Global Health Engineering - Quarterly Meeting Q3 2024

Benefits of using a chat tool for distributed teams

Lars Schöbitz

Global Health Engineering - ETH Zurich

July 23, 2024

Background

Communication at GHE

  • Survey at Quarterly Q1 2024: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JMz01u4R1oDxjfTauJlnruECG9thmVFxJD3Msk7hZp8/edit#responses

Chat

Instant messaging tools

  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Element
  • Others (Discord, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat)

Instant messaging tools - daily users

  • Slack (32 mio)
  • Microsoft Teams (300 mio)
  • Element (0.25 mio)

Sources for statistics: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/provide-me-with-some-statistic-g48bTLR6QSKnoD8fiq_kIw

Instant messaging tools - organizations

  • Slack (> 100’000)
  • Microsoft Teams (> 1 million)
  • Element (not available, but access to 43 million users on the Matrix network)1

Sources for statistics: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/provide-me-with-some-statistic-g48bTLR6QSKnoD8fiq_kIw

Differences between Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Element

  • Slack and Microsoft Teams are proprietary
  • Element is open-source, and free to use
  • Element is based on the Matrix protocol

Benefits (Element, in general)

Increased Collaboration

  • Secure, decentralized platform for team communication
  • Freedom to structure discussion spaces and customize chat rooms
  • Enables open collaboration across organizations and teams
  • Fosters team spirit and cohesion, especially for remote teams

Efficiency through Direct Communication

  • Real-time messaging for quick problem-solving and decision-making
  • Reduces email overload and streamlines communication
  • Customizable notifications to minimize distractions
  • Mobile access for sharing knowledge on-the-go

Organized Discussions with Threads

  • Keep conversations focused and easy to follow
  • Improve context retention and reduce information overload

Enhancing Engagement with Reactions

  • Quick and way to acknowledge messages without cluttering the chat
  • Emoji reactions for expressing emotions and feedback
  • Boosts team morale and creates a positive communication environment
  • Encourages informal and spontaneous interactions, which can help build stronger relationships among team members (especially remote)
  • Reduces unnecessary back-and-forth responses

Seamless Content Sharing

  • Built-in file sharing capabilities for easy document exchange
  • Integration with other tools to centralize information sharing
  • Searchable chat history for access to shared content-

Community building

  • Focused Interactions: Element allows for more meaningful, topic-specific discussions within customizable chat rooms, unlike the broad and often superficial interactions on X or LinkedIn
  • Personalized Spaces: Users can create and join communities that align with their specific interests and goals, fostering deeper connections
  • Data Sovereignty: Unlike X and LinkedIn, Element allows for self-hosting and full control over data, providing a secure and private communication space

Benefits (for GHE)

Why for us?

  • Removes need for Signal, WhatsApp, etc. (tools not designed or appropriate for work communication)
  • Access through ETH username (no additional account required)
  • All BSc & MSc students can access with their username
  • Building capacity for work environments that require such tools

How to use it?

This is a live demonstration.