google and LLMs, and made accessible to the entire world.For open source communities, public channels break down the barriers of traditional chat platforms like Slack or Discord, significantly expanding your digital footprint. They amplify your reach across the web and attract new contributors by showcasing your active discussions and vibrant community engagement. Sounds like a pretty ‘open’ solution, right?
So, let's tie this thread up neatly: Struct’s threads-first approach isn’t just a simple UI feature; it's the backbone that powers fundamental use-cases for your team and community. From fostering better conversations, to unearthing past knowledge, to expanding your community’s reach with public channels, Struct threads redefine what it means to communicate effectively.
Ready to switch to clearer, more efficient communication? It’s time to give Struct a go. Optimize your open source community, streamline your team chats, and supercharge your communication dynamics.
All one thread at a time.😉
Jason Dietrick
Design Lead
About the author
Jason is a seasoned product lead and design manager with over a decade of experience in Silicon Valley. He specializes in the development of memorable brands and products built through a combination of strategic thinking, enriched experiences and investment in each other. Having contributed to award-winning communication projects for elite companies such as Google, Facebook, YouTube, Patagonia, Instagram, Pinterest, Lyft, and Stanford, Jason brings a rich blend of skills and perspectives to Struct.