Bandwidth - Inventory Management

Redesigning internal workflows for faster, clearer global number provisioning

Bandwidth’s internal teams rely on Inventory Management to provision, organise, and maintain global telephone number inventory across multiple regions. Following the Voxbone integration, the experience became fragmented combining inconsistent navigation, duplicated functionality, and unclear workflows. I redesigned the system to replace fragmented workflows with a clear, predictable structure helping teams move faster, reduce errors, and work with confidence at scale.

Faster task completion

↑ 0 %

Fewer support tickets

↓ 0 %

Reduction in navigation errors

0 %

Internal satisfaction score

0

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Bandwidth Universal Platform - Inventory Management (Admin)

Role

Senior UX Designer, Lead

Duration

~5 months

TEAM

UX Manager, Product Managers, Inventory, Compliance, API & Front-End Developers

01. Problem

A critical internal system that no longer matched how teams worked

This wasn’t just a usability issue it was an operational risk. Bandwidth’s Inventory Management platform underpins how global telephone numbers are provisioned, organised, and audited across multiple regions.

Following the Voxbone integration, the experience became fragmented, combining two systems with inconsistent navigation, duplicated functionality, and conflicting interaction patterns.

What had once worked became increasingly difficult to scale. Teams were spending more time navigating the system than actually completing the work. Forcing teams to rely on workarounds rather than the system itself. The system still functioned, but it no longer worked for the people using it.

"This created operational friction at scale. Teams spent too long trying to find the right data, complete simple actions, and understand what had changed."

Business Impact

Provisioning delays slowed onboarding and operational throughput
Support teams spent time answering avoidable questions
The platform struggled to scale across new regions

User Pain Points

Navigation felt inconsistent across modules and countries
Bulk actions were difficult to find or use
The system relied on memory instead of clear structure

02. Challenge

Understanding the complexity of internal provisioning at scale

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Legacy Voxbone interface - fragmented, inconsistent, and difficult to scale

The challenge was not just to redesign screens, it was to realign the system with how teams actually worked.

The original system was structured around country-based modules and inherited data logic. In practice, users thought in tasks such as assign, review, and remove.

That gap between system structure and operational behaviour was where most of the friction lived.

The original system had been organised around country-based modules and inherited data structures. In practice, users thought in terms of tasks the gap between system structure and operational behaviour was where most friction lived.

Key Challenges

Navigation varied across regional modules
Bulk actions were hidden or inconsistent
TN and group-level information were mixed together
Dense tables made scanning difficult
There was no clear mental model of where to go next

Root Issue

Users could not build a reliable mental model of the system. Without predictable structure, even simple tasks became slow and error-prone

03. Objective

Creating a clear, predictable and scalable internal provisioning experience

The goal was to replace an inconsistent and opaque workflow with a structured, guided experience that teams could rely on.

I needed an experience that improved accuracy, reduced dependency on support teams and could scale as Bandwidth entered new markets.

Success Meant Delivering

Clear orientation and wayfinding across all modules
Faster task completion for high-volume workflows
Reduced reliance on support and tribal knowledge
Consistent patterns across international markets
Improved visibility into status, grouping, and actions
A scalable IA foundation aligned with BluePrint

04. Discovery & Insights

How we understood internal workflows

Legacy workflow: repetitive, unclear, and reliant on support

“The strongest pattern was that the interface reflected system logic, not operational logic. Users thought in tasks, but the system was organised by entities and regions.”

The core issue became clear early. Users weren’t struggling with the tasks themselves; they were struggling to find where those tasks lived.

The system reflected engineering logic, not operational logic.

Rather than starting with assumptions, I observed how teams actually worked. I sat with Compliance Ops analysts, watched their workflows, and noted where they hesitated, backtracked, or relied on support.

This was paired with structured research to uncover patterns and validate direction.

Research methods

Heuristic Evaluation

Audited the existing interface and highlighted repeated issues in navigation, hierarchy, and interaction consistency.

Card Sorting

Showed that users grouped work by task, not by country or system structure.

