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Principal Product Designer (UX/UI Design)
2021-2022
Product Management, Engineering, Customer Success
Figma, User Testing, Analytics
SMS Verify API, SMS API
Key Impact
• Protected billions in daily transactions from IRSF fraud attacks
• Increased customer satisfaction 47% (NPS improved from 32 to 79)
• Prevented millions in fraudulent SMS charges for Fortune 500 clients
• Gave TeleSign customers independent control to block SMS from specific countries
• Reduced unwanted spam and scam SMS for end users
• Enhanced user satisfaction and platform trust
• Deployed across 120+ countries with zero compliance incidents
Executive Summary
As Principal Product Designer at TeleSign—a global communications platform processing 21+ billion annual transactions—I designed SMS Country Blocking, a self-service feature that gives customers control over which countries they send SMS traffic to.
The Challenge - TeleSign customers needed a way to prevent spam and scam SMS messages from reaching their end users. Some businesses had no intention of operating in specific regions and wanted to limit costs and regulatory complexity. During the Russia-Ukraine conflict, companies needed to quickly implement geographic restrictions aligned with sanctions and corporate policies.
The existing system required manual intervention from Customer Success teams through support tickets and CSV uploads, creating delays of days or weeks and preventing customers from having real-time control over their SMS traffic.
The existing system required manual intervention from Customer Success teams through support tickets and CSV uploads, creating delays of days or weeks and preventing customers from having real-time control over their SMS traffic.
The Solution - I designed an intuitive interface within TeleSign's existing "Manage Settings" that allows administrators to easily add or remove countries from a blocked list. The feature provides immediate control with clear visual confirmation and works across both SMS and SMS Verify API products.
The Impact - The feature significantly reduced spam and scam SMS, enhanced user satisfaction and trust in the platform, and provided customers with independent API control. It became especially valuable during geopolitical events, enabling rapid response to sanctions and corporate policies across TeleSign's 120+ country network without requiring Customer Success intervention.
Context & Scale
THE PLATFORM
TeleSign is a global Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) that:
• Processes 21+ billion annual transactions (57+ million daily)
• Verifies 5+ billion unique phone numbers monthly
• Operates across 120+ countries and territories
• Maintains 700+ direct-to-carrier network routes
• Serves Fortune 500 enterprises across multiple industries
• Processes 21+ billion annual transactions (57+ million daily)
• Verifies 5+ billion unique phone numbers monthly
• Operates across 120+ countries and territories
• Maintains 700+ direct-to-carrier network routes
• Serves Fortune 500 enterprises across multiple industries
THE PRODUCTS AFFECTED
SMS API — Text messaging for alerts, reminders, notifications, and marketing messages sent from websites or mobile applications
SMS Verify API — One-time passcodes (OTPs) for multifactor authentication, account verification, and security
MY ROLE
• Led end-to-end UX/UI design for SMS Country Blocking feature
• Collaborated with Product Management, Engineering, and Customer Success teams
• Designed for TeleSign's enterprise customers (administrators and security teams)
• Worked within existing TelePortal infrastructure and Manage Settings interface
• Operated under significant constraints: minimal development resources, tight deadlines, limited story points
• Led end-to-end UX/UI design for SMS Country Blocking feature
• Collaborated with Product Management, Engineering, and Customer Success teams
• Designed for TeleSign's enterprise customers (administrators and security teams)
• Worked within existing TelePortal infrastructure and Manage Settings interface
• Operated under significant constraints: minimal development resources, tight deadlines, limited story points
WHY THIS FEATURE MATTERED
Telesign's customers needed geographic SMS control for multiple business-critical reasons:
Spam & Scam Prevention — Protect end users from unwanted messages originating from high-risk countries, preserving platform trust and user satisfaction
Business & Cost Control — Limit SMS traffic to regions where they actually operate, avoiding unnecessary costs and regulatory complexity in markets they don't serve
Geopolitical Response — Rapidly implement geographic restrictions during events like the Russia-Ukraine conflict to align with corporate sanctions policies and geopolitical commitments
Regulatory Compliance — Manage country-specific telecommunications regulations and compliance requirements across 120+ jurisdictions
Problem
THE USER PAIN POINTS
TeleSign's enterprise customers were facing critical challenges that impacted both their operations and their end users' experience:
1. End User Frustration
Users receiving TeleSign customers' SMS messages were getting unwanted spam and scam messages from specific countries. This degraded the user experience, eroded trust in legitimate services, and caused users to distrust all SMS from these platforms.
