shielding millions of users from scams with smarter controls
Partnering with industry leader T-mobile to implement ScamShield to protect their customers. ScamShield is your ultimate control center with T-Mobile’s advanced anti-scam features like Scam Likely, Scam Block, and Caller ID.
TEAM
Mixed Level Product Designers
Researcher
Data Scientist
Product Owner
Engineering Team
role
Product Direction
Cross-Team Alignment
Leadership Reviews
Planning & Execution Tracking
THE OPPORTUNITY
T-Mobile faced an escalating risk of customer scams, which threatened user trust and exposed customers to potential financial and personal harm. Research shows that over 60% of customers who fall victim to scams lose confidence in their service provider, with nearly 40% considering switching to competitors after a scam incident. To protect their user base, preserve brand loyalty, and mitigate revenue loss, we needed to invest in advanced scam protection features that proactively safeguard T-Mobile customers from these growing threats
THE approach
Originally, my role was envisioned as simply creating appealing designs. However, it evolved into something much more impactful: building trust and forging relationships with diverse stakeholders to advance various projects. We created conviction among our partners by facilitating a comprehensive audit to understand the customer journey thoroughly. This process involved analyzing touchpoints across various interactions to identify areas for improvement. Additionally, we generated detailed reports that highlighted breakdowns in our product. These reports served to raise awareness of the poor user experience and the friction users encountered, particularly when determining if they were at risk of being scammed. By bringing these issues to light, we emphasized the need for enhancements and fostered a collaborative approach to creating solutions that prioritize user safety and satisfaction.
poor user activation
User activation for scam detection tools was initially very low due to poor visibility, leading to user frustration and increased risk. To address this, we elevated the discovery of these features by integrating prompts during onboarding, using in-app notifications, and promoting them through marketing campaigns. This helped reduce friction and significantly improved user adoption of the protective tools.
sprinting towards solutions
Our team embarked on a three-day sprint to rapidly generate and prototype new ideas aimed at enhancing scam detection and user protection. We collaborated closely with researchers and data scientists throughout the process, analyzing patterns and feedback to prioritize the most impactful solutions. By leveraging real-time data and user insights, we were able to identify high-risk areas and invest in features that would provide the most significant benefit to our users. This cross-functional effort not only fostered innovation but also ensured that our solutions were data-driven and strategically aligned with the needs of our customers.
building consumer confidence by improving trust signals
Marketing is a powerful tool for building user trust, especially when combating scams. Our team partner with the T-mobile brand team, the goal was to create trust signals—such as verified badges, security feature highlights, and customer testimonials—that reassure users their information is safe. Through cohesive trust-building campaigns, we wanted to educate users on identifying scams and emphasize our commitment to security. This consistent messaging across ads, social media, and customer support strengthened the brand's image as a proactive protector of user safety, helping reduce churn and enhance customer loyalty.
THE outcomes
As a result of our efforts, we built significant trust across the organization, which expanded the scope of our team’s charter and solidified our role in scam prevention. Our features led to a 75% reduction in new scams, which equated to nearly $41 billion in preserved revenue. Additionally, our focus on user experience resulted in a 15% increase in retention for new users onboarding to ScamShield, demonstrating the direct impact of our improvements on customer loyalty and brand protection.