Notifications are an integral part of nearly every product we use today. From
in-app alerts and unread badges to the familiar Slack notification
sound—notifications are everywhere. When designed effectively, a collaborative
notification system does more than just deliver updates; it draws users back
into your product and helps them focus on the information that truly matters.

At Liveblocks, we’ve spent countless hours researching best-in-class
notification systems and observing how teams implement them using our tools. In
this article we’ll share our perspective on designing a notification experience
built around collaboration:

- **[Where, when, and how to deliver notifications](#deliver-notifications):**
  Grouping them, scheduling them intelligently, and offering granular settings.
- **[The channels and types of collaborative notifications](#channel-types-notifications):**
  In-app, email, and more.

## Where, when, and how to deliver notifications [#deliver-notifications]

Before diving into different types of notifications, it’s essential to consider
how, when, and where to deliver them. Effective delivery cuts through noise,
ensuring users aren’t overwhelmed or missing critical updates.

While some delivery methods may vary based on the use case (e.g. urgent alerts
as opposed to casual updates), many best practices apply universally.

### Grouping and stacking [#grouping-stacking]

Without intelligent grouping, notifications can quickly become overwhelming and
difficult to manage. Related updates should be stacked into a single
notification, for example a messaging app will have a single notification for
multiple comments in a single thread. Doing so prevents important updates from
being buried under noisy ones.

<Figure>
  <Image
    src="/images/blog/how-to-build-notifications-that-encourage-collaboration/grouped-notifications.jpg"
    alt="Grouped notifications with comments, mentions, and a file upload."
    width={672}
    height={448}
    quality={95}
  />
</Figure>

### Scheduling across channels [#scheduling]

When notifications are delivered across multiple channels (in-app, email, Slack,
etc.), intelligent scheduling becomes essential. Coordinating cross-medium
delivery helps reduce noise, prevents duplicate updates, and spares users the
frustration of marking notifications as read in multiple places.

For example, before sending an email notification, you can introduce a short
delay to check if the notification has already been read elsewhere before
actually sending the email.

<Figure>
  <Image
    src="/images/blog/how-to-build-notifications-that-encourage-collaboration/smart-email-notification-timing.jpg"
    alt="Timeline showing delayed email delivery based on user activity, with comments, a read event, and a webhook delay before sending a notification."
    width={672}
    height={378}
    quality={95}
  />
</Figure>

### Offering granular settings [#granular-settings]

While smart defaults are crucial, giving users control over when, where, and how
they receive notifications is equally important. Granular settings can be the
key to turning a potentially frustrating experience into a seamless and
enjoyable one:

- **Global:** Turning off all email notifications.
- **Context-specific:** Only notify me about events that occur in this document.
- **One-off decisions:** Unsubscribe from a specific event.

## The channels and types of collaborative notifications [#channel-types-notifications]

Now that we’ve seen methods of delivery, we can explore the various channels and
types of notifications in a collaborative context, and how they can be
displayed.

### In-app notifications

In-app notifications are the quickest way to keep users informed, making them
ideal for highlighting collaboration updates and engaging users while they’re
actively using your product.

<Figure>
  <Image
    src="/images/blog/how-to-build-notifications-that-encourage-collaboration/in-app-notifications.jpg"
    alt="A notifications inbox with rich notifications and an unread badge"
    width={672}
    height={448}
    quality={95}
  />
</Figure>

A notifications inbox, paired with its unread badge, provide a clear overview of
what’s happening in your product:

- **Top-level placement:** Position it prominently, such as in the navigation
  bar, ensuring it’s easily accessible and visible across your app.
- **Centralized hub:** A unified inbox for collaboration updates, important
  alerts, and other key notifications.
- **Rich and engaging notifications**: In-app notifications should provide
  context, for example a mention notification should display the surrounding
  comment.

### Email notifications

Email notifications serve as a bridge for users who aren’t actively in your app,
drawing them back for important updates. This applies to collaborative
notifications, such as mentions in a new document or replies to a comment you
made, but also to digests, which provide a quick overview of what’s happening in
your product and help prevent silos between teams.

<Figure>
  <video autoPlay loop muted playsInline>
    <source
      src="/images/blog/how-to-build-notifications-that-encourage-collaboration/email-notifications.mp4"
      type="video/mp4"
      width={672}
      height={448}
    />
  </video>
</Figure>

Similarly to in-app notifications, email notifications should provide relevant
context and be as actionable as possible from the email itself.

### And more [#and-more-notifications]

Notifications is a vast topic, and we’ve focused on collaborative contexts in
this article where in-app notifications on the web and emails are most common.
However, depending on your product and the platforms you support, other channels
may also be valuable, such as third-party integrations (e.g. Slack) or mobile
push notifications.

## Build in-house or buy?

Building a notification system from scratch takes significant effort, especially
in a collaborative context as opposed to a few alerts.

### Liveblocks Notifications

[Liveblocks Notifications](/notifications) is a system tailored for
collaboration, coming with a rich set of features out of the box

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      imageUrl:
        "/images/blog/how-to-build-notifications-that-encourage-collaboration/02-features.jpg",
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      caption: "Custom notification",
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    {
      width: 656,
      height: 437,
      imageUrl:
        "/images/blog/how-to-build-notifications-that-encourage-collaboration/03-features.jpg",
      alt: "Grouped notifications",
      caption: "Grouped notifications",
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    {
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      imageUrl:
        "/images/blog/how-to-build-notifications-that-encourage-collaboration/04-features.jpg",
      alt: "Inbox notifications list",
      caption: "Inbox notifications list",
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    {
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      height: 437,
      imageUrl:
        "/images/blog/how-to-build-notifications-that-encourage-collaboration/05-features.jpg",
      alt: "Email notification",
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If you’d like to quickly create a mock-up of in-app notifications in your
product, you can try the
[Liveblocks Collaboration Kit for Figma](/blog/introducing-liveblocks-collaboration-kit-for-figma)
which has pre-built components for your designers to use.

<Iframe src="https://embed.figma.com/design/KBRBLsbPrZVlJ6uoWhakmy/Liveblocks-Collaboration-Kit?node-id=124-180695&t=r3IjD9tzTFkGPkgD-4&embed-host=share" />

And because Liveblocks is fully-hosted, your engineers can save time and work by
relying on our tested, scalable infrastructure. Follow our
[developer get started guides](/docs/get-started) to build a proof-of-concept in
just minutes.

## Conclusion

Collaborative notifications are more than just simple alerts—they’re powerful
tools for driving engagement, productivity, and connection. By following UX best
practices and prioritizing user-centric design, you can create a system that
users trust and value.

Whether you choose to build it in-house or partner with a solution like
Liveblocks, delivering a seamless notification experience is an investment that
pays off.