STREAMLINING NETWORK OPERATIONS FOR MULTI-VENDOR EMS PLATFORM
Elevating the operator experience from Manual to effortless network monitoring and management
UX DESIGNERS TO RESCUE
Designing solutions for a vast and complex network management application, that’s highly technical and analytical with limited input and language barrier (Japanese clients, Indian designers & development team).
BACKGROUND STORY
Fujitsu: Fujitsu is a Japanese multinational information and communications technology (ICT) equipment and services corporation.
NTT Docomo: NTT Docomo (officially NTT DOCOMO, INC.) is the largest mobile operator in Japan, providing a wide range of innovative and convenient mobile communication services.
Fujitsu is actively collaborating with NTT Docomo with the aim of building industry standards for monitoring multi-vendor EMS (Element Management Systems) within single or multiple NMS (Network Management Systems) primarily through their joint efforts in the Open RAN (O-RAN) ecosystem.
CHALLENGES FACED WITH CURRENT SYSTEM
Single-Vendor EMS Focus:
Current system limited to tracking one vendor at the EMS level.​
Manual Operations:
System is view-only; all actions and updates require backend intervention.​
Time-Consuming Updates:
Manual backend processes lead to delays in implementing changes.​
Limited Flexibility:
Inability to add complex or advanced alarm and performance calculations.
OBJECTIVES
Steep Learning Curve & Novelty: The project presented a significant challenge due to a rapid need to grasp intricate technical workings, features, and user tasks, compounded by a projected doubling of data complexity and the absence of existing market inspirations for this novel digital experiment.
O1: Handle doubled data volume & complexity clearly.
O2: Design for future scalability.
O3: Hand over the product in 1.5 years - to Docomo and NTT
O4: Clean & organized interface for complex data.
O5: Build a future-friendly, adaptable design.
O6: Immediate tracking & action on critical warnings.
Automated workflows and calculations, reducing manual operations by 70%.
Improved hierarchy and labeling simplify feature discovery.
"With great vision and ideas comes greater responsibility!"
STRATEGY
GET A GRASP OF NICHE USERS AND MARKET TRENDS
With a fresh domain - and limited time - we tried to understand potential users from network engineers, ex-Noc engineers within ours and Fujitsu team.
Major users personas
MARKET TRENDS
Competitive Analysis
OUR UNDERSTANDING
Aligning goals
MODULARISATION
Dividing the vast platform into major sectors based on the technical requirements provided.
ESSENCE OF THE PRODUCT
This case study will hone in on the Dashboard, a high-priority module that forms the core essence of our product. This dashboard is crucial because it directly addresses two vital user needs:
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Alarms: Provides immediate, actionable insights into network issues, guiding users on where urgent intervention is required.
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Performance: Offers predictive capabilities based on resource utilization and performance trends, enabling users to anticipate and proactively address potential problems.
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I will demonstrate how our design approach effectively simplified complex data and workflows within this dashboard, ultimately empowering users to make faster, more informed decisions.
MODULE WORKSHOP - DASHBOARD
DISCOVERY WORKSHOP: UNDERSTAND CONCEPT OF DASHBOARD
Team: PM of Fujitsu ( India & Japan ), Development ( Back & Front), AI Team, QA, Designers (3)
WORKSHOP GOAL
To collaboratively understand and visualize the typical journey of a target user (e.g., Network Operations Manager, Business Analyst) when they need to monitor, analyze, or report on key data, specifically identifying pain points, opportunities, and emotional states related to their current tools and processes.
PRE WORKSHOP PREP
To ensure clear communication and overcome language barriers with our Japanese clients, we made visual sketch notes a cornerstone of our workshops and discussions. This dynamic visual tool became essential for navigating diverse ideas, crisply explaining design concepts, and achieving rapid alignment with stakeholders.
UNIFIED UNDERSTANDING ON DASHBOARD CONCEPT
USER FLOW
SITE MAPPING
HIGH FIDELITY DESIGNS
DESIGN SYSTEM
Our work with Fujitsu was set against the backdrop of their foundational design system. While it established primary elements – including colors, forms, and common interactive components – the system itself was in a transitional phase, with components frequently being refined and expanded.
PATTERN LIBRARY
The ongoing development of Fujitsu's design system necessitated a focused approach to preventing design inconsistencies. Components frequently emerged that were "detached" from the core system. To counter this and support long-term scalability for design and development, we implemented a pattern library. This vital tool systematically documented repeatable components, empowering designers to maintain consistency and drastically reduce iteration time. I've documented this experience and best practices for handling such dynamic design systems in a dedicated article Design systems: To detatch or not?.
SOLUTIONS
KEY LEARNINGS & TAKEAWAY
​Design workshops aren't just a one-time event. We discovered that holding regular, focused sessions on specific topics was incredibly important. These ongoing workshops helped us cut through confusion and gain much deeper insights – even in areas where clients initially felt certain about their solutions. This consistent engagement kept everyone motivated, maintained project momentum, and really opened doors to more creative problem-solving.
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Communication also became a huge focus, especially when facing language barriers. We quickly realized that visual communication, like using sketchnotes, was a universal language. Not only did it help us clearly share our own ideas, but it was amazing to see our Japanese clients start using the same visual patterns to explain their technical environments and calculations back to us! This shared visual approach, combined with AI tools that brilliantly simplified complex technical terms for our design team, supercharged our overall process.
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Together, these strategies – continuous workshops, clear visual communication, and smart use of AI – made a huge difference. They allowed us to accelerate our design work, speed up ideation, and ensure much smoother discussions across our development teams, engineers, and clients. Ultimately, this integrated approach was crucial for keeping the entire project on track and completing it successfully on time.