Improving the Post-Purchase eSIM Activation Experience

Signals from customer support

Customer support teams reported recurring activation issues after purchase. Many users contacted support, saying their eSIM was installed, but they were unable to connect to the internet. These signals suggested that installation instructions alone were not enough. Users needed clearer guidance to understand the full activation process.

Designing for a System We Don't Control

The most challenging aspect of this project was that the installation process occurs inside the phone’s system settings.

These environments are outside the product interface, which means we cannot control how the installation flow behaves or track user actions directly.

Instead, the design needed to guide users through external steps while maintaining clarity and confidence throughout the process.

Original Solution

The initial approach focused on providing detailed written instructions explaining how to install and configure the eSIM. While technically correct, this approach relied heavily on users reading and interpreting instructions carefully.

Turning One Design Into Two Testable Hypotheses

Instead of refining the existing design, I explored two different approaches to activation guidance.

Prototype A focused on speed and condensed instructions for experienced users.

Prototype B introduced a structured step-by-step flow designed to guide first-time users through installation and configuration.

The goal was to understand whether speed or clarity had a greater impact on successful activation.

Simulating Real-World Installation

Testing the installation experience required simulating interactions inside device settings.

To recreate a realistic environment, I built a prototype of the iOS settings interface in Figma. This allowed users to navigate installation steps in a way that closely matched real-world behaviour.

Participants were then asked to complete activation tasks using Maze to capture navigation patterns and usability feedback.

Prototype A: Fast but Shallow

Prototype A allowed users to move quickly through the instructions.

However, testing revealed that many participants believed the process was complete immediately after installing the eSIM profile.

This created a risk that users would stop before completing the necessary configuration steps.

Prototype B: Slower but Clearer

Prototype B introduced a guided step-by-step experience that clearly separated installation from configuration.

Although it took slightly longer to complete, participants demonstrated a better understanding of what actions were required to successfully activate the eSIM.

Completion ≠ Comprehension

The experiment revealed an important insight.

Users in the faster prototype completed the process more quickly, but often misunderstood what needed to happen next.

The guided flow produced stronger comprehension and reduced the risk of misconfiguration.

Speed vs Risk

At this stage, the design decision became a trade-off.

Prototype A was optimised for speed, but increased the risk of incorrect activation.

Prototype B required slightly more time but significantly reduced setup errors.

Because activation errors can lead to support requests and poor user experiences, reducing risk became the priority.

Adaptive Onboarding Strategy

The final design introduced a guided experience as the default activation flow.

However, experienced users may prefer a faster path. To accommodate this, the system could evolve toward adaptive onboarding, allowing returning users to skip guidance once they are familiar with the process.

Impact on Users and Business

The redesigned activation flow improves clarity and reduces the likelihood of setup errors.

For users, this means greater confidence during installation.

For the business, clearer activation guidance can reduce support requests and improve the overall onboarding experience.

Measuring Success

To evaluate the effectiveness of the redesign, key metrics would include:

Designing Beyond the Interface

This project reinforced that some of the most critical user experiences occur outside the product interface.

Designing effective guidance requires understanding the full user journey, including the systems and environments users interact with beyond the product itself.