UX Design, UI Design
Me Control is a Microsoft feature that provides a consistent way for users to do core authentication functions like signing in, switching between accounts and more. It is currently launched across Microsoft products on web and a few apps on iOS.
In May 2022, I was tasked with exploring how account management features could be incorporated into the mobile Me Control per the request of the AMC team at Microsoft.
Microsoft Me Control
UX/UI Designer
Myself, 2 managers
8 weeks
Currently, Me Control mobile doesn’t provide any way to users to access account management controls. Account management features aren’t accessible on any surface throughout Microsoft mobile applications. Users can only access them via the web.
I collaborated with the AMC team to think and explore how we might incorporate account management features across all mobile apps for Microsoft and bridge that gap.
Me Control is used across Microsoft products on the web, it allows users to switch between accounts AND provides custom links for each product to provide access to account management and more. However, on iOS devices, Me Control doesn't provide access to any account management features.
To kick off the project, I decided to look at current Microsoft app solutions like Teams, and competitors such as Google. I examined how they were incorporating account details, if at all, and account switching on mobile.
ANALYSIS OF CURRENT MICROSOFT APPS
A lot of people work on the Me Control and have hands on it due to it being a part of the Microsoft account experience. So, I set up calls with multiple stakeholders across various teams to better understand their user and product needs. I was able to learn more about why decisions were made and why there was a push for Me Control to start incorporating account management features.
With the product requirements defined, I started exploring various concepts for this new Me Control. Based on prior conversations with stakeholders, we came up with these two main ideas:
In collaboration with the AMC team, add an account management section and its entry point to the Me Control. AMC will own the designs for account management to ensure consistency.
Design the Me Control as the entire left navigation for applications with customizable in-app links. This will surface account switching controls and add flexibility to the Me Control's function.
From these core ideas, I was able to explore different variations of the Me Control to share with stakeholders. A few of my explorations can be viewed below:
I shared these ideas with stakeholders and received their feedback on how we can push the project forward. Overall, we all agreed on the value that this new Me Control could bring to our users and the product as a whole.
Now that the designs are out there and alignment is being found amongst the AMC and Identity team, the next steps are to further the explorations and take into account unique cases on the big picture scale.
If I had more time to work on the project, I would continue to work with the AMC team and other designers to ensure this new Me Control for mobile can scale accordingly based on future features and ensure consistency across Me Control web and mobile.
