Threaded Conversation Channel With Scheduled Message Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing threaded conversation channels in communication applications display messages instantaneously, making it difficult for senders to time-sensitive messages, such as happy birthday wishes, as recipients can view them immediately, preventing coordinated advance messaging.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that allows for temporarily exclusive conversations on threaded conversation channels, where a message can be hidden from a designated recipient until a specified delivery time, allowing other users to view and reply before it is revealed to the recipient at the designated time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If threaded conversations are displayed instantaneously to all users, then information sharing is improved, but message timing control deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows senders to post messages in advance with a specified delivery time. The message is prepared and stored on the server before the intended delivery time, ensuring that the sender can coordinate the message timing precisely when needed, while the message content is already ready for immediate distribution once the time arrives.
2Ease of operation
If messages are posted in advance for coordination, then messaging coordination is improved, but message secrecy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different visibility rules to different user groups for the same message. Other users associated with the threaded conversation channel can view and reply to the message before the delivery time, while the designated recipient cannot view it until the specified delivery time. This local differentiation of access rights enables both coordination and secrecy.
3Loss of time
If messages are hidden from recipient until delivery time, then message surprise is improved, but user interaction opportunity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the user group into two categories: other users associated with the threaded conversation channel and the designated recipient. Other users can interact with the message (view and reply) before the delivery time, while the recipient experiences the surprise at the designated time. This segmentation allows both interaction and surprise to coexist.
Data Source
AI summary
Threaded conversation channel with a temporarily exclusive conversation. One embodiment includes a data processing system implementing a threaded conversation channel. The data processing system includes a network interface coupled to a network. The data processing system also includes a memory for storing instructions and an electronic processor coupled to the network interface and the memory. The electronic processor is configured to execute the instructions to generate the threaded conversation channel and to receive conversation parameters including a recipient, a delivery time, and initial message content. The electronic processor is also configured to post a temporarily exclusive conversation based on the conversation parameters that is hidden from at least a first user of the temporarily exclusive conversation and viewable by at least a second user. The electronic processor is also configured to reveal, to the first user at the delivery time, the temporarily exclusive conversation on the threaded conversation channel.