Background

Microsoft’s Office 365 Volume Licensing program supports B2B sales through discounted licenses and enterprise support, but it was held back by a fractured experience. The legacy system relied on more than 30 disconnected tools, resulting in approval delays, fragmented workflows, and an average turnaround time of 53 days. This was more than twice as long as competitors offering similar services.

To modernize this process, Microsoft launched VL Central: a unified platform designed to consolidate tools, streamline workflows, and reduce delays across the licensing ecosystem..

My Role



I was responsible for designing three key modules within VL Central:

• Notifications

• Agreement to Invoice

• Organization Details Management

Working alongside a peer designer and guided by a Principal Designer, I collaborated with architects, product owners, developers, and stakeholders throughout the process from discovery to design sign-off. My focus was on ensuring solutions were user-centered, technically feasible, and aligned with business goals.

Problem

Consolidating over 30 tools into a single platform required rethinking how users stay informed. Early stakeholder interviews revealed deep user frustration with how licensing updates were communicated. We uncovered four recurring pain points:

"I don’t have time to check every tool. I rely on email." - 9/12 Participants

"I get copied into deals that aren’t mine. It’s hard to focus." - 8/12 Participants

"Everything looks the same. I can’t tell what’s important." - 5/12 Participants

“I’m always on the move. I need updates on my phone." - 4/12 Participants

Notifications were overwhelming, often irrelevant, and scattered across tools. Many users leaned on email not out of preference, but because it was the only way to keep up. Fixing this meant more than just combining messages. It meant rethinking the entire notification experience.

Solution



Our goal was to design a notification system that was clear, role-aware, and scalable across delivery channels. We followed a multi-layered approach that addressed user pain points from visibility and prioritization to mobile access and control.

1. Mapping Notification Scenarios and Centralizing Communication

Before redesigning the notification experience, we mapped all possible notification scenarios across workflows and matched them with the most appropriate communication channels. This ensured every update had a clear purpose, reached the right user, and arrived through the most effective medium, whether that was in-app, email, or both.

We then built a centralized notification hub within VL Central to eliminate the need to check multiple tools. But centralizing alone wasn't enough. Notifications also needed to be relevant and manageable.

To support this, we introduced a classification system using four key attributes:

• Source: Where the notification came from

• Type: Actionable, informational, or announcement

• Channel: In-app, email, or both

• Urgency: Time-sensitive or routine

This structured approach became the foundation of a scalable notification system. Low-priority updates appeared in-app, while critical alerts were delivered through immediate channels like email. By aligning communication logic with real user behavior, we reduced noise and improved visibility across the platform..

2. Redesigning Notification UI for Clarity and Focus

Users couldn’t distinguish urgent messages from routine ones. The existing design system, Harmony, lacked the cues necessary to communicate priority. I extended it by introducing:

• Urgency badges

• Consistent system icons

• Timestamping and source clarity

• Embedded action prompts

  
  

Notifications were split into two user-facing categories:

• Focused: Updates requiring attention or action

• Announcements: Informational messages

  
  

We added filters so users could sort by workspace and notification type. Critical updates were marked with red "Action Required" tags. Unread alerts displayed a count badge near the notifications header. Most importantly, users could act directly within a notification, approving, rejecting, or assigning, without needing to open a new panel.

The “View All” option led to a Notification Dashboard with both current and archived updates, searchable using filters and metadata. This made it easy to find specific messages, even weeks later.

3. Delivering Relevant Updates Through Scenario-Based Rules

Irrelevant notifications were a major source of frustration. To solve this, I worked with product owners across workflows to define precise rules for every notification.

For each scenario, we documented:

• What triggers it

• Who receives it

• When it gets sent

• Which channel to use

These rules were mapped to user roles like Microsoft Partners, Commercial Executives, and Desk Operations. The result was role-aware and context-specific delivery.

We also introduced powerful controls:

a) Users could group notifications by client or company and unfollow specific threads to stop receiving updates from irrelevant deals.

b) Preferences could be customized, letting users choose channels, scenarios, and whether they wanted announcements

This gave users complete control over their notification experience.

4. Extending Notification Logic Beyond Desktop

VL Central was designed for desktop use, but many users relied on their phones to stay updated throughout the day.

To support this behavior:

• Critical updates were sent via mobile-optimized emails with responsive templates

• Emails included embedded actions so users could respond without logging in

• Templates were built to scale across channels like Microsoft Teams and SMS

• Fallback rules ensured delivery even if one method failed

By extending notification logic beyond the platform, we made sure users stayed in the loop wherever they were.

Impact

This redesign went beyond cleanup. It rebuilt confidence in how licensing updates were received and acted upon.

Measurable Impact:

• 42% reduction in notification overload through role- and scenario-based logic

• 58% faster response times to critical actions thanks to prioritization and inline actions

• 70% drop in email volume by removing redundant and low-priority updates