Highlight

For my first project at MSI, I co-led the device provisioning experience for the new TLK 25 push-to-talk device, helping MSI expand its services to small and medium-sized businesses by delivering a smooth integration experience.

The app launched successfully on both the Apple App Store and Google Play in October 2023, cutting device setup time from 45 minutes for IT specialists to under 10 minutes for small business owners — a 78% reduction that completely transformed the configuration experience for customers.

Overview

This configuration app is designed for the new TLK 25 device in the WAVE PTX series.

Small to medium-sized businesses relying on push-to-talk devices previously struggled with complex configuration processes requiring technical expertise and multiple steps. Without dedicated IT staff, many customers experienced frustration with traditional web-based configuration tools, leading to support calls and deployment delays.

This companion app simplifies this process through guided setup, QR code scanning for instant device recognition, and visual confirmations that eliminate confusion.

What I Did

• Analyze user workflows to align business requirements with actual user needs, validating the mobile-first approach with quantitative setup time measurements.

• Led a collaborative design workshop using journey mapping and pain point prioritization techniques with cross-functional teams to identify critical friction points in the configuration process.

• Created wireframes and prototypes for the MVP, balancing a strategic approach to streamline workflows with product constraints and cost estimates.

• Ensured implementation fidelity through weekly developer handoff sessions, detailed component specifications, and accessibility reviews, collaborating with my co-designer to maintain consistency across iOS and Android platforms.

• Conducted in-person usability testing with 3 customers, identifying and resolving 5 critical usability issues before launch including terminology confusion and connection feedback problems.

1/5 Understand Customers and Their Challenges

I kicked off the project during the planning phase by meeting with stakeholders and leading multiple workshops to review customer pain points uncovered in previous research. We also walked through the journey map together to prioritize features and user stories.

The goal was to ensure everyone was aligned from the start, helping teams allocate resources effectively and stay informed about the next steps.

Through these discussions, two key needs emerged:

For business:

• MSI needed to boost device sales by offering a streamlined provisioning experience for new SMB customers, while also building a direct relationship with them.

For SMB Customers:

• Most small-to-medium businesses spend less than four hours per week on IT-related tasks and typically don’t have dedicated IT staff.

• The existing 30+ step web portal provisioning process was overwhelming for them — they needed a quick, mobile-friendly way to complete the initial setup on their phones.

Our North Star was to redefine the entire provisioning process so a small business owner could complete it in under 10 minutes.

2/5 Strategic Design Definition

With that goal in mind, I worked closely with a solution architect to create a step-by-step wizard that transformed those 30 steps into just 8 key steps in the mobile app.

Before

A complex, fully customizable web portal built for large enterprises — overwhelming for small business needs.

After

A streamlined mobile app with just 5 predefined steps, making provisioning fast for SMBs.

Mobile App User Flow

I reorganized the web portal's disjointed 30+ steps process into a logical 5 main steps mobile flow. Adding progress indicators and conversational guidance made it more approachable.

By the workshop's end, we had a comprehensive blueprint for the app – detailed user flows, wireframes for key screens, and a shared understanding of how the product would work.

3/5 Prototype Development

From there, I worked with another designer to develop wireframes, reviewed them with my team, and created a clickable prototype as our MVP for stakeholder approval. After a few presentations and some great feedback from the core team and sponsors, we wrapped up discovery and moved into technical analysis.

Our prototype demonstrated both improved efficiency and ease of use, which helped us secure approval for development.

MVP Overview

4/5 Development Support

For the next six months, I worked closely with our engineering team to bring the design to life:

• Creating Detailed Specifications:
  I developed comprehensive user behavior stories, documenting how each feature should work — including edge cases and error states. These detailed specs minimized back-and-forth questions during development and helped keep the project on track.

• Adapting to Technical Realities and Management Changes:
  We held weekly meetings with our product manager and solution architect to review key user flows for each design sprint. I also regularly synced with engineers to discuss user behaviors and address any technical constraints that emerged.

• Continuous Testing and Refinement:
  Every week, I tested the latest builds on actual devices, documenting UI issues and functionality gaps. This ongoing involvement helped catch and fix dozens of small issues before they grew into bigger problems.

It was a highly collaborative process. We made adjustments based on management direction or technical needs and continuously tested everything as it was developed.

5/5 User Validation

As we approached launch, ensuring usability became our top priority. We conducted on-site customer testing sessions to observe how users interacted with the app and to gather feedback for final refinements.

• Before visiting customer sites, we created a detailed testing plan and moderator guides to ensure consistency across sessions.

• During the visits, we ran usability sessions to collect direct feedback and capture usability results.

• Afterward, we analyzed the findings, organized them into an actionable tracker, and presented the insights to cross-functional teams.

After making a few minor updates based on customer feedback, we were confident in the strength of our thoroughly tested user experience.

Outcome

The Simplified Device Configuration app launched in October 2023 with significant impact:

• Configuration time dropped from 40 to under 10 minutes, delivering substantial time savings and business value for both partners and end customers.

• Sales for the TLK 25 device increased 36.16% in 2023, representing a 17.82% growth over 2022 figures, with the app frequently highlighted as a key differentiator in sales presentations.

• Key partners provided enthusiastic feedback on how the streamlined process improved their efficiency and customer experience.

This project taught me valuable lessons about challenging established workflows, collaborating across disciplines, and maintaining focus on user needs. By transforming a complex technical process into an intuitive experience, we created value for all stakeholders while establishing direct relationships with our customers.