Felicia Sugiarta

Product Manager

Microsoft Teams

Personal Case Study

Product Strategy

Stakeholder Management

User Research

UX/UI Design

Data Analysis

Product Manager + Product Designer

Microsoft Temas

Passion Project

client

Microsoft

tYPE

Desktop Application

ROLE

Product Manager +
Product Designer

TOOLS

Trello, Google Analytics, Figma, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Creative Suite

Overview

A self-initiated case study focused on reducing friction within the Microsoft Teams experience. I applied product thinking, user research, and iterative prototyping to design a streamlined morning dashboard that saved users time and minimized tool fatigue—aligning with Microsoft's mission to empower productivity through simplicity and integration.

OUTCOME

84% of users (11/13) reported starting meaningful work faster, with less decision fatigue
Context switching reduced by 36%, improving task flow
Users saved an average of 9 minutes each morning
Satisfaction score averaged 4.5/5
Enabled users to stay informed at a glance via modular widgets

WHY DID I DO THIS?

This project began from a personal friction point—realizing that productivity tools often added complexity instead of clarity. With a product mindset, I approached it like a discovery sprint: mapping user pain points and exploring how to create a smoother, more human workflow.

↓ BEHIND THE SCCENE: tHE process ↓

Understanding the Ecosystem

Microsoft’s robust ecosystem powers global productivity—but its scale can create clutter. Users face overload, tool fatigue, and unclear priorities. I set out to reimagine how users could start their day feeling calm, clear, and in control.

SWOT Analysis

Work with users,
not against them.

Work with users, not against them.

Starting this project, I broke things down through a SWOT analysis to pinpoint the gaps—where integration could be tighter, workflows smoother, and user control stronger. Seeing both the big picture and the details helped shape a solution that works with users, not against them.

Competitive analysis

Evaluated two leading
platforms using nine criteria

Evaluated two leading platforms using nine criteria

User Interview

Discussion with Microsoft
Teams Users

Discussion with Microsoft Teams Users

User Behavior Trends

Microsoft's users are often driven by productivity, efficiency, and seamless integration in their work

2025 Trends: redefining how we collaborate, stay productive, and maintain a healthy workplace culture.

Framing the Problem

Efficiency Audit | 1 Week | 13 Users

Observed how users tackled morning tasks like emails, calendars, and to-dos. Most spent 15–20 minutes just figuring out where to start—switching between 6–8 tools.

The goal is to:

Identify pain points that slow users down in their morning workflow
Understand how users prioritize and manage tasks across multiple Microsoft tools
Find opportunities to streamline and reduce cognitive load

Identify pain points that slow users down in their morning workflow
Understand how users prioritize and manage tasks across multiple Microsoft tools
Find opportunities to streamline and reduce cognitive load

Identify pain points that slow users down in their morning workflow
Understand how users prioritize and manage tasks across multiple Microsoft tools
Find opportunities to streamline and reduce cognitive load

Defined Metrics:

Time to deep work
Number of app switches
Task completion rate
Frustration signals (qualitative)

Time to deep work
Number of app switches
Task completion rate
Frustration signals (qualitative)

Time to deep work
Number of app switches
Task completion rate
Frustration signals (qualitative)

SWOT Analysis

Bottlenecks in the current user experience

Every morning, users open their laptops to a flood of notifications, emails, and updates across multiple tools. Instead of getting to work, they waste time catching up—draining both productivity and mental energy.

SWOT Analysis

Bottlenecks in the current user experience

Ideation & Prioritization

Focusing on…

Reducing redundant notifications
Consolidating task views
Minimizing app-switching across Microsoft tools

DESIGN & PROTOTYPING

Inspired by bento box design—modular, clean, digestible. Users could scan, prioritize, and act—all in one place.

Ideation & Prioritization

Before

A typical user journey during their morning workflow — users open their laptops to a flood of notifications, emails, and updates across multiple tools. Instead of getting to work, they waste time catching up—draining both productivity and mental energy.

After

No more clutter, no more friction — just seamless productivity and intuitive collaboration.

FINAL CUSTOMER INTERVIEWS

Usability Test | 10 Returning Users

Conducted a usability test where users performed their morning tasks while sharing their screens with me.

Test results:

Conducted a usability test where users performed their morning tasks while sharing their screens with me.

Test results:

Conducted a usability test where users performed their morning tasks while sharing their screens with me.

Test results:

Before

13/13 users relied on 3+ tools to start their day
Avg. 15–20 mins organizing tasks
6–8 tool switches per workflow
Described as "chaotic," "overwhelming"

After

84% started meaningful work faster with fewer decisions
9 minutes saved in morning prep
Tool switching dropped by 36%
Described as "calmer," "more focused"

↓ FINAL SCREENS ↓

Design DecisionS

#1 Stay Informed at a Glance

We created widgets that show real-time updates, like news, notifications, or calendar events, so users can quickly see what’s important without jumping between apps.

#2 Start Your Day Stress-Free with Microsoft Widgethub

‍We created widgets that show real-time updates, like news, notifications, or calendar events, so users can quickly see what’s important without jumping between apps.

#3 Effortless Company-Wide Announcements

‍We created an easy-to-use feature for sharing company-wide updates, making it effortless for admins to manage and exciting for users to stay informed.

You made it to the end! Gold star for you ⭐

Thanks for reading and for being part of my growth! ◡̈

You made it to the end! Gold star for you ⭐

Thanks for reading and for being part of my growth! ◡̈

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