Designing Enterprise-Scale Notifications for Microsoft VL Central
Client.
Microsoft
Tools.
Figma
Year.
2022
Role.
Product Designer
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