Workflow Observation

Revealed how often analysts relied on memory and repeated navigation patterns.

Stakeholder Workshops

Created shared agreement on which workflows mattered most and what success would look like.

Usability Testing

Validated that the new IA reduced errors and made key tasks easier to complete.

5 METHODS

Each chosen to reveal a different layer of how teams actually worked.

Personas

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Maria T.

Operations Support

Handles escalations and troubleshooting across regional inventory views. Needs consistent layouts, clearer search paths, and faster access to the right data.

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Alex R.

Compliance Ops Administrator

Manages high-volume provisioning across multiple regions and needs quick visibility into groups, filters, and status changes. Frustrated by having to click through multiple screens to complete simple actions.

User journey

Key insights

The disconnect between system logic and operational behaviour created friction in five consistent ways:

01

Users relied on memory over navigation

02

Bulk actions were hidden

03

TN and Group data were mixed

04

Filters did not reflect how users searched

05

Inconsistencies caused repeated errors

Patterns identified during research highlighted opportunities to reduce manual effort, improve accuracy, and support decision-making through intelligent assistance.

Intelligent navigation based on workflow context

Reduce reliance on memory by surfacing the next likely action based on user behaviour and workflow context.

Contextual action suggestions

Surface relevant bulk actions automatically based on selected data, reducing the need to search through menus.

Smart filtering and search recommendations

Recommend filter combinations based on common usage patterns, helping users find the right data faster.

Predictive validation to prevent errors

Prevent errors before they happen by identifying issues early and providing clear, actionable feedback.

05. IA & Workflow Redesign

From fragmented workflows to one predictable system

The redesign shifted the system from a country-based structure to a task-based model aligned with how teams actually work. Not to simplify by hiding information, but to make the system easier to understand, navigate, and scale.

• Country-based navigation fragmented workflows
• No clear hierarchy or orientation
• Bulk actions hidden in menus
• TN and group data mixed together
• Dense, hard-to-scan tables

• Four clear modules, Groups, TNs, Alerts, Templates
• Separation of TN-level and group-level data
• Standardised tables, filters, and patterns
• Context-aware navigation and breadcrumbs
• Bulk actions surfaced at point of use

• Predictive alerts for issues and expirations
• AI-assisted provisioning suggestions
• Automated number state transitions
• Operational dashboards with real-time insights

Al-Enhanced

Re-architecting around how teams work

01

Groups

Manage and edit inventory clusters

02

TNs

View, assign, and remove numbers

03

Alerts

Surface issues and expirations

04

Templates

Standardise provisioning rules across regions

What changed structurally

Persistent top-level navigation replaced country drill-down
TN and Group data separated into distinct views
Filters redesigned around user behaviour (not system logic)
Breadcrumbs and page titles improved orientation
Bulk actions surfaced directly within workflows

06. Wireframing & Iteration

Bringing clarity into the core flows

I explored several concepts to simplify the experience, reduce cognitive load and create a predictable structure for all markets. Working closely with Compliance and Engineering ensured each decision was accurate, feasible and aligned with the wider platform.

Design Principles

Reduce cognitive load

Standardise patterns

Improve wayfinding

Use progressive disclosure

07. Design Execution

Making density feel manageable

The goal wasn’t to reduce complexity, it was to make it usable. Internal tools tend towards density.

There is always more data to show, more filters to support, and more actions to expose. The challenge was not to strip that back unrealistically, but to create a visual hierarchy that let users focus on what mattered at each step.

I introduced persistent structure, contextual actions, and clearer separation between data types so users could stay oriented while moving through large, high-volume workflows.

01

Structure and hierarchy

Sticky headers, persistent filters, and clearer grouping helped users stay oriented while navigating dense data views.

02

Context-aware actions

Actions such as Assign, Remove, and Export appeared based on user selection

03

Visibility and feedback

Clear status indicators and grouped data reduced guesswork

Three workflows that defined the redesign

Assign a number to a group

Previously required multiple screens, redesigned into a single contextual flowSearch, filter, assign, confirm, redesigned as one contextual flow.

