We achieved a 85% deliverability message.

Designing the cPaaS Platform
(Email and Messaging API)

Netcorecloud's customer experience platform helps marketers enhance conversions, user engagement, and retention across websites and apps. The platform integrates a suite of MarTech solutions, including customer engagement, product experience, cPaaS (Communication Platform as a Service), a customer data platform, the Raman AI engine, and Unbxd (search personalization).

ROLE

User Research, Usability Testing,Interaction Design, and Prototype Development.

SCOPE

user engagement, retention on websites & apps

TOOLS

Figma, Adobe XD, Miro

TEAM

PM, Developers, QA engineers

The Problem Statement

What is cPaaS? cPaaS (Communication Platform as a Service) is a cloud-based toolkit that allows businesses to integrate communication features such as messaging, voice calls, and video into their apps. The platform is secure, scalable, and developer-friendly, offering seamless communication across different channels, tailored to the needs of businesses and their users. This all-in-one solution helps companies maintain consistent, branded communication with their customers.


Netcore’s communication services were disjointed, causing operational inefficiencies and friction for users:

1. Disconnected Ecosystem

  • Email (Pepipost) and SMS (Bizbond) functioned independently, requiring separate integrations.
  • Users had to navigate multiple dashboards, billing systems, and workflows.

2. Developer Frustrations

  • Complex APIs, inconsistent documentation, and a lack of centralized access hindered adoption.
  • Onboarding required manual effort, delaying product integration and increasing support queries.

3. Limited Scalability & Reliability

  • Businesses struggled with message failures and had no fallback mechanisms for alternative communication channels.
  • Expanding communication campaigns across WhatsApp, RCS, and Viber was cumbersome.

Overview

As a Senior Product Designer at Netcore, I led the research, strategy, and design of a unified Communication Platform as a Service (cPaaS), integrating Email and Messaging APIs into a seamless solution. The goal was to address user pain points such as fragmented services, complex integrations, and inconsistent user experience.

By leveraging research-driven design, we delivered a platform that improved message deliverability, streamlined onboarding, and simplified developer integration, ultimately increasing efficiency for businesses.

Objective

Design a unified cPaaS platform that:

Simplifies communication via a single, scalable API.
Enhances reliability with automated fallback mechanisms.
Provides a consistent, user-friendly experience for both developers and marketers.

Solution

Unified cPaaS Platform

To solve these challenges, I designed and led the development of a cohesive communication platform with the following key features:

1. Universal API Service

  • A single API for Email, SMS, and Messaging channels, reducing integration effort.
  • Consistent API documentation for seamless developer adoption.

2. Intelligent Fallback API

  • Guaranteed 100% message deliverability by automatically switching to alternative channels (e.g., SMS → WhatsApp) during failures.
  • Real-time status tracking to enhance transparency.

3. Omnichannel Messaging Support

  • Integrated WhatsApp, RCS, and Viber to enable businesses to expand their reach.
  • A single dashboard for campaign creation, tracking, and reporting.

4. Unified Onboarding & Resource Center

  • Guided setup wizard to accelerate onboarding.
  • Interactive tutorials & comprehensive documentation reduced dependency on support.

Design approach

I followed a user-centered design approach, integrating research, iterative prototyping, and usability testing to refine the platform.

Research & Discovery

Goal: Identify key pain points and feature requirements.
Participants: Marketers, product managers, and developers from key clients, including Flipkart and Myntra.
Methods:

  • User Interviews: 12 stakeholders (5 marketers, 4 developers, 3 product managers).
  • Surveys: 50+ users provided feedback on integration and usability challenges.
  • Competitive Analysis: Studied industry benchmarks to identify innovation opportunities.

Key Insights from User Research

📌 Marketers: Needed better analytics and fallback mechanisms.
📌 Developers: Faced integration difficulties due to inconsistent API documentation.
📌 Product Managers: Required a scalable and customizable communication solution.

Wireframing & Prototyping

Created high-fidelity prototypes focusing on:

  • Onboarding & API Integration
  • Fallback API Configuration
  • Unified Messaging Dashboard

Usability Testing & Iteration

  • Tested with 8 target users from Flipkart & Myntra.
  • 90% found onboarding intuitive and significantly faster.
  • 75% appreciated the centralized API documentation.

🔄 Design Enhancements Post-Testing

✔ Improved onboarding flow with tooltips and step-by-step visuals.
✔ Fallback API dashboard with real-time error handling.
✔ Customizable analytics dashboards for deeper insights.

Impact/Outcome

  • 85% Message Deliverability: We successfully improved deliverability to 85%, optimizing performance and customization capabilities across the platform.
  • Positive Client Feedback: Key clients, including Broadcast News, Flipkart, Myntra, and others, provided positive feedback about the improved user experience and API performance.
  • Developer-Focused Integration: The unified API greatly simplified integration, with easy access to services like Google Cloud, Zapier, and other marketplace integrations, making it more developer-friendly.
  • Consistent User Experience: The overall product experience was made more consistent, aligning with the design language and user interface of other Netcore products.

