December 2022 Summaries

In 2022, Knock significantly expanded its reach and capabilities, transforming from a product behind a waitlist to a trusted provider of notification solutions for hundreds of companies, including notable enterprises like Vercel and SafetyCulture. Throughout the year, Knock introduced 34 changelogs that enhanced its notification engine, offering features such as a visual template editor for emails, support for over 15 new channels, and enterprise-ready functionalities like audit logs and SSO. The company also focused on enriching its API with new abstractions to support diverse notification use cases, enabling real-time user identification and seamless integration with CDPs and reverse ETL platforms. As Knock looks forward to 2023, it plans to further refine the developer experience, integrating features like a management API, CLI, and Git-based source control, while advancing system-wide intelligence to optimize notification workflows based on user preferences and engagement.

Designing effective Slack notifications using the Slack block kit UI can significantly enhance user engagement for B2B products by meeting users where they work and allowing them to interact with your product without leaving their current workflow. The Slack block kit is a versatile framework that supports the development of messages, modals, and app surfaces, comprised of blocks, block elements, and composition objects. Key components include section, action, header, and divider blocks, each serving distinct functions for creating clear, context-rich messages. Effective use of block kit elements, such as header blocks for immediate context and dividers for readability, can enhance message clarity. Additionally, iterating blocks for listing items and incorporating accessories like images can provide visual context. Button styling is limited but can be enhanced with emojis for clarity and distinction. These techniques are exemplified by apps like incident.io, which leverage these design principles to deliver effective notifications, highlighting the value of integrating Slack as a notification channel for products.