Revamping Portal: a UX redesign journey
The Facebook Portal site redesign aimed to enhance the user experience, showcase new Portal Go and Portal+ devices, and address outdated design and content. The project involved collaboration between Codazen and Meta teams.
My role
Senior designer • Visual designer • Design system
Platforms
Desktop web • Tablet web • Mobile web
Year
2021
Research insights
Research identified several user needs to address for how the product should be created.
1. Enhanced user experience
Addressing user experience challenges related to outdated design and content to provide a more intuitive and engaging experience for the users.
2. Effective showcasing of new devices
The redesign aimed to effectively showcase and promote the new Portal devices, Portal Go, and Portal+, indicating a need for clear and compelling presentation of product information and features.
3. Seamless navigation and media optimization
Optimizing media elements for a seamless user experience indicating a need for easy navigation and well-optimized media content to enhance the overall user experience.
Opportunity
How can we use the Portal redesign to promote new devices, enhance the user experience, and optimize navigation and media for a compelling user-friendly experience?
Goals
The following items were key problems turned into opportunities to solve for during the creation of the redesigned site.
1. Outdated design and content
This was an opportunity to modernize the site to effectively showcase and promote the new Portal devices addressing the challenge of outdated design and content.
2. User experience challenges
The opportunity involved enhancing the user experience by optimizing navigation and media elements turning the challenge of user experience limitations into an opportunity for a more compelling and user-friendly online experience.
3. Lack of effective device promotion
The opportunity was to strategically promote the new Portal devices turning the challenge of insufficient device promotion into an opportunity to drive awareness and engagement with the new products.
Iterations
The redesign went through a number of iterations before we had a shippable design candidate.
Challenges
The Facebook Portal site redesign faced pressure to create a compelling user experience, drive more traffic, and increase sales of new Portal devices amid strong competition.
Final designs
These designs were publicly released worldwide.
Outcome
The redesign launched to 100% of users in September 2021 and the following items were key outcomes.
1. Improved user experience
The redesign aimed to enhance the user experience by modernizing the site, optimizing navigation, and media elements ultimately creating a more compelling and user-friendly online experience for visitors.
2. Effective showcasing of new devices
The project focused on effectively showcasing and promoting the new Portal devices, Portal Go and Portal+, indicating a successful outcome in driving awareness and engagement with the new products.
3. Improved user experience and traffic
The redesign aimed to drive more traffic to the site ultimately leading to an increase in device sales. This outcome was particularly significant considering the competition from other device makers.
Update
In November 2022, Meta shifted its focus leading to the discontinuation of Portal devices as part of portfolio rationalization to streamline operations and reduce costs.
This decision followed a June 2022 announcement to transition Portal from a consumer product to a business tool resulting in substantial impacts and iterative adjustments in later designs that I was a part of as the project was phased out.