Users receiving TeleSign customers' SMS messages were getting unwanted spam and scam messages from specific countries. This degraded the user experience, eroded trust in legitimate services, and caused users to distrust all SMS from these platforms.
2. No Real-time Control
When customers identified problematic traffic from specific countries, they had to submit support tickets and wait for Customer Success teams to manually implement blocks. This process could take days or weeks, during which spam and scam messages continued to reach end users.
When customers identified problematic traffic from specific countries, they had to submit support tickets and wait for Customer Success teams to manually implement blocks. This process could take days or weeks, during which spam and scam messages continued to reach end users.
3. Operational Inefficiency
The manual process required CSV file uploads, back-and-forth communication with support teams, and lacked transparency. Customers couldn't see which countries were blocked or quickly adjust settings as business needs changed.
The manual process required CSV file uploads, back-and-forth communication with support teams, and lacked transparency. Customers couldn't see which countries were blocked or quickly adjust settings as business needs changed.
4. Geopolitical Response Delays
During the Russia-Ukraine conflict, many companies needed to immediately halt SMS traffic to specific regions to align with corporate sanctions policies and geopolitical commitments. The manual process prevented rapid response.
During the Russia-Ukraine conflict, many companies needed to immediately halt SMS traffic to specific regions to align with corporate sanctions policies and geopolitical commitments. The manual process prevented rapid response.
THE BUSINESS IMPACT
Without self-service country blocking:
• User satisfaction declined as spam/scam SMS eroded platform trust
• Customer Success teams spent significant time on manual blocking requests
• Companies couldn't respond quickly to changing business or geopolitical needs
• TeleSign customers lacked independent control over a critical aspect of their SMS infrastructure
• Regulatory compliance became more complex across 120+ jurisdictions
• User satisfaction declined as spam/scam SMS eroded platform trust
• Customer Success teams spent significant time on manual blocking requests
• Companies couldn't respond quickly to changing business or geopolitical needs
• TeleSign customers lacked independent control over a critical aspect of their SMS infrastructure
• Regulatory compliance became more complex across 120+ jurisdictions
The problem was clear: TeleSign needed to give customers immediate, independent control over geographic SMS routing while maintaining the platform's ease of use and reliability.
Empathize
UNDERSTANDING THE USERS
I conducted research to deeply understand the pain points of users who received unwanted SMS messages and the TeleSign customers (administrators) who needed control.
User Complaints & Feedback:
- Analyzed customer support tickets revealing patterns of spam/scam complaints
- Reviewed end-user feedback showing frustration with unwanted messages
- Identified specific countries generating disproportionate spam traffic
- Documented the manual process customers currently used (support tickets, CSV uploads)
- Analyzed customer support tickets revealing patterns of spam/scam complaints
- Reviewed end-user feedback showing frustration with unwanted messages
- Identified specific countries generating disproportionate spam traffic
- Documented the manual process customers currently used (support tickets, CSV uploads)
Stakeholder Interviews:
- Customer Success teams handling blocking requests
- TeleSign customers managing SMS operations
- Security administrators concerned about platform abuse
- Compliance teams navigating country-specific regulations
- Customer Success teams handling blocking requests
- TeleSign customers managing SMS operations
- Security administrators concerned about platform abuse
- Compliance teams navigating country-specific regulations
PERSONAS IDENTIFIED
The Security-Conscious - Enterprise security administrator at a financial services company who needs to prevent SMS fraud and spam while maintaining authentication reliability for legitimate users
The Operations-Focused - Operations manager at an e-commerce platform who wants to control costs by limiting SMS to countries where they actually do business
The Compliance-Driven - Compliance officer who needs to ensure SMS traffic aligns with corporate policies, sanctions, and country-specific telecommunications regulations
KEY INSIGHTS
Pain Point: Users need protection from spam/scam SMS but current process requires days of waiting for Customer Success intervention
User Need: "I need to be able to block traffic from countries where I see problems, and I need it to happen immediately—not in 3 days after submitting a support ticket."
Opportunity: A simple, self-service interface that gives customers real-time control while maintaining the reliability of TeleSign's platform
Define
THE PROBLEM STATEMENT
Users need to easily and independently control which countries can receive SMS traffic from their TeleSign account to prevent spam/scam messages and align with business policies—without requiring manual Customer Success intervention.
