Content

Project Overview

Context

Research and Discovery

Solution Development

Testing and Iteration

Minimal Viable Product

Product Requirements

Product Launch

Retrospective

Project Overview

Taking Ownership of the Product

As part of my professional Product Management course, I took part on a structured project to reduce churn for Sync, focusing on addressing critical user pain points and business risks. The objective was to identify and address key challenges affecting enterprise clients, ensuring improved user trust and retention. Over the course of the project, I conducted in-depth user research, data analysis, and stakeholder alignment.

This case study details the problem identification, research insights, and solution development. It showcases how a data-driven, user-centric approach can drive meaningful product improvements and business impact.

About Sync

Sync is a video conferencing platform primarily serving enterprise clients, including businesses, government institutions, and academic organizations. Originally launched in 2010 to cater to small tech startups and tech-savvy individuals, Sync has since shifted its focus to enterprise users. Today, its main source of revenue comes from large businesses, government, and academic contracts, which fall under the enterprise tier.

Sync's enterprise-tier customers prioritize security, privacy, and high-quality service, making trust and reliability key factors in retention.

Key Stakeholders and Their Priorities

• Rafa, Founder and CEO, prioritizes data-driven decision-making and expects rapid execution to meet enterprise client demands.

• Fiona, Founder and CTO, is focused on mitigating technical debt to ensure Sync’s long-term stability.

• Andrea, UX Researcher, highlighted in her research major security concerns for government and academic users, including unauthorized access, meeting disruptions, and unauthorized screenshots.

Context

Defining the Problem

The COVID-19 pandemic brought in a massive increase in users, growing from 100 million pre-COVID to 500 million, including government and academic institutions that relied completely on the platform. However, with this expansion came critical security vulnerabilities.

The Problem

• Security Breach: Uninvited users gaining access to private meetings, compromising confidentiality.

• Privacy Breach: Unauthorized screenshots being taken and shared, creating data security risks.

Why This Problem Mattered?

• Business Risk: Government and academic clients, who contribute 34% of total revenue, expressed dissatisfaction and began considering alternative platforms.

• Enterprise Trust & Reputation: Sync’s security reputation was at stake, threatening long-term adoption and market positioning.

• Unsustainable Workarounds: Users had to manually remove unauthorized participants and email documents instead of sharing screen.

• User Churn Risk: These inefficient workarounds led enterprise clients to seek alternative platforms.

  
  

Research and Discovery

Understanding the User Needs

To gain a deeper understanding of enterprise users' security concerns, I conducted comprehensive research using multiple methodologies. This approach allowed us to validate pain points, measure the impact on user retention, and identify the best solutions to enhance security and privacy.

Research Approach

Key Findings & Insights

Our research revealed critical insights into enterprise client needs and their impact on retention:

Solution Development

To address the identified security challenges, we conducted an ideation session where we used mind mapping to generate a wide range of potential solutions in our prioritized issues then we used dot voting to prioritize the most impactful ones.

Prioritization Methods

Prioritized solutions

Final Solution

After evaluating various security solutions, we determined that an OTP system would provide the most immediate and effective protection against unauthorized access. The key reasons for this choice were:

• Security Enhancement: OTPs significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized participants joining private meetings.

• User Simplicity: The feature allows hosts to generate and share a secure code with only intended participants.

• Enterprise Alignment: This feature directly addressed concerns from government and academic clients who required stricter access control.

In addition, after the MVP stage, we will introduce screenshot notifications to further enhance privacy.

Testing and Iteration

Wireframe Development & User Testing

To validate our proposed security features, I developed a medium-fidelity wireframe and conducted usability testing. This helped to refine the user experience before implementation.

A/B Testing

To determine the most effective placement for security settings, I conducted A/B testing comparing the two wireframe versions; the original one and the iterated wireframe.

Prototypes:

• Prototype A: Placed security settings in a separate tab, but users found it hard to locate.

• Prototype B: Integrated security settings immediately after meeting details, making it more intuitive.

Key Insight

In the end, Prototype B was selected due to its improved usability and discoverability, ensuring seamless adoption of security features. Users preferred built-in security controls within the meeting setup rather than a separate, additional step. This streamlined the process and improved feature adoption.

Minimal Viable Product

MVP Approach: Wizard of Oz MVP

To validate the feature before investing in full automation, I implemented a Wizard of Oz MVP, where OTPs were manually generated and sent to participants. This allowed us to:

• Test user adoption and usability with minimal development effort.

• Gather qualitative feedback on how OTPs affected meeting access and security.

• Identify potential user experience bottlenecks before automating the process.

Key MVP Functionalities

The MVP focused on delivering essential security features while minimizing complexity:

• OTP system for controlled access: Hosts can generate and share one-time passwords to restrict meeting access to intended participants.

• Basic Admin Controls: Hosts can enable or disable OTP per meeting to offer flexibility.

• Minimal UI Disruption: The OTP input field was seamlessly integrated into the existing login process to maintain user flow.

  
  

Product Requirements

Product Requirements Document (PRD)

To ensure a smooth implementation of the OTP feature, I prepared a clear product requirements document (PRD) and aligned development priorities with business goals.

Product Launch

Launch Plan

To ensure a successful rollout of the OTP security feature, I developed a comprehensive launch plan focused on adoption, user education, and continuous monitoring.

Launch Objectives:

• Achieve 75% adoption of the OTP feature within the first month.

• Reduce unauthorized access incidents by 80% in three months.

• Increase enterprise user satisfaction from 2/5 to 4/5 within three months.

  
  

Retrospective

Key Takeaways

• User-Centered Security: Implementing security features like OTP requires balancing security with usability to ensure adoption.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Managing expectations across business, technical, and design teams was crucial for feature prioritization.

• Iterative Approach Matters: Prototyping, A/B testing, and user feedback helped refine security features for better integration and adoption with minimal effort.

• Success Metrics Guide Development: Using the HEART framework ensured measurable success criteria for adoption, satisfaction, and retention.

• Continuous Improvement is Key: Security features should evolve with user needs and industry standards, ensuring long-term value.

• User Education is Crucial: Providing clear onboarding experiences and tooltips significantly improved feature adoption.

Future Plans

If the MVP Did Meet Expectations:

If the OTP feature achieved high adoption and improved security satisfaction, the next steps would focus on scaling and enhancing security functionalities:

• Automating Role-Based Access Controls: Implement automated user permission levels for better meeting security.

• Customizable Security Features: Allow admins to set organization-wide security policies for greater flexibility.

• Enterprise Expansion: Introduce premium security features in the enterprise tier to strengthen Sync’s position in the market.

If the MVP Did Not Meet Expectations:

If the MVP did not achieve the expected adoption or satisfaction levels, improvements would depend on gather metrics:

1. Iterative Development: Gather continuous user feedback to refine security features and improve adoption.

2. User Experience Refinements: Simplify the OTP workflow based on usability feedback.

3. Enhanced User Education: Provide interactive onboarding, tooltips, and FAQs to improve understanding and adoption.

4. A/B Testing of Feature Variants: Conduct further experiments to identify the most effective security approach.

   Alternative Authentication Methods: Explore additional security measures like biometric authentication or multi-factor authentication.

   
   

This case study highlights the importance of user-centered security solutions and the role of data-driven decision-making in developing impactful product features. By implementing an OTP system and refining security controls, we aimed to enhance user trust and meet the evolving needs of enterprise clients.

If you’re interested in collaborating on similar projects or discussing innovative product solutions, feel free to reach out! I’m always open to new opportunities and partnerships to build impactful products.