AT&T
As a Senior User Experience & User Interface Designer at KIT Digital Creative Services, I delivered innovative design solutions for media and entertainment clients, including AT&T U-Verse Online and Disney. My primary focus was creating exceptional visual designs, UX, and UI concepts for video-related projects such as Video-on-Demand, catch-up TV, and mobile video. I specialized in composition, layout, information hierarchy, typography, and color while solving complex interaction design challenges. I designed user interaction models, workflows, and interfaces, incorporating usability and field research findings into meaningful design improvements. My role involved evaluating the usability of new and existing products, sharing expertise with team members, and showcasing creativity through storytelling, UI modeling, detailed wireframes, and comprehensive specifications. Additionally, I employed a wide range of prototyping techniques, from paper prototypes to interactive models, to bring concepts to life and ensure optimal user experiences.
Case Study: AT&T – Enhancing the Customer Support Experience
Introduction
In the competitive telecommunications industry, customer support is a key differentiator. AT&T sought to transform its customer service experience by redesigning its internal troubleshooting tool used by support agents. I led this initiative to reimagine the tool’s user experience, creating a solution that streamlined complex workflows, reduced call times, and empowered agents to deliver faster and more effective support.
Problem Statement
AT&T’s customer support agents relied on a legacy troubleshooting tool that was outdated, unintuitive, and cumbersome. Agents struggled with lengthy workflows, inconsistent data visibility, and an overwhelming number of steps to resolve common customer issues. This led to:
• Extended Call Times: Increasing frustration for customers and agents alike.
• Error-Prone Processes: Inconsistent resolution outcomes due to tool inefficiencies.
• Low Agent Satisfaction: High frustration among agents who found the tool difficult to use.
My goal was to redesign the troubleshooting tool to simplify workflows, improve efficiency, and ultimately enhance the overall customer support experience.
Research and Insights
To understand the challenges faced by agents, I conducted extensive research:
1. Shadowing and Interviews:
• Spent time with customer support agents to observe how they interacted with the tool during live calls.
• Conducted interviews to understand pain points, frustrations, and their ideal experience.
2. Key Insights:
• Complex Workflows: Resolving common issues required navigating multiple screens and manually connecting data points.
• Information Overload: Agents were overwhelmed by irrelevant data and poorly organized information.
• Inconsistent Guidance: The tool lacked contextual prompts, forcing agents to rely on memory or external documentation.
These insights shaped my approach to designing a more intuitive and efficient tool.
Solution Design
I focused on creating a tool that simplified workflows, provided contextually relevant information, and empowered agents to resolve issues more effectively:
1. Streamlined Workflows
I restructured the tool’s workflows to minimize unnecessary steps and reduce cognitive load.
• Created guided processes for common issues like billing, connectivity, and account changes.
• Consolidated multiple screens into a single, unified interface.
2. Contextual Assistance
To reduce errors and increase efficiency, I implemented:
• Dynamic Prompts: Real-time guidance based on the specific issue being addressed.
• Search Enhancements: Improved search functionality to surface relevant data faster.
3. Dashboard Redesign
I designed a centralized dashboard that prioritized key information at a glance, such as:
• Customer account details and history.
• Diagnostic results and suggested next steps.
4. Performance Metrics Integration
Integrated tools to track call metrics and resolution times, giving agents immediate feedback and helping managers identify training opportunities.
Driving Cross-Functional Collaboration
To ensure the redesign met both user and business needs, I collaborated closely with:
• Support Agents: I involved agents throughout the design process, using their feedback to validate prototypes and refine workflows.
• Engineering Teams: Partnered with developers to align designs with technical feasibility, ensuring seamless implementation.
• Stakeholders: Regularly presented progress to leadership, demonstrating how the redesign aligned with business goals, including cost reduction and improved customer satisfaction.
• Training Teams: Worked with training managers to create onboarding materials and ensure agents could quickly adapt to the new tool.
Impact Delivered
Key Results Post-Launch:
• Reduced Call Times: Average call handling time decreased by 20%, significantly improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.
• Improved Resolution Rates: First-call resolution rates increased by 15%, reducing repeat contacts and enhancing customer trust.
• Higher Agent Satisfaction: Post-launch surveys showed a 40% increase in agent satisfaction with the tool, citing ease of use and intuitive workflows as key improvements.
• Enhanced Customer Experience: Customer satisfaction scores (CSAT) rose by 18 points, reflecting faster and more effective support.
Reflection and Learnings
This project demonstrated the transformative power of user-centered design, even in complex, legacy environments. By deeply understanding the needs of agents and their workflows, I was able to deliver a solution that simplified processes, improved outcomes, and drove measurable business impact.
For me, this project reinforced the importance of designing not just for the end user but also for the people enabling those experiences. By empowering AT&T’s support agents, I helped the company deliver a superior customer experience—a win for both agents and customers.