Design System & Style Guidelines:

We adopted Infinity 2.0, the internal design system, to ensure consistency and scalability across the platform. The design system includes reusable components, patterns, and styles that were tailored to meet the specific requirements of the new platform.  

Infinity 2.0 Design System The follwing are some of the updated design sytem guidelines

Our design system, named Infinity 2.0, is structured around the principles of atomic design, which helps create a cohesive user experience.

The system is divided into three levels: Atoms, Molecules, and Organisms.

  • A scalable system ensuring consistency across all interfaces.
  • Atomic design principles for reusable components.
  • WCAG-compliant workflows to improve accessibility.

User Journey

The User Journey for our cPaaS platform is designed to ensure a smooth and engaging experience for users as they interact with various features. Below, we elaborate on the key components of the user journey, including the Login and Onboarding Experience, Messaging API Platform, Email API Platform, Omni-Channel Bot Builder Platform, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT).

Login and onboarding Experience

The journey begins with a unified login experience that allows users to access both the Email and SMS APIs through a single interface. This design choice minimizes barriers to entry and enhances user satisfaction.
  • Welcome Tour: Upon logging in, users are greeted with a welcome tour that highlights the platform's key features. This tour is interactive, allowing users to explore functionalities at their own pace.
  • Setup Wizard: The onboarding process includes a setup wizard that guides users through essential configurations, such as API key generation and channel selection. This step ensures that users can quickly get started without feeling overwhelmed.
  • Resource Center: Users have access to a comprehensive resource center filled with tutorials, documentation, and FAQs. This support system empowers users to troubleshoot issues independently and learn more about the platform.
The below is the login interface and onboarding tour.

Messaging API Platform

The Messaging API Platform is a core component of our cPaaS offering, integrating various messaging channels like WhatsApp, SMS, Viber, and RCS into a single interface.
  • Integrated Communication: Users can manage all their messaging needs from one platform, simplifying the process of engaging with customers across different channels.
  • Scalability and Customization: The platform is designed to scale with user needs, allowing businesses to customize their messaging campaigns easily. This flexibility is crucial for adapting to changing market demands.
  • User Engagement: By providing a unified messaging solution, businesses can create personalized campaigns that resonate with their audience, leading to improved engagement and conversion rates.
The below is the Prototypes of the Messaging API interface showcasing its features.

Email API Platform

The Email API Platform is designed to facilitate high-volume email delivery, focusing on deliverability, analytics, and ease of integration.
  • High Deliverability Rates: Our Email API is built to ensure that emails reach their intended recipients, boasting impressive deliverability metrics. This reliability is essential for businesses that rely on email for communication.
  • User-Friendly Integration: The platform supports both SMTP and HTTP API options, making it accessible for various user needs. This flexibility allows businesses to choose the integration method that best suits their technical capabilities.
  • Analytics Dashboard: Users can track the performance of their email campaigns through an intuitive analytics dashboard, providing insights into open rates, click-through rates, and other key metrics.
The below is the Prototypes Visuals of the Email API dashboard and analytics features.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is a critical phase in our development process, ensuring that the platform meets user expectations and requirements.
  • Collaborative Testing: During UAT, I worked closely with the QA team and product manager to conduct thorough testing of the platform. This collaboration helped identify usability issues and areas for improvement.
  • Feedback Loop: We established a feedback loop where users could report issues and suggest enhancements. This input was invaluable in refining the platform before its official launch.
  • Final Adjustments: Based on UAT findings, we made necessary adjustments to improve the overall user experience, ensuring that the platform is intuitive and meets the needs of our diverse user base.
The below is the Prototypes Visuals of the Email API dashboard and analytics features.

Impact & Measurable Outcomes

We tracked key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success:

Onboarding Completion Rate

📉 Before: 65%
📈 After: 92% (+41%)
🔹 Users could integrate APIs and launch campaigns in under 10 minutes (previously 30 minutes).

Message Deliverability Rate

📉 Before: 78%
📈 After: 93% (+19%)
🔹 The Fallback API feature ensured reliable message delivery across channels.

Reduction in Support Queries

📉 Before: High number of API-related support issues.
📈 After: 53% reduction in support queries.
🔹 Developers found the unified documentation intuitive, reducing troubleshooting time.

Conclusion : The user journey for our cPaaS platform is meticulously designed to provide a seamless experience from login to ongoing usage. By focusing on user-friendly onboarding, integrated messaging solutions, and robust testing processes, we aim to empower businesses to communicate effectively with their audiences. This thoughtful approach not only enhances user satisfaction but also drives engagement and success for our clients.

Crafted by Mounick with  🖤

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