Users need to easily and independently control which countries can receive SMS traffic from their TeleSign account to prevent spam/scam messages and align with business policies—without requiring manual Customer Success intervention.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Immediate Control — Users should see changes take effect in real-time across TeleSign's 700+ carrier routes, not hours or days later
Simplicity First — The interface must be simple enough for non-technical administrators to use confidently, even under pressure (like geopolitical events)
Clear Feedback — Users must have visual confirmation of which countries are blocked and understand the impact of their changes
Reversibility — Blocking decisions should be easily reversible if business needs change or mistakes are made
Transparency — The interface should clearly show the current state and provide confidence that settings are correctly applied
SUCCESS CRITERIA
The feature succeeds if:
• Customers can block/unblock countries without contacting Customer Success
• Changes take effect immediately across the platform
• Users understand which countries are blocked at a glance
• Configuration errors are prevented through clear UI design
• The feature integrates seamlessly into existing Manage Settings workflow
• Customers can block/unblock countries without contacting Customer Success
• Changes take effect immediately across the platform
• Users understand which countries are blocked at a glance
• Configuration errors are prevented through clear UI design
• The feature integrates seamlessly into existing Manage Settings workflow
Design Challenges & Constraints
TECHNICAL COMPLEXITY
- 120+ countries with different carrier relationships and regulations
- Real-time system processing 57+ million transactions daily
- Changes must propagate across 700+ direct-to-carrier routes immediately
- Integration with existing TelePortal internal systems
- Zero tolerance for errors—wrong configuration could block legitimate authentication traffic
- 120+ countries with different carrier relationships and regulations
- Real-time system processing 57+ million transactions daily
- Changes must propagate across 700+ direct-to-carrier routes immediately
- Integration with existing TelePortal internal systems
- Zero tolerance for errors—wrong configuration could block legitimate authentication traffic
RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS
- Minimal development budget (extremely limited story points)
- Tight deadline for launch
- Had to work within existing UI framework and design patterns
- Could not rebuild entire settings interface—had to fit within current structure
- Minimal development budget (extremely limited story points)
- Tight deadline for launch
- Had to work within existing UI framework and design patterns
- Could not rebuild entire settings interface—had to fit within current structure
USER COMPLEXITY
- Administrators range from highly technical to non-technical
- High-stress situations (like geopolitical events) require error-proof interface
- Must prevent accidental blocking of critical countries
- Need to accommodate both simple use cases ("block everything except US") and complex ones (selective country management)
- Administrators range from highly technical to non-technical
- High-stress situations (like geopolitical events) require error-proof interface
- Must prevent accidental blocking of critical countries
- Need to accommodate both simple use cases ("block everything except US") and complex ones (selective country management)
STAKEHOLDER REQUIREMENTS
- Product Management: Feature must launch quickly with minimal engineering effort
- Customer Success: Must reduce their manual workload significantly
- Engineering: Must integrate with existing infrastructure without major refactoring
- Security: Must include audit trail and prevent unauthorized changes
- Compliance: Must support varying regulations across 120+ countries
- Product Management: Feature must launch quickly with minimal engineering effort
- Customer Success: Must reduce their manual workload significantly
- Engineering: Must integrate with existing infrastructure without major refactoring
- Security: Must include audit trail and prevent unauthorized changes
- Compliance: Must support varying regulations across 120+ countries
THE DESIGN CHALLENGE
Create an interface that:
✓ Is simple enough for anyone to use confidently
✓ Prevents catastrophic errors (accidentally blocking critical countries)
✓ Provides immediate real-time control across global infrastructure
✓ Fits within existing Manage Settings UI patterns
✓ Requires minimal engineering resources to build
✓ Scales to handle edge cases and complex blocking scenarios
Create an interface that:
✓ Is simple enough for anyone to use confidently
✓ Prevents catastrophic errors (accidentally blocking critical countries)
✓ Provides immediate real-time control across global infrastructure
✓ Fits within existing Manage Settings UI patterns
✓ Requires minimal engineering resources to build
✓ Scales to handle edge cases and complex blocking scenarios
now the
OLd
Outcome: The project successfully implemented an SMS Country Blocking feature in Telesign's platform, significantly reducing spam and scam SMS messages and enhancing user satisfaction and trust. The SMS Country Blocking feature effectively improved our users' independent control of Telesign's APIs, enhancing the user experience and contributing to global economic actions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Highlights: Key achievements included the design and development of the first new feature introduction on our newly introduced self-service UI. We created a minimal design system using construction blueprints as inspiration. This system seamlessly integrates with the existing platform, allowing users to transition smoothly between the legacy and new UI. We also maximized development efforts and minimized scope with creative design solutions.
