User Research

The project did not have the budget or time for extensive up-front user research. Since the ask was to blend the features and functionality of existing apps, there was an opportunity to leverage existing user research from these projects/initiatives. To facilitate the initial design process, I was able to put together relevant user personas based on existing user data and interviews with internal subject matter experts.

The project budget allowed for an additional UX designer for 3 months to help with the up-front research and design. Fortunately, I had worked with the contractor at a previous job, so we already had a compatible working style. Together, we were able to quickly work from the user personas into a task map. I used Pencil Project since it is free and cross-platform, this allowed the document to be shared and edited by other key stakeholders on the team.

User Scenarios & Story Mapping

I use scenarios and stories to provide a distinctly human context behind why a specific user or user group would use the software/app/website. I like to include the goals and "delighters" that were discovered during the early research phases of the project in the stories to keep the team focused on the users (personas). Story mapping is helpful in moving from research to design and can also be a key part of the Agile UCD process.

Wireframes

From the task map, I did multiple rounds of design on paper. Once the team settled on a solid design direction, the drawings were moved into a low-fidelity Sketch project. One small challenge did arise at this point: the other designer only worked on a Mac and his primary UX design tool was Sketch, but the client was mostly PC-based and used Axure RP. We found ways to work around the issue and, because I can comfortably work between platforms/tools, we made it work. I was also able to leverage Sketch later in the design process.

I evolved the task map into a site/feature map with the wireframes included for reference. The extended team found this document especially useful for visualizing the user goals that we had discussed together. I used LibreOffice Draw to create this diagram, again because it is open source and cross platform allowing for easy collaboration.

Competitive Analysis

In 2016, the competitive landscape for mobile apps in the telecom space was surprisingly thin, especially for large-scale network monitoring. Most Tier 1 telecom providers were still relying on desktop portals and legacy dashboards, leaving their mobile offerings limited to basic account management, billing, and customer support. True dynamic network monitoring—real-time visibility into circuits, bandwidth utilization, and incident tracking—was rarely extended to a mobile experience. Instead, IT managers and business owners were expected to log into complex web portals from their laptops, which often lacked responsiveness and created friction for on-the-go decision making.

A few early movers, such as AT&T and Verizon, were experimenting with network visualization features in their enterprise apps, but these tended to be shallow extensions of web tools rather than purpose-built mobile solutions. None of them provided a cohesive, real-time workflow that combined health monitoring, ticketing, and bandwidth management in one place. This gap highlighted an opportunity: by delivering a mobile-first experience tailored for business owners, the Telecom Mobile app could leapfrog competitors. The goal was to create an interface that wasn’t just a scaled-down version of a portal, but a dedicated tool that gave users actionable insights into their networks from anywhere, at any time.

Moodboards

Moving into the design phase, I created some initial mood boards. First for vibe and then for design direction in Sketch based on the wireframe designs. Moodboards are a powerful tool in UX design because they help define the emotional tone, visual language, and overall aesthetic direction of a product before committing to full-scale design. They allow stakeholders to quickly align on look-and-feel—color palettes, typography, iconography, and layout conventions—without getting lost in functionality details.

During this stage, the senior leader of the project challenged us to move beyond the standard playbook. Instead of following the company’s official design system, he pushed for a darker, high-tech aesthetic that would differentiate the app from other projects in the company. This directive gave the team permission to take creative risks, and experiment with deep color palettes, bold contrasts, and a sleeker visual tone more commonly found in consumer technology than in B2B telecom tools. While it meant stepping outside of the brand’s comfort zone, it opened up new possibilities for creating an interface that felt modern, confident, and purpose-built for power users.

Visual Design

The last rounds of design were done using what we called a “hybrid look-and-feel” - a single, OS independent design that could work on all mobile platforms. The dark theme was generally well-received, but the team also knew that it would be a difficult sell to get the design approved as a customer-facing application.

In reality, the design remained more of a bold experiment than a finalized system. The dark, high-tech aesthetic gave the app a distinctive personality and made complex network data feel modern and powerful on mobile, but it was never fully reconciled with the company’s official design standards. The team knew this direction carried risk, and while it generated excitement internally, we also recognized that any customer-facing release would likely require significant rework to align with the brand’s visual identity.