©2018 Kris Yoo UX Product design at Samsung Mobile.
To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and obfuscated confidential information in this case study.
The information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of Samsung Mobile.
To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and obfuscated confidential information in this case study.
The information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of Samsung Mobile.
What is it?
This feature allowed users with T-Mobile service to manage and use multiple phone numbers on a single Samsung phone.
• Manage multiple Phone Numbers on a single device: This is the core functionality of a multi-line solution. Users get assigned additional phone numbers beyond their primary number. Jansky allowed you to seamlessly switch between and manage multiple phone numbers on your Samsung phone. No more carrying multiple devices!
• Share a number with multiple people: Users can share a single phone number with multiple people. This could potentially allow them to receive calls or texts, promoting better family communication or enabling business people to carry their business number on their personal phones.
And for whom?
• Professionals: They can maintain a clear distinction between work and personal communication.
• Families : They can benefit from cost-effective family plans with multiple lines.
• Privacy-Conscious Users: They can use a separate line for online activities or social media to protect their main number.
Information Architecture
Key Screens: Managing Multiple Lines on Your Samsung Phone
[Sign up or sign in] Here's how to enable multi-line features:
1. Open the T-Mobile app on your phone.
2. Navigate to the "Plan and Services" section.
3. Look for the "Digits" tile and tap the "Unlock" button.
First-time user tutorial
Activating multi-line:
The activation process will have three stages:
• Toggling On: This initiates the activation process.
• Connecting to Carrier's Server: The phone will communicate with your carrier to activate the line.
• Ready to Use: Once connected, the line will be active and ready for calls, messages, and contacts.
Making a call with multi-line
• Open the Phone app on your device.
• Select the line you want to use.
• Dial the phone number you want to reach using the keypad.
• Press the "Dial" button to initiate the call.
• Double-check the line selection: Top left corner displays the line you are using for this call.
Call logs: Track your calls easily
• Call History: See a list of all your recent calls, incoming and outgoing.
• Allocated Line: Quickly identify which line you used for each call.
• Line Status:
Activated Line icons will be displayed in a specific color (e.g., green, blue). This helps you easily see which number a call came from or went out to.
Inactive Lines: Lines that are not activated will be shown in a different color (e.g., gray). Upon logging out, typically only the inactive lines will turn gray out.
Messages app: Send or receive a message
Contact app: Smart contact default
Shared line: Transfer a call to a different device
Multi-line settings: Customization
About the project: Jansky, a collaborative project between a major network provider (like T-Mobile) and Samsung, aimed to revolutionize multi-line phone management. Users with Samsung flagship devices could leverage the project's innovation to manage and use multiple phone numbers seamlessly.
Key Design Aspects:
Native App Integration: Jansky cleverly integrated existing phone, messaging, and contacts apps, creating a familiar and intuitive user experience. Users could easily switch between lines and manage calls, texts, and contacts without separate apps.
Independent Line Management: Each phone number functioned independently, ensuring privacy and organization. This catered to users who needed to separate personal and professional communication on a single device.
Key Milestones
April 2015: Project Jansky kicks off – Collaboration between a major network provider and Samsung begins to develop a multi-line solution.
November 2016: Major UX development complete – The core user experience for Jansky is finalized, ensuring a smooth and intuitive way for users to manage multiple phone lines.
December 2016: T-Mobile releases Jansky Beta – A limited version of Jansky is made available to tens of thousands of Samsung T-Mobile users. This beta launch allows for real-world testing and user feedback.
Product UX strategy
Prioritizing Consistency: We prioritized consistency across the apps involved in Jansky (Call, Messages, Contacts). This meant avoiding the introduction of new interaction patterns that users would have to learn. By adhering to familiar design patterns already established on Samsung devices, we ensured a smooth user experience.
Self-Explanatory Interfaces: We strived to create interfaces that were self-explanatory and conversational, even for edge cases. Every interface should act as a clear conversation between the user and the device.
Targeted User Education: While the core experience was designed to be intuitive, we acknowledged that certain functionalities might require initial user education. To address this, we implemented first-time app usage help within the participating apps. This help included guidance on selecting an outgoing line, recognizing line usage within apps, and navigating to product settings for further customization.
Industry Impact: T-Mobile's investment in Samsung's multi-line UX for Jansky helped establish a foundation for their Android OEM UX requirements for future multi-line services. This focus on user-centered design principles ensured a positive user experience for multi-line functionality on Samsung devices.
My design approach: Focus on the impact
Clarifying Requirements and Communication: My role involved collaborating with a cross-functional team to analyze carrier requirements and existing UX features. To address unclear areas, I facilitated a workshop with the T-Mobile system architecture team and the Samsung Call, Messages, and Contacts development teams. This workshop helped clarify confusing requirements and led to a more streamlined development process.
Understanding user needs: Show, Don’t tell My primary focus was on understanding user needs for multiple line functionality on smart phones, particularly the concept of shared lines. A major challenge was establishing a shared vision for the concept of shared lines, which inherently involves some compromise between individual user needs. I created user personas to illustrate the needs for work-life separation, family plans, or managing a business line.
Prototyping and Evaluation: Based on the user research, I developed the user journey with multi-line features. Then, created prototypes, and user flows, which were evaluated with cross-functional stakeholders to refine the user flow for mvp features. This evaluation process allowed us to identify key use cases, user benefits, and refine the information journey. For example, stakeholder feedback helped refine the user flow for switching between multiple lines, ensuring a more intuitive experience.
Define design deliverables and collaboration: A comprehensive information architecture and a design language encompassing layout, color palettes, iconography, and typography were established. This design language ensured a cohesive user experience across all multi-line functionalities. While I defined these design elements, the detailed UI design work was delegated to the native apps UX design team at Samsung HQ.
Moving Forward: Lessons Learned
The mobile communication industry is a fast-paced environment where innovation is constant. During Jansky's development, both Samsung and T-Mobile were continually refining the project's capabilities. This meant adapting to new information and evolving features throughout the process.
Jansky offered a seamless multi-line experience for users with Samsung Galaxy S7, S8, and S9 series devices on T-Mobile plans. Its focus on native app integration and independent line control was well-received by users, as evidenced by the continued desire for its return.
As a designer on the OEM side, collaboration was crucial. Jansky's success heavily relied on the carrier's network infrastructure. In some instances, our design solutions were limited by unstable server conditions, delaying certain features until network stability improved. However, through close collaboration, we were able to find creative solutions and minimize delays for key features.
Samsung's business decision to phase out the service with the Galaxy S10 suggests a shift in priorities. However, Jansky serves as a valuable case study for future multi-line solutions. The project's emphasis on user-centric design and collaboration between designers and carriers' system architects pave the way for future innovations prioritizing a seamless and efficient user experience for managing multiple phone lines.
Thank you.