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VoIP B2B UX/UI Restyle: -45% time on task

How research surfaced an information architecture problem that couldn’t be changed due to technical constraints โ€” and how we solved the same user need from a different angle.

context

The project involved a B2B VoIP platform used by very different organisations — from banks to public administration. The client needed a complete UX and UI restyle (code refactor included).

The existing platform had a chaotic information architecture, confusing flows, and an outdated look & feel. The project was complex: many different stakeholders, and highly technical sections to understand before being able to intervene.

Comparison between legacy UI and restyled platform UI legacy ux/ui vs restyled experience
results
  • Reduction in time on task of approximately 45% to reach the most frequently used platform areas
  • Drop of 29.5% in support tickets opened by operators for navigation issues
  • New features (search bar + “Recent Activities”) were approved and implemented, respecting the technical constraints on information architecture
  • Wireframes for the new structure required only minor changes after the first round of testing — a sign the direction was solid from the start
my role

Sole UI/UX Designer on the project, from research to final hi-fi prototype — in constant interaction with the client (multiple stakeholders), the engineering team, and the project manager.

process
  • I studied the existing platform and documentation to get into the technical context
  • I ran interviews, surveys, remote contextual inquiry with operators, and usability tests on the existing platform, organising scripts, responses and recordings in Notion with a tagging system to manage insights
  • I carried out a heuristic evaluation shared with the client, using a priority matrix to assess areas of intervention
  • I worked on ideation and brainstorming with the engineering team, using a priority matrix to validate the feasibility of ideas in terms of time and budget
  • I built wireframes, tested with a first round of usability tests
  • In parallel, I designed the platform’s new design system — reusable components, styles and patterns to underpin the entire restyle
  • After validation, I produced the hi-fi prototypes for final client approval and a second round of user testing
Iterating on provisioning solutions with the engineering team iterating on solutions with the engineering team
the key decision

Solving without changing the root cause

Research had surfaced a clear problem: users — both new and experienced — had very high time on task to reach the areas they used daily, due to a massive menu full of sub-menus. It was an information architecture problem.

Changing the information architecture, however, wasn’t an option: it carried technical implications too significant for the stakeholders.

Instead of pushing for a solution that would have required touching that constraint, I worked with the engineering team on an alternative that solved the real problem (reaching frequently used areas quickly) without touching the structure: a search bar and a “Recent Activities” component, both validated positively in subsequent tests.

Usability test results with heatmap on the Subscribers screen usability test — heatmap and KPIs on the “delete a subscriber” task
reflection

Sometimes the “right” solution on paper hits non-negotiable real-world constraints, and the challenge becomes finding another one that solves the same need.

Research data was still the foundation for orienting the new direction — just applied to a different scope than I would have chosen initially.