mimik provides a SDK platform to third-party developers that enables devices to create distributed edge-cloud clusters by physically discovering and establishing peer to peer connection between one another.
About
This technology enables ad-hoc and real-time formation of mesh networks across different devices, operating system, and network connections.
mimik previously launched a media sharing application to demonstrate use cases that are enabled by the edgeSDK and micro-service APIs.
mimik knew that improving the experience of mimik access was a huge opportunity to generate SDK sales. I joined the team as a UX/UI designer at the start of the Android and iOS redesign project.
Decompose
By sharing a short survey and follow up interviews with the existing user base and stakeholders we learned that:
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No data or understanding about who the SDK was for, or who app users are, their behavior, or impressions of application and which features mattered most.
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The team had created many proof of concept works to engage potential customers but would not result in a sale because there was no clear definition of which functionality the SDK currently supported.
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App use cases could not be fully defined without a SDK road map to indicate when app features could be enabled.
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Most internal and external users did not have the latest versions of the application or know how to easily install them.

Formulate
This insight left the team with more questions than answers so we set out to learn:
- How could we map customer values to company vision?
- How could we involve SDK customers in design process to validate ideas?
- How do we compare different ideas that have multiple factors?

Define
- Conduct surveys and interviews to learn about user needs and expectations towards personal storage and media sharing applications.
- Test 3-5 value proposition with 100 existing app users (80% who are potential SDK customers) in 2 weeks.
- Run 1 week design sprints to test 4 different prototypes with SDK partners in 8 weeks.


Running the experiments









Verify the results

Using a design thinking model alongside Agile processes enabled the team to test their assumptions, clarify expectations of what was built, and co-create in rapid manner. This shift in how the team operated allowed them to accomplish:
- Developing a app landing page with sign up flow allowed business teams to automatically onboard potential partners they met with.
- Create a active presence on GitHub and SwaggerHub which helped reduce setup times for edgeSDK customers down from 1 week to 1 hour.
- Implement build, test, and continuous integration deployment tools to identify and resolve issues discovered in the wild.
- Create an application environment using Appium, Google Play, and TestFlight for business development teams to automatically have a suite of devices with different network configurations, test media, and the latest application builds.
- Develop documentation, marketing materials, and proof-of-concepts to recruit new partners in sectors such as: digital TV services, health care, drone surveying, smart cars and cities, and industrial IoT infrastructure.