Cognant Platform
Cognant is a platform by Machine Zone to manage mobile ad budgets and campaigns across over 250 networks and provide data insights within a single dashboard to help simplify a complex ad tech industry. As lead UI/UX designer, I partnered with project managers to map out user stories, wireframes, refine visual designs, and worked closely with engineering to build new features.
Business Goals
-
Leverage Machine Zones marketing expertise to develop a one-stop mobile ad management tool for platform to enabled efficient media buying across 250+ advertising channels; supporting billion dollars of mobile ads bought for MZ games and other companies' mobile apps on the platform. Supported channels included API ad partners such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Oath to the long tail of non-API partners such as affiliates, ad networks, and offerwalls.
-
Upgrade existing internal tools to build a market-facing platform to manage ad budgets and campaigns across over 400 ad networks.
-
Build an advanced mobile ad toolset that allows users to create, buy, track, optimize and measure campaigns.
My Role
-
Led UI/UX, design, development and launch of product features
-
Features include tagging, cross-channel campaign management (audiences, bids, budgets, creatives), machine-learning driven optimization capabilities, billing; all within an Agile/scrum framework.
-
End-to-end focus - worked with PM's to define feature flows and user journeys, wireframe, prototyped and worked with back-end, front-end engineers to execute.
-
Work with product managers to build a user-friendly self-service dashboard
-
Develop new features on a regular cadence
-
Research competitive products
-
Design core flows, wireframes and prototypes
-
Test and work with partner teams to iterate
Process
During the front-end stage of the process, understanding product and business goals were the primary focus. Whiteboard sessions were useful to help map out the high-level structure and generate discussions around the user journey. Once the information architecture was mapped out, I moved into the wireframing stage to provide a higher level of detail to the conversation and get immediate feedback before moving to higher fidelity mocks.
Product Development
Once feedback and ideas were gathered from stakeholders the focus was wireframing and presenting. After features were approved I moved on to high fidelity mocks and visual polish. For the next stage, I worked closely with engineering teams to build and update features. Good communication throughout the process helped ensure development went smoothly and the final client-facing product experience was engaging.
Updates and Testing
• New features were developed on a regular cadence.
• Internal observational tests were conducted to find pain points and areas to improve user quality of life.
• Three primary questions informed my design strategy:
-
How can we simplify and remove unnecessary steps?
-
What contexts need to be considered?
-
How can we make daily and repetitive tasks more efficient and improve our users' quality of life?
Results
• As product features and updates were released platform users consistently reported improved usability, reduced pain points, and overall increased product efficiency.
• Enabled efficient media buying across 250+ advertising channels; supporting billion dollars of mobile ads bought for MZ games and other companies' mobile apps on the platform. Supported channels included API ad partners such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Oath to the long tail of non-API partners such as affiliates, ad networks, and offerwalls.
Design System
To help keep the team informed and aligned as the product grew I helped established and maintain the style guide with quarterly updates and new patterns as they were integrated. This was a source of truth for interface components and visual design and was developed to ensure consistency across features and usage.
