Details
Client
Cisco (With support from Apple)
Challenges
The task was to combine and refine Webex's collection of collaboration apps into one product. It was a daunting challenge given the large scope, tight timelines, and big team. To align their vision, Webex collaborated with a team of Apple product designers, in addition to their own designers. I was one of only three designers in responsible for most design decisions, contending with feedback not only from Webex designers, but also from Apple’s, on a weekly basis during an eight-week engagement. Despite the pressure, we had to work quickly to create their vision at lightning speed.
Apple and Cisco? No pressure
Goal
In their own words, Cisco wanted an experience that was natively apple, distinctively webex. This came with its own set of goals alongside taking the existing iPad app and cleaning up the user experience. We set out to align lots of moving pieces within the webex infrastructure and house them in a beautiful intuitive interface that adhered to Apple’s human interface guidelines perfectly. A consistent goal was to prioritise usability and accessibility at every stage of the design process.
Paying attention to the details
Approach
Our engagement began with breaking down the existing app into sections, tackling one at a time during weekly meetings with Apple and daily scrums with Webex. The design system was continuously polished, refining icons, components, and colours to align with accessibility and branding goals. Our focus was on navigation and hierarchy, ensuring ease of use for calling, messaging, file management, and address books. User journey flows were compiled to ensure an efficient layout, whilst micro-experiences like the compose message component were carefully crafted with close attention to detail. To keep everyone on the same page, we presented each week's work in a concise, branded deck for feedback from the Apple team. We ended our engagement by delivering a full Figma file with working prototypes and a design system for integration into Webex's libraries.
Conclusion
Working with tech giants like Cisco and apple was an amazing learning experience. It’s safe to say I know Apple’s human interface guidelines for iPad like the back of my hand, and the launch of webex for iPad was a huge success, boasting 4.5/5 stars on Apple’s App Store from 200,000+ reviews.
