SMS Applet
Project Overview
What's SMS Applet
The SMS Applet, developed by China Mobile, is an internet-based upgrade to traditional SMS and MMS services. By integrating capabilities such as SMS and 5G message delivery, link encapsulation, mobile authentication, and big data, it delivers mini program applications through a “SMS + link” format. This enables businesses to offer users more efficient, convenient, and targeted product and marketing services via SMS.
Business Goal
The goal is to modernize messaging systems, improve user engagement, and provide businesses with enhanced tools for marketing and customer interaction via SMS and 5G technology.
Constraint
The constraint is China Mobile’s partially outdated technical framework, which limits flexibility in meeting modern user expectations and integrating advanced features.
Target Users
Target users are businesses looking to enhance SMS communication, mobile authentication, and data analytics to improve customer engagement and marketing performance.
Problem Statement
With the decline of traditional SMS usage and rising user expectations for richer, interactive communication, China Mobile seeks to modernize its messaging system by integrating internet-based features like mini programs and data analytics. However, this transformation is constrained by an outdated technical framework, limiting the scalability, flexibility, and user experience needed to stay competitive in the digital age.
My Role - User Experience Designer
As one of two UX designers, I collaborated with researchers, product managers, and developers to analyze users, design frameworks, and create high-fidelity prototypes that ensured an intuitive user experience.
Emphasize through research
I worked with the UX research team through multiple meetings to review past user data and analyze pain points and opportunities, generating insights that guided a more user-centered design.
Identifying key pain points and opportunities
I analyzed qualitative and quantitative data from user interviews and questionnaires conducted by the research team to better understand user behavior. This analysis revealed key preferences, challenges, and expectations, helping identify pain points and opportunities. These insights directly guided the design process, ensuring the solution was user-centered and more effective.
Key Findings
User Personas
Based on key research findings, I developed a detailed user persona that captured the target user's needs, behaviors, and goals. This served as a shared reference for the team, guiding design decisions and ensuring we remained focused on user-centric priorities throughout the project.
User Flow
As this project required cross-departmental collaboration, I worked closely with product managers and developers to define the platform’s main user flows and content framework. Through multiple alignment meetings, we established core usage processes and ensured the design supported the platform’s objectives. A key challenge was coordinating across multiple business areas, which required careful negotiation and collaboration to integrate diverse perspectives into a seamless, user-centered design.
Design Process
As one of two designers on the project, I was responsible for building the overall design framework, designing the official website, and creating key functional designs for both the homepage and backend. I also designed dynamic visuals to boost user engagement and support platform functionality. Throughout, I focused on delivering a cohesive and user-friendly experience while collaborating closely with the other designer and development team.
TIMELINE
6 Months
MY RESPONSIBILITIES
UX Design,
UI Design, Motion Design
TOOLS
Sketch, Photoshop, Adobe After Effects
KEY SKILLS
User Analysis, User flow, sitemap, Prototyping, Testing
Sitemap
Based on the user process analysis, I created a comprehensive sitemap mapping key connections between the official website and platform. I defined essential content, navigation structure, and layout, laying the foundation for designing sub-functional modules.
Wireframing
Guided by the sitemap and after thorough content discussions with the product manager, I designed wireframes for the official website’s desktop and mobile versions to ensure cross-platform adaptability. I also developed a separate framework for key backend pages. Multiple review rounds ensured content accuracy and consistency across platforms.
Focus on high-fidelity design
Based on wireframe, I started to get into high-fidelity design, which mainly includes official website design (desktop, mobile), backend login page design, and backend management system design.
Official Website
I initiated the prototyping phase by designing the official website, ensuring it was responsive for both mobile and desktop devices. This adaptability optimized the user experience across different screen sizes while maintaining consistency and usability. I worked closely with the product manager to confirm the content and layout of the website, conducting several rounds of user testing to ensure accessibility and user-friendliness. Official Website
Homepage
Based on the wireframes, I designed the backend homepage with a focus on navigation layout and interaction for ease of use and clear hierarchy. Technical constraints limited access to some functions, so the homepage prioritizes quick access to key features. Future improvements will target enhanced data visualization to improve user experience.
key functional pages
Then I focused on key functional pages, ensuring they were intuitive and user-friendly. By prioritizing clarity and efficiency, I created a streamlined interface that guided users seamlessly through their workflows, enabling easy management of messaging campaigns. This user-centered prototyping approach fostered engagement and laid the foundation for the platform's success.
For these key pages, I held multiple meetings with product managers and developers to refine and optimize the content structure and user flow, improving the user experience and understanding of complex functions.
Key functions included:
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Long link to Short Link
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SMS sending
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Mobile web bottom bar
More pages
As part of a two-designer team, we collaborated on designing different functional modules, regularly reporting progress to the product manager. We continuously received feedback and made revisions to ensure the final design met both user needs and business goals.
Branding
During the branding phase, I focused on designing product logos that symbolized connectivity and innovation. Each logo aimed to evoke trust and resonate with our target audience, helping to distinguish us in the market and foster user loyalty.
Improvement based on testing
After completing the high-fidelity design, we worked with UX experts on a Heuristic Evaluation while our two designers conducted a Cognitive Walkthrough simultaneously. I analyzed the combined results, identified issues, and proposed improvements that drove ongoing optimizations and enhanced user satisfaction.
Partial design optimization
Launch & Impact
After the product launch, I worked with developers to implement tracking at key points to monitor user behavior. Based on backend data, I regularly refined the design to improve user experience and continuously followed up with iterations and new feature designs.
Impact
The platform’s launch significantly boosted the usage of traditional SMS and 5G services, showing that legacy industries must adapt by embracing new technologies and continuous product iteration to meet evolving user needs. As a designer, this experience reinforced my belief in the vital role of ongoing iteration in achieving success.
+27%
SMS usage rate
60%
Link encapsulation
97%
Retention rate
+36%
Conversion rate
Future recommendations
I look forward to future product improvements that incorporate data visualization and intelligent analytics to enhance clarity and interactivity, optimize navigation and workflows for better efficiency, strengthen personalization to meet diverse user needs, and continue iterative updates to maintain competitiveness.