Freelance Product Designer
(UX & Strategy)
HollaTags
Omni-channel messaging future vision
Role: HollaTags. UK & Nigeria (remote), 2022. Lead UX and Product Strategist. Working in a design collective with a product designer. Created approach and led the project to shape and define a best-in-class enterprise omni-channel mobile messaging platform (future vision).
Key skills: Product management and strategy, design thinking, user research and information architecture
Client background: HollaTags provide Messaging Platforms and APIs for communication on mobile via VOICE, SMS, USSD and Mobile Value Added Services. They have not changed their offering in 10 years and wanted to explore the future with us.
One platform for businesses to manage mobile sales, campaigns and conversations with their customers
No-nonsense for business (non-tech) users
1. The mission
This is the second project I did for the founder. He had a telecom tech background and was keen to learn design thinking along the way. He wanted us to shape and design a best-in-class enterprise omni-channel messaging platform geared towards business users prior to thinking about development.
I with my design partner focused on the following objectives:
Discovery process to benchmark features that are best-in-class
Define the product vision and experience principles
Create refreshed brand that aligns to the new platform
Focus depth on most valuable user journeys and features
Create the UI design kit for a future design system
Work in parallel and converge at the right point
2. The approach
Work samples
Product box - quick method to shape the proposition post-discovery
Wireframes
A clear hierarchy of information and navigation model, optimising users’ priority tasks
Adaptive design approach with different contexts of use for different devices
A comprehensive design system based on key complex journeys
Brand and visual design by Jonathan Burrows
"This was a complex challenge. I can highly recommend them for their ability to deliver value and coach you through the design process." Kenny O, Client Lead, 2022.
3. Outcomes
The outcomes and outputs of our project are being used for HollaTags strategic planning as well as helping to raise finance and estimate development costs over the next 2 years. The UI for the design system will give the development company a set of comprehensive components for valuable user journeys.
Key outputs from myself and designer:
Best in class features benchmarked against competitors
Full product shape, IA, user journeys and feature stories
Flows and key user journeys
New brand and comprehensive design system (UI) in Figma
Reusable assets for presentations and development
4. Conclusion
This project was extremely technical so to move at pace I asked the subject matter expert to walk me through complex requirements. I used 'the 5 whys' analysis technique to distill the actual requirements. We wanted business users to feel empowered with clear and simple user journeys. We designed in context for mobile, tablet and desktop (adaptive.) The design system was iterated 3 times until we felt confident to baseline for this project.