OVERVIEW
Google Docs has become a staple for real-time collaboration in both academic and professional settings. Since its launch in 2007, it has allowed multiple users to co-edit documents simultaneously, streamlining group projects and workflow hand-offs. However, its mobile interface introduces usability issues that interrupt this otherwise seamless experience.
This project focused on redesigning the mobile sharing and permission flow to reduce friction and make collaboration more seamless on the go.
DURATION
November - December 2019
3 weeks
MY TEAM
Kevin Sy, Brendan Jew, Bao Huynh
MY CONTRIBUTIONS
User interviewing, research, testing, tab-based redesign and analysis
PROBLEM
Google Docs mobile separates key sharing methods and permission settings, leading to user confusion.
Currently, the Google Docs mobile app splits sharing functions between two separate locations. Tapping the “add” (👤) icon only allows users to invite collaborators via email. To access the link-sharing option—useful when email addresses are unknown—users must tap the “more” (…) menu and navigate to “Share & Export.” This inconsistency presents two core questions:
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Why can’t the “add” button provide access to both sharing methods?
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Why are these options separated, when both are essential for document sharing?
DESIGN STRATEGY
Consolidate sharing methods and permission settings into one unified, intuitive interface.
In addition to being split across menus, sharing via email and link also comes with different default permissions. Email shares default to “Editor,” while links default to “Viewer.” Users often forget to adjust these permissions, which can lead to security or collaboration issues—like a professor unintentionally giving full editing access to an entire class. Our redesign aims to centralize and clarify both sharing options and permission settings to support smoother, more intentional collaboration.
DESIGN PROCESS
Interviews & User Testing
Findings revealed greater frustration with permission settings than the act of sharing itself.
In our first round of user interviews, we spoke with four individuals to understand their habits and pain points when using Google Docs. We focused on three key areas:
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Their experience with both the desktop and mobile versions of Google Docs
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The typical purpose or context in which they used each version
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Their familiarity with the Share function—and if used, we asked them to walk us through the process
We learned that all users regularly used both versions. The desktop was typically reserved for more intensive work like formatting or drafting long documents, while the mobile app was used for quick edits or jotting down ideas on the go. Most had used the Share function, primarily for collaborative projects, and appreciated the ability to see who had access and to control permission levels.
However, users expressed strong frustration over the fragmented process of managing permissions. Specifically, users disliked having to go through separate steps to adjust permissions for link sharing versus direct email sharing. This disjointed experience often caused confusion or extra effort when trying to manage document access quickly.
User Testing: Sharing and Permissions Tasks
We designed a series of tasks that included both text editing and sharing actions within the mobile app. During this process, it became clear that sharing usability presented more opportunities for meaningful redesign than the relatively straightforward editing functions.
Three major pain points emerged:
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Separate permission settings for different sharing methods (email vs. link) created unnecessary complexity
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Limited visibility of all sharing options so users often didn’t know where to go to find or change settings
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Excessive navigation steps so accessing or changing permissions required multiple taps across different screens
These insights confirmed our hypothesis: simplifying and consolidating the sharing interface would significantly improve the user experience.
Proposed Solutions: UI Sketches
To address the issues with sharing and permission management in the Google Docs mobile app, we explored four design directions:
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Group Send Redesign
Users can now assign individual permissions (View, Comment, Edit) when inviting multiple collaborators at once. This solves the problem of uniform default access, though it may still feel slow for large groups. -
List View + Add Redesign
Enables drag-and-drop interaction, allowing users to quickly move collaborator icons into permission groups. This accelerates the process for experienced users but may be unintuitive for first-time users. -
Consolidated View Redesign
Combines all sharing options—Add People, Who Has Access, and Link Sharing—into a single screen. This reduces navigation steps but risks overwhelming users on smaller mobile displays. -
Tab-Based Redesign
Organizes sharing functions into three clearly labeled tabs. Users can quickly switch between “People,” “Permissions,” and “Link Sharing” while staying on one page. This balances clarity with screen space efficiency.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
In analyzing competitors like Apple iOS, Adobe XD, Figma, and Microsoft Word, we identified several effective sharing features that could inform our redesign of Google Docs' mobile interface. Figma’s interface stood out for its streamlined design—it displays both link-sharing settings and permissions directly below the main sharing field, avoiding the multi-step navigation required in Google Docs.
We also took inspiration from iOS’s share sheet, which allows users to send links via Airdrop or iMessage quickly. This lightweight, on-the-go sharing approach felt well-suited for mobile users and highlighted a gap in Google Docs' current feature set—link sharing is available, but not directly integrated with the standard "Share" interaction.
After testing our sketches and evaluating competitor features, we decided to narrow our redesign scope to two navigation-based solutions:
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List View + Add: Drag-and-drop user icons into permission categories.
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Tab-Based Navigation: Separate key functions into easily switchable tabs.