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Inventory Management (Admin) - Number to a Group

Review TN status & history

A consolidated view showing full lifecycle without cross-referencing

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Inventory Management (Admin) - Number Status and History

Remove expired TNs in bulk

Bulk filtering and actions replaced repetitive row-by-row processes

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Inventory Management (Admin) - Removing Number Bulk Tool

Design System Integration

Every component was built using Bandwidth’s BluePrint design system.

Reusable filter, modal, and table components
Accessibility considerations including focus states and keyboard navigation
Detailed Figma specifications for engineering handoff

This ensured consistency, scalability, and faster delivery.

08. Guided Walkthrough

What the new journey looks like

The redesigned experience gave users a clearer path through the tasks they performed most often. Each step was designed to feel natural and predictable.

STEP 1

Choose the right module

STEP 2

Filter by region, status, or context

STEP 3

Review the relevant details

STEP 4

Take action in context

STEP 5

Confirm the result with confidence

09. Testing & Outcomes

Validating the solution

The redesigned workflows were tested through usability sessions and A/B comparisons with internal teams.

Methods

Usability Testing
Moderated sessions with Compliance Ops and Product Support teams
Task Completion Analysis
Measured speed and accuracy across key workflows
A/B Comparison
Benchmarked the redesigned flows against legacy patterns

The biggest shift was not just speed, it was confidence.

Users stopped asking where to go next. The system finally matched how they thought.

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Inventory Management - Usability Test

"For the first time, I do not have to think about where things are. I just go straight there."

Compliance Ops Analyst

"Bulk actions alone have saved me so much time."

Operations Administrator

10. Impact

A scalable foundation for global provisioning

This redesign went beyond improving a single tool. It established a scalable model for how internal systems at Bandwidth could be structured, designed, and delivered. The IA and interaction patterns introduced in Inventory Management became a reference point for future tools, shifting the organisation towards more consistent, system-driven design.

This work did not just improve a tool, it changed how internal systems were designed moving forward.

35%

Faster task completion

27%

Fewer support tickets

30%

Fewer navigation errors

4.6 / 5

Internal satisfaction score

Business

Product

User

A foundation, not just a facelift

The redesign did more than improve one internal tool. It created a repeatable model for structuring high-volume operational workflows at Bandwidth. The IA and interaction patterns introduced here became a reference point for future internal products.

"The new layout finally makes sense. I can find, filter, and fix issues faster without asking for help."

Compliance Ops Analyst

“This redesign drastically improved team efficiency — one of our most successful internal UX upgrades.”

Product Manager, Bandwidth

11. Future Opportunities

Where this work can evolve next

The redesign created a stronger operational foundation. The next step is to build intelligence and visibility on top of that structure.

Predictive alerts to surface issues early

Surface provisioning issues before they escalate

AI-assisted validation to reduce errors

Help users complete actions correctly the first time

Predictive approval estimates

Set better expectations during high-volume workflows

Operational analytics dashboards

Give teams visibility into efficiency and inventory health

Reflection

“Good internal UX removes friction quietly.”

This project reinforced a pattern I’ve seen across complex systems work. Internal users deserve the same level of care, clarity, and intentional design as any external customer. The teams using Inventory Management didn’t choose the tool; they relied on it to do their jobs. Improving that experience wasn’t an enhancement it was essential.

It also highlighted the importance of getting information architecture right early. Those decisions shaped every interaction that followed and prevented downstream rework. Finally, working within BluePrint showed the multiplier effect of design systems creating reusable patterns that extended beyond this project and accelerated future work.

Clarity isn’t decoration, it’s what makes complex systems usable.

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Redesigning internal workflows for faster, clearer global number provisioning

Bandwidth’s internal teams rely on Inventory Management to provision, organise, and maintain global telephone number inventory across multiple regions. Following the Voxbone integration, the experience became fragmented combining inconsistent navigation, duplicated functionality, and unclear workflows. I redesigned the system to replace fragmented workflows with a clear, predictable structure helping teams move faster, reduce errors, and work with confidence at scale.

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