MiFi devices are technically complex, yet primarily used by non-technical users. From a business perspective, first-time success and low support costs were critical. The challenge was to transform a router-like device into a reassuring home-internet experience.
The brief was to make technical complexity invisible — firmware behaviour, network dependencies, hardware limits — without reducing functionality. I held the full product experience: defining UX principles, designing flows, and acting as the decision bridge between product, engineering, and industrial design. That position meant catching constraints before they became user-facing problems.
The platform exposed all technical parameters to all users by default. For non-technical users — the majority — this created confusion and longer task times. I introduced a two-tier model within each section: Essential surfaces what most users ever need; Advanced reveals deeper configuration for operators and technical users. This pattern wasn't standard in the CPE/connectivity space at the time. It became a foundational principle carried into subsequent product lines.
Making Data Feel Human
Usage data existed in the system but arrived as raw numbers. I introduced a visual progress bar showing monthly consumption against the total — so a non-technical user could understand their data situation at a glance without reading a figure. Only the three controls most users actually need — Data, Roaming, Data Threshold — are surfaced at this level. Everything else sits one step deeper.
Icon-Driven Navigation
Category navigation uses icons with short labels rather than text-only lists. On a device interface used while standing, often in a hurry — reduced reading load matters. The active state (filled icon, highlighted label) makes current location immediately clear without needing a breadcrumb or page title.
Delivered end-to-end — from concept to deployment — in 4 months, leading a cross-continental team of 5 across Paris and China (Design, PM, Engineering and Developer).
The white-label architecture was designed to scale from day one, enabling deployment across European markets without redesign. The UX principles established on MiFi became the foundation for subsequent CPE product lines, directly contributing to the company's ability to expand its hardware portfolio and attract new operator clients.
MiFi combined a physical device with a browser-based SaaS interface — two products that had to feel like one. It was positioned not as a technical router, but as “portable internet made simple.”This required reframing the product from a device with features to an experience centered on reassurance.
Clarity over completeness
We avoided exposing all available technical settings.
Guidance over configuration
The onboarding guided users step-by-step instead of requiring setup knowledge.
Reassurance over control
Clear confirmation states were prioritized over advanced customization.
In practice, this meant translating firmware behavior into UX decisions in real time — not waiting for engineering to flag a problem, but being present enough in technical conversations to catch constraints before they became user-facing issues.
The experience didn't start at the screen. It started at unboxing — the moment someone held the device for the first time. Physical interaction, status communication, daily usage scenarios — design decisions ran across all of it. The interface was one layer of that system, not the whole thing.
