Email Service Client
Creating a feature rich email application that is white label ready.
BACKGROUND
How do you make an easy to use email system that is so personalized to every one that uses it?
I was given a blank canvas to reimagine what an ideal email experience would look like for one of our hero products. This project however was much larger than just email, similar to the office suite, it involved task management, contact list, calendar and file management. We want to create an application that a user would be looking at manage their business.
MY ROLE
My role in this project really started as a listener to understand what the end vision of all the stakeholder where. Taking this information I began by studying user behaviours as a UX designer and then crafting the end design concept as a ui designer. I worked along side the development team to create assets for implementation to the live environment.
UX RESEARCH
I started by studying two types of users one standard and the second power users. Both of these persons provided really helpful feedback of creating a platform where it is easy enough to use but robust enough for the power users.
LO-FI WIREFRAME
I sketched wireframes by hand to workout navigation and information hierarchy issues. Sitting beside the users as they completed tasks allowed me to get a better understanding of how the application will be used at a very early stage of the design.
HI-FI WIREFRAME
As the project progressed, I gradually increased fidelity of the wireframes to work out use cases. The meetings at this staged involved many multidisciplinary individuals including front-end and back-end developers. The specification allowed me to answer some use cases questions to ensure that the design has enough flexibility.
UI DESIGN
The UI design instructions were to create a product that was easy for partners to white label.
I decided to use a neutral grey because it would accent brand colors and not compete with them. My goal was to create a clear hierarchy of information and a design layout that was in line with comparable email applications.
NEW UI DESIGN
Because the application covered so many features, my approach to design was to create as many use cases as possible to check the design flexibility. I then tested the design with the addition of partner branding, advertising, and edge cases in order to create a design that would last.
Product managers appreciated the variety of the cases as it allowed them to showcase its flexibility to the partners when migrating them over to the new system. Overall, the feedback has been positive. The application is recognized for its modern appearance with easy-to-use functionally.
RESULTS
The application currently has over 10 million email boxes and is used by multiple telecommunication partners worldwide.
“Kamran’s organizational skills allowed him to communicate his design vision with credible information. Acceptance of feedback of any nature through his work, drove Kamran to continuously strive to meet high targets, exceeding expectations and delivering within tight deadlines for the business.”
– Steve B., Manager and Oversaw the Project Development.
