Walmart Wireless Activation Platform

Overview

I led the end-to-end redesign of Walmart's in-store wireless platform to support T-Mobile's post-merger launch. Acting as the sole designer on a high-stakes initiative, I partnered with product, engineering, and business stakeholders to align user workflows with business goals and platform scalability. I also created a wireless-specific design system to support future multi-carrier growth.

Through deep collaboration across teams and on-the-ground research, we launched a reimagined associate tool in just a few months - improving transactional speed, reliability, and overall workflow efficiency across Walmart stores nationwide.

Business Problem

Walmart risked losing a projected $50M in annual revenue due to the inability of their legacy system (WARP) to support T-Mobile transactions. The outdated WARP platform was built on aging hardware, lacked API integration, and couldn't accommodate the dynamic product and plan catalogs required by modern wireless carriers.

User Problem

Wireless Sales Pros (WSPs)-third-party contractors in Walmart stores relied on slow, clunky tools that made it difficult to serve customers efficiently. The UI was unintuitive, lacked visual hierarchy, had no real-time catalog updates, and required repetitive data entry. Transactions were lengthy and error-prone, directly impacting both employee and customer satisfaction.

Project Goals

1. Deliver a T-Mobile MVP to avoid business disruption and capture post-merger sales

2. Improve WSP efficiency by reducing transaction times and friction points

3. Integrate with T-Mobile APIs for real-time plan, feature, and credit check flows

4. Establish a scalable platform that could support additional carriers (e.g., Verizon, AT&T)

5. Align the associate experience with Walmart’s design system and branding

Process

Early Discovery and Collaboration

I started by collaborating closely with the Sr. PM, engineering leads, and wireless business stakeholders to rapidly understand technical constraints and co-map the high-level experience. I conducted a heuristic design audit of the legacy WARP platform to surface any pain points. While competitor platforms were not publicly accessible for audit, I conducted a deep dive into UX research on POS systems to inform our early design direction.

From that research, I distilled three core UX best practices for designing effective POS systems:

1. Prioritize Speed & Efficiency Minimize clicks, optimize load times, and streamline workflows so associates can operate quickly without breaking focus.

2. Simplify the Interface & Reduce Cognitive Load Unclutter screens, emphasize core tasks, and use large, intuitive touch targets to let users operate with minimal friction.

3. Design for Real-World Context & Ergonomics Account for hardware setup, lighting, scanning posture, and left/right hand preferences-critical in noisy, fast-paced environments.

These principles shaped our early whiteboarding sessions where we explored task flows and technical handoffs. Initially, we leaned into a hub-and-spoke flow model based on the assumption that customers would actively co-navigate the app alongside WSPs.

Together with the team, I facilitated working sessions to whiteboard possible user flows and technical handoffs, with a strong focus on identifying UX bottlenecks and process seams-especially around payment, scanning, and device selection. Early flows were diagrammed using a hub-and-spoke model based on our hypothesis that the customer and WSP would co-navigate the app in a more exploratory fashion.

Validating Assumptions

We began with the assumption that WSPs and customers would co-drive transactions on a shared device-similar to an e-commerce experience. Our initial design explored a flexible, hub-and-spoke model where users could browse plans, devices, and offers in no particular order.

However, during a contextual inquiry at select Walmart stores, I observed real WSP-customer interactions. The reality was different:

• WSPs controlled the entire process; customers interacted only during critical steps (e.g., credit check, agreement signing).

• Most plan and device decisions happened offline, on the retail floor-before the tool was even used.

• Speed and reliability (not flexibility) were paramount.

Design Pivot

These insights led to a major shift in direction:

• Replaced the exploratory model with a wizard-style flow that emphasized speed and reduced ambiguity

• Introduced a variable step tracker to accommodate differing requirements across carriers

• Applied a Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) lens to focus design around activation completion and associate momentum

I worked one sprint ahead of engineering, delivering flows, UI specs, and edge case documentation in Figma. I also built and maintained a Wireless-specific component library using Walmart's "LD3 Mega" foundational design system, ensuring scalability for future carrier integrations.

Testing MVP

A major insight from pilot testing was the discovery of a broken post-payment flow-activation occurred after POS checkout, and customers often left before the final step. This was fixed by reordering the flow so that activation happened before payment, ensuring 100% completion.

Solution

The final product was a responsive, associate-led application deployed on Android ELO tablets. It included:

• Linear activation flow with built-in status tracking

• Integration with T-Mobile's APIs for real-time plan/feature selection

• Optimized form design and error handling

• Shared scanning modules for UPC, IMEI, SIM data

• Agreement views built for dual interaction (associate/customer)

Results

• Rolled out to ~2,000 Walmart stores supporting T-Mobile

• Reduced transaction time by ~50%, improving customer and associate satisfaction

• Achieved ~100% activation completion after the post-payment flow fix

• Created a modular platform capable of scaling to other carriers (e.g., Verizon, AT&T)

Reflection

This project was a crash course in designing under pressure, and I walked away with several key lessons:

• Validate assumptions with field research Observing WSPs changed the entire design direction

• Design for real use, not imagined flows Retail environments introduce friction you can’t see from afar

• Build flexibility into the system A variable step framework let us scale to multiple carriers with ease

• Prioritize practicality WSPs needed speed and clarity over visual polish or exploration

What’s Next

• Expansion to other carriers (Verizon, AT&T, Metro)

• Support for additional transaction types (BYOD, upgrades, equipment installments)

• Cross-channel experience design linking online and in-store journeys

• Continued refinement of the associate experience, including shortcuts, help content, and better diagnostics