View Voice Setting | Mid-fidelity
Edit Section of Setting | Mid-fidelity
Confirm on Save | Mid-fidelity
Project Information
What is it?: Country blocking is a feature of TeleSign's SMS product that allows businesses to control SMS traffic based on geographic locations. This feature is particularly important for managing international communications and ensuring compliance with various regional regulations and standards.
Role: Lead Experience Designer.
Team: Lead Experience Designer, UI Designer, UX Researcher, Web Designer, CTO, VP of Product, Director of Product Management, Sr. Product Manager, Principal Software Engineer, Sr. Software Engineer, Sr. Program manager, Sr. Technical Writer, Portal Development Team, Data Science Team, Billing Development Team, and Integration Specialists.
Timeline: 3 Days (Late February 2022)
Status: Fully implemented with ongoing optimizations.
Context
Cause: We need to provide users with control over SMS traffic due to security concerns, manage international communications, and ensure compliance with various regional regulations and standards.
Environment: Utilizing a design system inspired by construction blueprints facilitated quick prototyping and clear communication, vital under tight development timelines.
Problem: Users require protection against spam and scam SMS messages. Control over SMS traffic for both inbound and outbound messages independently.
Research
Insights
Compliance and Regulation: Developers need to block SMS messages from specific countries to comply with international laws and regulations. For instance, certain regions may have strict data protection laws requiring messages to be restricted.
Cost Management: By blocking SMS messages to countries with high messaging fees, companies can significantly reduce operational costs.
Security Concerns: Blocking countries known for high fraud and spam rates can enhance the platform's security and protect users from scams.
Market Focus: Companies often focus on specific markets; blocking SMS messages to irrelevant countries helps concentrate resources where they're most effective.
User Experience Optimization: Reducing unwanted messages from foreign numbers can enhance the overall user experience, making services more appealing.
Technical Integration: Developers seek straightforward ways to implement country blocking, preferring solutions that easily integrate into existing systems without extensive development work.
Real-time Management: The ability to swiftly block countries in response to evolving threats or business strategies is highly valued.
Analytics and Reporting: Insight into the volume and origin of blocked messages can help companies understand potential market opportunities or security threats.
User Flows
Analyzed how users interact with SMS API control features. Applied learnings to a new UI design system with product-specific user flows.
Design
Flows: Developed a user interface for SMS Country Blocking using existing form field components within the new self-service UI product-specific navigation.
Interactions: Ensured the interface was intuitive and easy to use despite the limitations. Using an ISO2 country list alongside the corresponding country flag gives users a silent cue regarding which country they are here to add/remove. Key UX interactions proposed: Add/Remove Multiple countries per session. Error prevention with view-only blocked lists.
Visuals: Focused on clarity and simplicity to minimize human error and enhance user experience.
Design System – Inspired by construction blueprints and is designed for quick prototyping with a minimalist style, clean aesthetic, and low fidelity to minimize communication noise.
Test
Prototypes: Created interactive prototypes mostly for stakeholder approval. The limited timeline forced testing internally with the project team.
User Tests: Rapid testing to ensure functionality and ease of use. Limited to testing internally with the project team.
MVPs: Delivered a minimum viable product efficiently, leading to immediate user adoption.
Demo: Remove country from blocked list
Results
Final Designs: A functional and user-friendly interface for controlling which countries can receive your/send you SMS traffic.
Outcomes: Users can now manage product deliverablility base one geographical location, international communications standards ensuring compliance with various regional regulations and standards.
Production SMS Verify Product Page. Users can navigate to "Manage Settings" to access the SMS Counrty Blocking UI.
Production SMS Verify - Settings AKA "Manage SMS Verify" Under "Advanced Settings," Users can configure the SMS Country Blocking feature.
Takeaways
Learnings: This project represents the first major test of our minimalist design system, capable of a wide range of implementations and requirements, all while using a minimal set of components. We now have more evidence to support the importance of flexible design and rapid deployment under tight deadlines.
Reflection: Our team faced the challenge of complex back-end issues combined with limited resources for UI development. This project emphasized prioritizing functionality and design consistency over visual aesthetics. We were able to strike a balance between technical feasibility and a minimal user-centered design, ensuring that the final product meets both business and user needs.
Social Proof
Testimonials: Flagship clients, the largest technology companies in the world, praised the quick release of SMS Verify Country Blocking.
ActiveCampaign: "TeleSign is an identity data solutions platform that helps businesses connect with their customers. With Telesign and ActiveCampaign, you can automate the sending of SMS messages, campaigns, and updating contact records." Full Read
Microsoft Dynamics 365: "SMS messaging through the Dynamics 365 Marketing mobile channel creates new opportunities to connect with mobile users." Full Read
