Mailvelope UX & UI Improvements
We made it easier to set up Mailvelope in Nextcloud Mail and send encrypted emails.
intro
Mailvelope is an open-source browser extension that enables users to secure their email messages with OpenPGP encryption. Known for its adaptability, it integrates seamlessly with webmail services like Gmail and Outlook, providing email encryption in a highly accessible and easy-to-use format.
Mailvelope has partnered with Nextcloud to extend its encryption capabilities, enabling users to send and receive encrypted messages directly within Nextcloud Mail. We were tasked with evaluating and improving the user experience to ensure it is intuitive, accessible, and aligned with the standards of Mailvelope’s other integrations.
focus
We struck for the simplicity and usability on this new integration.
How to reduce friction and improve onboarding? What could be a seamless experience? How do we address the usability pain points?
user testing
Through user testing, we uncovered several key challenges that impacted the user experience, particularly for those who were unfamiliar with PGP encryption. The experience felt opaque and overly technical. What should have been a simple onboarding flow quickly became a barrier to adoption. Three themes, in particular, stood out.
Complex Setup Process
Users faced challenges with unclear setup instructions, confusing domain authorization steps, and overly technical jargon.
Lack of Feedback
The Nextcloud UI offered minimal visual or contextual feedback, leaving users uncertain about their what to do next or whether the integration had been successful.
Confusing Encryption Workflows
Core encryption and decryption features lacked clarity, leading to frustration and potential security risks.
recommendations
Testing made it clear why people struggled to use Mailvelope with confidence. It was too hidden, too hard to set up, and too opaque about what the encryption layer was doing. Our recommendations followed directly: make the integration easier to find, reduce setup friction, and strengthen the feedback so users know when encryption is working.
Increase awareness of Mailvelope
Add strategic touchpoints and notifications to raise awareness of Mailvelope’s PGP encryption capabilities in Nextcloud Mail.
Simplify the integration process
Provide clearer guidance and easy access to setup instructions, especially for tasks like domain authorization.
Improve Encryption Visibility
Enhance the visibility and messaging around encryption workflows to ensure users clearly understand when emails are being encrypted or decrypted.
design
The user testing revealed challenges across three key stages of the user journey: discovering Mailvelope, setting it up, and using it effectively within Nextcloud. Below, we outline the solutions we implemented to address these issues.
what we delivered
We redesigned the integration to make encryption feel visible, approachable, and reliably guided. This included introducing clearer visual cues in the Nextcloud interface so users immediately recognize when Mailvelope is available, streamlining the setup with a persistent CTA and an onboarding prompt that removes the need for guesswork, and refining the encryption and decryption workflows to make their status unmistakably clear. Together, these improvements transform the experience from something opaque and technical into a workflow that feels understandable, supported, and easy to adopt.
Better Visibility.
Simplified Setup.
Clearer Encryption Workflows.