Mike Tsai UX Design
SMART TOUCH
Operating System UX Design
Background
After KaiOS successful created a Smart Feature Phone product category and powered over millions of devices in the emerging market, it initiated a Smart Touch project to expand in its product portfolio with business partners.
Affordability
The hardware components requirement of smartphones keeps going up, leading a cost increase on regular smartphone. As a light operating system, KaiOS has the advantage to run on low cost smartphones with better performance. It creates a niche price segment that is more affordable to users.
My Role UX Director
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Lead 10 designers to create the Smart Touch UX from ground up.
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Set design strategy, process, and roadmap.
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Delegate team responsibilities and oversee design quality.
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Encourage user-centric innovative design.
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Engage in internal organization and external partners communication to ensure design production quality.
Components / Style / Patterns
Design System
Explore Design Style
UI Bulgy / Airy / Spacious
Create Building Blocks
UI Components / System Font / System Color
Define UI Patterns
System UI / UI Behavior
Multiple Value Selector
Option Menu
Build Prototypes
System UI / UI Behavior
Dialog
UX team created prototype app for evaluation and engineering team alignment to ensure implementation quality and efficiency.
Straightforward / Meaningful / Clear
SIMPLE DESIGN
What you see is what you tap.
No hidden gesture to learn or remember, simply tap a button to navigate among all major screens.
Navigation Model
Major screens flow
NAVIGATION MODEL
Introducing INFORGATION BAR
The innovative Infogation Bar integrates navigation control and system information into a single, bar type interface. This helps to simplify the UI and maximize the content view for users.
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Back button, Home button, and Status button enable a simple "just tap" navigation behavior to access all features easily.
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The Home key with battery and time info is a meaningful practice to combine an action with information. It makes the most use of space and helps to simplify the Infogation Bar UI by this integration design.
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Status button can show up to 4 most important system status and the entire system status info is only a tap a way.
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In Lock Screen and Home Screen, because there is already a big clock UI, so it shows battery percentage info in Lock Screen and apps menu icon (identical as KaiOS smart feature phone to echo the design) in Home Screen.
Interactive Tutorials
The non-intrusive tutorial bubbles allows users to intuitively learn how to use Infogation Bar progressively.
Infogation Bar Behavior
Work with engineering team to ensure navigation logic and feasibility.
Apps Development
I oversee and participated in the interaction and visual design from concept, prototype test, decision making to final spec production. for 24 apps that included communications, entertainment, production, Internet, and system apps.
Simple layout arrangement and inviting design make it easy and delightful to explore the diverse apps in app Store.
Cards Design
An innovative design to increase user engagement for features or services. Cards and their content are customizable and can be remote updated instantly.
Usability Touch
From Smart Feature Phone to Smart Touch
Result
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I led the UX team to deliver 1 design system, 24 apps and 60+ specs in 6 months. (on schedule)
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The Smart Touch launcher design is identical to Smart Feature Phone and creates a consistent brand identity and product experience.
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Business partners all delighted with product experience and onboarded the commercial plan.