DrimTel, an indie Australian telecom brand, donates 50% of its profits to research on Type 1 Diabetes. This charitable mission reinforces the company's commitment to making a positive impact, which aligns with the transparent and user-centered experiences I designed.
However, mandatory identity verification laws in Australia caused unavoidable delays in SIM activation, leaving users feeling frustrated and disconnected. These delays threatened user trust and engagement, directly challenging DrimTel's mission of providing seamless, community-driven services.
40% Reduction in Support Inquiries: Self-service tools empowered users to track activation progress independently.
87% Increased User Confidence: Branded touchpoints resolved trust concerns during the activation process.
Improved Accessibility: Enhanced layouts and color contrast ensured inclusivity.
As the UX Designer, I transformed this frustrating waiting period into an opportunity to build trust and foster engagement.
DrimTel's customers faced uncertainty due to mandatory SIM activation delays, leading to frustration and disengagement.
During our kickoff meeting, the founder expressed deep frustration about activation delays undermining trust and disengaging users. These issues were harming the customer experience and making it challenging to convert new customers, threatening DrimTel’s ability to grow its user base and fulfill its mission of fostering trust and transparency.
75% of users expressed frustration during interviews, citing unclear timelines as a key reason for their anxiety. Many users reported feeling unsure about whether their activation was even in progress.
The lack of proactive updates during the waiting period left users feeling disconnected. Several interviewees noted that even small updates could have reassured them that their activation was on track.
Unbranded URLs caused hesitation in 60% of users. Many were concerned about phishing risks, which undermined trust in the process.
These challenges revealed opportunities to reinforce trust, reduce uncertainty, and enhance user engagement through transparent communication and empathetic design.
DrimTel's customers faced uncertainty and frustration during the SIM activation waiting period, which was governed by strict identity verification laws. These delays created anxiety and eroded trust, underscoring the need for proactive communication and transparent processes.
“The confirmation page and branded URLs made me feel like my purchase was secure. I didn’t have to second-guess anything.” — User Interview Feedback.
My competitive analysis revealed that competitors often relied on vague messaging during delays. By addressing this gap with empathy-driven communication and branded tools, I helped DrimTel differentiate itself as a trustworthy and user-first provider.
How might we transform the post-purchase waiting period into a seamless, trust-building experience so that customers feel informed, connected to DrimTel, and inspired by its indie identity and charitable mission?
Provide users with real-time updates and clear activation timelines to eliminate confusion.
Use proactive updates and branded interactions to strengthen user confidence.
Design touchpoints that actively connect users to DrimTel’s mission, fostering loyalty.
Highlight DrimTel's commitment to seamless, user-focused services through every interaction.
Addressing these objectives, I developed solutions that reduced uncertainty, built trust, and enhanced engagement at every touchpoint. These efforts solved immediate user pain points, such as activation delays and unclear communication, while aligning with DrimTel’s mission to stand out as a transparent, user-first telecom provider.
This question and its objectives acted as a north star throughout the design process, ensuring every decision aligned with DrimTel’s mission and the needs of its users.
Through user interviews and competitive analysis, I uncovered three primary challenges DrimTel users faced during SIM activation delays:
To further explore these challenges, I conducted a competitive analysis benchmarking DrimTel against industry leaders.
To identify areas where DrimTel could improve post-purchase communication and user engagement, I conducted a competitive analysis of industry leaders Telstra and Optus. This analysis revealed critical gaps in communication transparency, user engagement, and accessibility that directly informed my design approach.
Benchmarking DrimTel’s communication and engagement strategies against Telstra and Optus revealed significant gaps in transparency, trust-building, and user engagement, highlighting opportunities for improvement.
To identify and address user frustrations, I utilized the following approaches:
“I didn’t feel confident about when my SIM would activate. It felt like I was stuck waiting with no updates or guidance.” — User Interview Feedback.
The findings highlighted significant opportunities for DrimTel to improve its post-purchase experience. These included addressing vague activation timelines, creating trust-building touchpoints, and integrating DrimTel’s unique indie identity into all user communications.
To understand the research findings, I used an Affinity Map and a User Journey Map. These tools helped categorize user pain points, stakeholder goals, and improvement opportunities and align them with actionable solutions.
The Affinity Map provided a structured way to organize early insights, hypotheses, and actionable solutions, focusing on trust, transparency, and technical feasibility.
Categorizing user pain points, improvement opportunities, and actionable solutions for a seamless user experience.
The User Journey Map offered a holistic view of the customer experience, identifying critical pain points, emotional moments, and opportunities for improvement at each stage.
Highlighting communication gaps, user emotions, and opportunities for improved engagement during the SIM activation journey.
The iterative design process focused on delivering user-centered solutions through continuous refinement and testing:
Throughout the design process, user feedback played a pivotal role in refining the prototypes:
This wireframe explored reducing user anxiety by organizing content into digestible sections with empathetic messaging and clear instructions.
The initial design highlighted a progress bar tracking concept, which aimed to provide users with clarity on their activation progress.
A polished design with enhanced messaging, consistent branding, and accessible features to support user confidence.
Final design provided a simplified binary tracking system, aligning with user feedback to improve clarity and trust.
Simplified the tracking system to better align with user preferences for clear and straightforward progress updates.
Developed clear, empathetic messaging to reduce user uncertainty during the activation process.
Collaboration with engineers was pivotal in overcoming technical constraints and ensuring the seamless implementation of user-focused features. This partnership brought clarity and trust to the SIM activation process.
Enhanced user trust by replacing generic URLs with branded, secure ones.
This collaboration bridged the gap between user needs and technical possibilities, delivering features that built trust, enhanced usability, and aligned with DrimTel’s mission.
The solutions immediately impacted users, addressed core pain points, and set the stage for future enhancements. Thus, they ensured DrimTel’s ability to scale while maintaining customer trust and satisfaction.
The results demonstrate the transformative impact of user-centered design on both user experience and operational efficiency, aligning with DrimTel’s mission to build trust and deliver seamless services.
Simplified tracking systems, such as the binary tracker, reduced user confusion and ensured a smoother activation experience.
Close collaboration with engineers enabled the resolution of API constraints and the implementation of scalable, user-centered solutions.
Iterative design based on user feedback led to more impactful outcomes, demonstrating the importance of adaptability in the design process.
“The binary tracker made everything simple—I didn't have to guess or worry about the activation anymore.” — User Feedback.
These lessons highlight the importance of designing for simplicity, fostering collaboration, and remaining flexible to user needs—principles I apply to every project.
These lessons highlight the importance of designing for simplicity, fostering collaboration, and remaining flexible to user needs—principles I carry forward into every project.
