FINALCODE



FinalCode software allows users to securely collaborate and share files using any communication channel, including existing Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Cloud Storage and collaboration applications. The global unified leadership team (2018) was responsible for establishing NEW go to market strategies for FinalCode, Channel and OEM/Partnerships with a primary focus on the US market supported by improved internal and external sales process with a Global Product Strategy that leads,innovates and connects, the security landscape of file protection for all geographic markets and target verticals.

To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and concealed confidential information in this case study. The information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of FinalCode Inc.







MY ROLE



I was leading the Product Management/UX Research efforts for FinalCode desktop and mobile apps. In this role I was directly reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer and the Chief Executive Officer of FinalCode USA team (Apr-Aug 2018).



Identify Problems

  • I conducted Contextual Inquiry with cross functional stakeholders (business and engineering) to understand the current process, challenges, expectations and assumptions around FinalCode's product.
    Insights gained from these interviews led to identification of the below problems:
  • How might we sell a product that is built for the Japanese market in USA?
  • How might the user needs be different in USA and JP?
  • How might we improve the UX of the MAC/WIN FinalCode client?



    • UX Research Insights

  • Identified the USA enterprise user needs: Synthesize the customer needs captured via different sources with the company (Confluence pages, interviews with account executives,sales engineers etc.)
  • Identifying usability problems: using Heuristic Evaluation and Expert Review of FinalCode desktop client and mobile app.



    • Product Strategy & Roadmap

  • Prioritizing recommended features: Assess the feature feasibility w.r.t Technology, Marketing and Value it would bring to end users.
  • Identify potential technology partners for FinalCode within USA: Understand the existing APIs of FinalCode and research the potential OEM partners



    • THE CHALLENGE



    People

    Communication:
  • Language Barrier (JP,EN)
  • Remote Teams JP/USA/SGP and timezone conflicts
    • Cultural barrier
  • Trust between JP/USA teams
  • Divergent views around product strategy between JP/USA teams

    • The challenge here was to collaborate with an engineering team that did not speak english and worked in a different timezone (Japan/Singapore).



    Product

    Identify:
  • User needs for USA based customers
  • Usability issues in the FinalCode product Desktop/mobile app
  • Potential technology partners for FinalCode to expand customer base
    • Feature Prioritization
    To identify which features should be on the roadmap for FinalCode updates based on user feedback/expert review



    Process

    Identify process related problems in:
  • Design and Development of FinalCode products
  • Reporting customer requests by Sales/account executives
  • Development and Support communication loop




    • THE APPROACH



    The biggest challenge I faced throughout this project was scoping down the identified problems, balancing moving forward with project deadlines, whilst collaborating with the multicultural,remote multidisciplinary teams (USA/JP/SGP). Managing feedback was even more challenging because it felt like a swinging pendulum of viewpoints. The teams did spent a disproportional amount of time debating product design decisions and I did find it challenging to convince the importance of our user centric design approach so that we could update the FinalCode software to suit the needs of our USA based customers, especially since the FinalCode product was designed/developed based on needs of Japanese customers.

    I took the below steps to work around the challenges faced in this role:
    Bridge the Communication Gap:
  • Interpreter JP to EN and vice-versa
  • Outlook translation plugins for emails
    • Reduce the Cultural Barrier:
  • Build strong interpersonal relationships across the distributed cross functional FinalCode teams by Presenting findings/reccomendations, Discussing as a team and then Voting to get consensus and prioritize next steps for work
  • Travel to Tokyo, Japan to meet the FinalCode engineering team to build trust and working relationships
    • Identify the user needs:
  • Synthesize the customer needs captured via different data sources
  • Identifying usability problems in FinalCode products via Heuristic Evaluation, expert review, user interviews
    • Prioritizing recommended product features:
  • Evaluated feature feasibility w.r.t Tech, Marketing and Value added to users in USA
  • Identify potential technology partners
  • Understand the existing FinalCode APIs
  • Desk Research the potential OEM partners
    • Identifying problems in existing process:
  • Contextual Inquiry of stakeholders, Sales engineers (USA/SGP),Design/Development/QA (JP) and Support (JP)



    • THE IMPACT



    User Insights
  • Identified key needs of USA users
    • Feature insights
  • Build Product Roadmap/Strategy for next quarters
    • Process Insights
  • Recommendations to Improve communication processes across development/support/account executives,
  • Reccomendation to incorporate a UX Design team for FinalCode USA
    • Future Opportunity Areas
  • Potential OEM Partnerships




    • RECOGNITION