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Additional improvements from other sketches—such as individual permission settings and consolidated access views—would be incorporated into both designs as functional enhancements.
FINAL DESIGNS
Redesign #1: List view navigation
This is a redesign focused on a novel "Drag and Drop" model. Users can physically drag and drop people that they want to change permissions. This accelerates the process of tapping and changing peoples' permissions.
List navigation functions are aimed at accelerating sharing with other users
From a glance, we can easily see who has editing, commenting, and viewing access.
Clicking on an icon that has “+” and then a number allows the user to see the full list of people that have the corresponding permission. From the full view page, users are able to go to the “Add Collaborators” page.
This will pull up a model where the user can change permissions for people with the link as well as turn it on and off. They also have the opportunity to share the link from this. Once exiting, the user receives a notification that changes have been made and the link is copied to the clipboard.
From a glance, we can easily see who has editing, commenting, and viewing access.
Redesign #1: User Testing Insights
User testing revealed key challenges and strengths of this redesign:
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Flow Overhaul Caused Confusion: The new interface diverged too far from Google Docs' current flow, leading some users to struggle with navigation and permission changes.
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Better for New Users, Less for Power Users: While new users found the layout intuitive for managing permissions, experienced users wanted more flexibility—such as viewing and managing all collaborators across sections, not just within isolated views.
Redesign #2: Tab navigation
This redesign introduced tab-based navigation to separate core tasks: sharing the document and managing user permissions. Since many interviewees struggled with permission settings, we dedicated a tab solely to that function to create a more intuitive flow.
Tab navigation functions are aimed at accelerating permissions settings
The tab navigation redesign grouped sharing features into two tabs—“Add People” and “Who Has Access”—to avoid over-segmentation. “Add People” consolidates all functions related to inviting collaborators and link sharing, while “Who Has Access” displays users’ permission levels. Link sharing controls were moved to the main screen for quicker access. The send button was changed to a floating action button to avoid clashing with the tab layout, though we acknowledge potential for accidental taps.
In the current Docs app, group sending applies one permission level to all recipients, making it difficult to assign different access levels in one go. Users often send invites first, then adjust permissions afterward—leading to confusion and extra steps. Our redesign allows users to assign individual permissions as they add each person, streamlining the process and reducing errors.
To make sharing easier, users can now copy the link or send it directly through other apps without leaving Google Docs. This supports users who may not know recipients' emails and also acts as an accelerator for experienced users familiar with iOS sharing methods.
The tab navigation redesign grouped sharing features into two tabs—“Add People” and “Who Has Access”—to avoid over-segmentation. “Add People” consolidates all functions related to inviting collaborators and link sharing, while “Who Has Access” displays users’ permission levels. Link sharing controls were moved to the main screen for quicker access. The send button was changed to a floating action button to avoid clashing with the tab layout, though we acknowledge potential for accidental taps.
Redesign #2: User Testing Insights
In our second round of testing, we found that users were unclear about when link sharing was actually enabled. To address this, we explored two solutions:
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Option 1: Reword the setting to “Anyone with the link can…”—making it clearer that selecting an option turns on link sharing.
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Option 2: Introduce gated access—users must first turn on link sharing before other options appear.
While both options improved clarity, Option 2 performed better overall by explicitly informing users that link sharing was active before presenting additional settings.
REFLECTION
Group Send:
Users should be able to assign individual permissions (view, comment, edit) before sending invites. By default, all recipients can still receive the same setting, but the added flexibility supports faster, more efficient workflows for experienced users without increasing the burden for beginners.
Icons and Labeling:
Permission icons (view, comment, edit) should always appear alongside their corresponding text. This reinforces recognition over recall, making it easier for users to associate icons with their meanings, especially when adjusting permissions in the group send interface.
Link Sharing:
Sharing options, especially link sharing, should be consolidated into a single, unified pop-up rather than scattered across multiple screens. We also recommend enabling direct sharing from within the app (e.g., text, email, messaging) to avoid copy-paste workarounds, particularly for mobile users.
Consistency in Language:
Clear, consistent wording is key. Users often scan for keywords rather than reading full sentences, so important actions like “turn on link sharing” should be easy to locate and understand at a glance.
Adapting to Google’s Design Philosophy:
Throughout our redesign, we considered Google’s design system and navigation principles, which emphasize structured screen transitions and visual hierarchies. Understanding these principles helped us design a solution that feels familiar to existing users while improving overall usability.
This redesign project challenged us to rethink a core functionality of Google Docs through the lens of mobile usability, accessibility, and efficiency. Through interviews, user testing, competitive analysis, and iterative prototyping, we identified the friction users faced with sharing and permission settings particularly on smaller screens. Our solutions aimed to streamline these interactions while remaining consistent with Google’s design system. By focusing on clarity, flexibility, and reducing cognitive load, our final designs offer a more intuitive experience for both new and advanced users. This project also deepened our understanding of product thinking, design system constraints, and the importance of balancing user needs with platform expectations.