Platform:
iOS
Role:
UX Designer
Timeline:
Jan 2023 - Mar 2023
Overview
idgard is a secure cloud collaboration platform powered by patented Sealed Cloud Technology, ensuring that sensitive data remains protected while enabling seamless teamwork. Its secure virtual data rooms are widely used for confidential workflows, such as board communications and committee work.
Polling is essential for board members to collaborate and vote on key decisions, but the feature was previously limited to the web app, creating a frustrating experience on mobile. To solve this, we introduced a dedicated Poll feature for iOS, enabling users to vote quickly, securely, and seamlessly within the app.
Impact in a Nutshell
My Role
As the sole mobile UX designer, I led all design activities: user research, wireframing, testing, and visual design. I collaborated closely with the product owner, 3 iOS engineers, QA, and scrum master to deliver a seamless in-app polling experience.
The Problem
Unresponsive Design
iOS users received poll invites via email, which opened in a non-mobile-optimized web page. This required them to scroll horizontally and navigate tiny, difficult-to-tap checkboxes, leading to frustration.
Cumbersome Authentication Process
Users had to authenticate on the web every time, adding unnecessary friction—especially for board members who needed to vote on multiple polls daily.
Inefficient Voting Workflow
The existing flow involved too many steps to access and complete a poll, making the process slow and discouraging frequent participation.
Key Stakeholder Pressure
Board members openly complained to our sales and support teams. They needed a simpler, quicker path to cast or change their votes.
The Challenge
Status Quo
Polling was essential for board members, but the feature was only available on the web, forcing mobile users through a frustrating process with multiple authentication steps, poor UI, and slow workflows. This led to frequent complaints and low adoption among iOS users.
Process
Research & Analysis
User Feedback & Meetings
Board members were vocal about the hassle of external web polls. We logged their complaints in a shared doc, identifying long login flows and poor mobile layouts as top issues.
Competitive Check
We briefly explored how other secure collaboration apps handled in-app polling, noting best practices like single-tap voting and clear success screens.
Ideation & Wireframing
Initial Concepts
I sketched different flows in Figma, aiming to minimize taps. The key idea was a poll list where each poll displayed its expiration time, and a poll detail screen with visually distinct radio buttons (for single-choice) or checkboxes (for multiple-choice).
Stakeholder Alignment
I presented the wireframes to the product owner and iOS engineers, confirming feasibility.
Usability Testing
Early Prototype Testing
Before shipping designs to the developers, I created a clickable Figma prototype. We tested it with 15 volunteer participants, mostly internal colleagues and power users who frequently work on polls.
Takeaways
Positive Aspects
Users found the feature intuitive once they located it.
Those familiar with idgard’s web UI were able to navigate the poll functionality easily.
The process of opening and voting in polls was generally perceived as smooth.
Challenges Identified
Some users found the poll feature hidden behind the three-dot menu, making it harder for new users to locate.
One user mentioned that only one data room was active at a time, causing slight confusion.
Iteration
To address discoverability concerns, I introduced a press-and-hold interaction for quick poll access, eliminating the need to tap the three-dot menu.
Updated the Figma prototype to link all data rooms, allowing future testers to navigate freely and simulate a more realistic experience.
Final Design
Collaboration & Implementation
Deep Link Integration
Worked with the web team to enable email poll links to open directly in the app, triggering FaceID authentication and landing users on the Poll Detail screen, eliminating five extra taps.
Secure Authentication
Ensured FaceID prompts were smooth, allowing users to access polls without manual navigation.
Agile Delivery
We operated in two-week sprints, demoing builds to stakeholders and gathering feedback to refine UI details, such as poll option cards and expiration date visibility.
Results & Impact
This improvement made voting faster and easier for board members and admins, leading to 6,000+ new app downloads in a month. The increased adoption boosted customer retention and likely led to more license purchases, positively impacting revenue growth.
Learnings
This project taught me the value of frictionless user flows, where deep linking eliminated unnecessary navigation, making poll access seamless.
I also learned that visual clarity is critical for mobile-first experiences—larger, well-defined radio buttons and checkboxes reduced errors, proving that interface precision impacts usability.Testing on the right device is crucial.
Using Maze introduced limitations, as many testers used desktop browsers, distorting interaction patterns. This reinforced the need for mobile prototype testing on actual devices for accurate insights.
Finally, UX-engineering collaboration was key. Working closely with iOS developers ensured FaceID integration without compromising speed, while early coordination with the web team maintained a cohesive cross-platform experience.