How Qonto increased asynchronous communication, product quality & velocity with Claap
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What You'll Learn
- The challenges of scaling alignment in a hypergrowth organization
- How product teams uses Claap to improve alignment & decision-making
- Qonto’s best practices in implementing Claap to review specs, concept papers, design reviews, QA, bug reports and training
How Qonto Uses Claap
I was in charge of building the new dashboard which was a complex feature with a complete redesign. And that was really when I saw the first comments added to my Claap recording. People really got excited to write comments on the video, so I was like “Ok, this is dope”
Thomas' Key Challenges as a Product Lead
I'm a Product Lead at Qonto, working on Cash Flow Management and Integrations—how Qonto connects with tools like accounting software. Our product team has 100+ people, including 40+ PMs, designers, and UX writers shaping the interface and messaging.
Qonto serves freelancers, micro-businesses, and SMEs (up to 250 employees), though 95% of our clients have teams under ten. Our biggest challenge now is scaling fast. Since our January 2022 fundraising, we’ve doubled our PMs in 2023 and 2024, making onboarding and alignment between product and tech teams crucial.
I focus on keeping stakeholders aligned—getting quick feedback without wasting time while ensuring their input is integrated early.
Who are the key stakeholders you need to align with?
The two main stakeholders I work with are the Head of Product and the Chief Product Officer. Design-related decisions happen at the squad level, where designers also navigate challenges with their Head of Design.
As the feature owner, I’m responsible for the entire topic. I don’t necessarily need full approval from everyone, but I do need to show that I’ve considered and integrated stakeholder feedback.
Decisions aren’t typically top-down—they stem from user research, competitive analysis, and other insights. That said, having a vision doesn’t mean it won’t be challenged by people with different perspectives or contexts.
Have you implemented decision gates in your product development cycle to improve alignment, and how does that work in practice?
This process has evolved significantly in recent months, thanks to Claap. At Qonto, we follow structured phases, starting with value analysis, where we define the problem, gather user insights, assess business needs, and analyze competitors. This results in a concept paper, which used to be long and tedious for stakeholders to review.
Now, we streamline this with Claap voiceovers. For a recent cash management project, I summarized my concept paper in a six-minute video, highlighting key points and decisions. Stakeholders can pause, comment, and provide quick, targeted feedback—making alignment much faster.
Next comes value engineering, where we collaborate with engineering to ensure feasibility, refine constraints, and explore alternative solutions. This phase leads to a prototype, which we present in a Claap recording to validate decisions before moving to the spec phase. By then, only minor tweaks remain, keeping the process efficient and well-aligned.
How Does Claap Streamline Product Validation?
At Qonto, product validation happens in several key steps :
- First, the concept paper is reviewed collectively using Claap, allowing the Head of Product, CPO, and other stakeholders to provide feedback asynchronously
- Instead of lengthy documents, a short voice-over video highlights key points, making alignment faster and more efficient.
- This prevents unnecessary back-and-forth and ensures that everyone is on the same page before moving forward.
What Are the Biggest Benefits Compared to Previous Methods?
Claap has significantly improved the quality and speed of feedback
Before, getting stakeholders to review long documents was difficult, often resulting in delayed or superficial input.
- Now, video explanations make it easier to highlight critical areas, ensuring focused and actionable feedback.
- This shift has reinforced Qonto’s strong feedback culture, allowing teams to align early and prevent unnecessary rework.
How Has Claap Changed Design Reviews and Bug Reporting?
Previously, design reviews required live meetings or Slack messages, which often lacked context.
Now, designers record Claap videos to present prototypes, ensuring clear explanations and structured feedback.
The same applies to QA and bug reporting—instead of lengthy descriptions, a quick video highlights the issue, making it easier for engineers to understand and resolve problems faster
What Features and Use Cases Stand Out?
Claap’s Chrome plugin, Slack integration, and video annotation tools are key benefits, providing seamless collaboration.
Beyond product validation, the tool is widely used for user interviews, training, and internal documentation, helping various teams—product, marketing, and tech—save time and centralize knowledge.
Resources To Help You Get Started
If you loved reading this article and want now to implement those best practices in your own company, here are a few good playbooks to start: