Mason SaaS Controller
Mason provides mobile infrastructure and hardware for developing, delivering, and managing purpose-built enterprise smart device fleets. Using Mason, you can launch a dedicated smart product line in days, not years.
The problem was that Mason was only built for Android developers, which posed major challenges for clients, and the process of onboarding and deploying software to Mason devices was extremely complex and lengthy. Additionally the IA and nomenclature of their platform was found to be unfamiliar to users and caused a steep learning curve. This along with other factors greatly lengthened the overall sales cycle and made it hard for the Mason team to demo and sell Mason's offering.
The challenge was to define a unified SaaS platform that streamlines onboarding and seamlessly integrates tools, services, and help/doc’s into a singular experience that supports both technical and less-technical users in the customer lifecycles “Discover/Try/Buy, OnBoarding, & Everyday Use.”
As Head of Product Design, I led xfn teams and clients through research, discovery, definition, and northstar development. I established the first ever Mason customer user group to validate the northstar and worked with the team to walk the long-term vision back into launchable, measurable milestones.
The new Mason onboarding process and creator tools support both technical and less-technical users to self-service explore and utilize the Mason SaaS offering, enabling the sales team to scale, and greatly reducing customer success and enablement teams touchpoint with clients and prospects. With an updated IA, nomenclature, and tool set that match users mental model, the platform saves customers hundreds of hours each week and helps prospects to quickly evaluate the Mason offering.
Project Details
Type: Product Design, SaaS
Client: MASON
Role: Head of Design
Product Catalog and On-Boarding
Streamlined product catalog and on-boarding flow allows users to create their own smart product suite and seamlessly move into the Build and Deploy workflow to setup the device OS and features – so that how a user is introduced to the platform is how they use it over time.
Build and Deploy
Templated OS configs give every user a starting point for building their unique smart product. A split-screen interface supports both technical and less-technical user workflows to build with Mason OS services through an emulated device, toggle/switch configs, and smart YAML type-ahead code builder.
Manage and Monitor Deployment Groups
Get a 10k foot view of device fleets organized by deployment groups with all the latest activity, health metrics, KPI charting, status, and more. Easily traverse devices with the details side panel and manage them with bulk actions. Customizable deployment groups help users organize devices to match unique workflows, with granular user permissions, and device data collection at parent and child levels. Support end-users from a distance at scale with remote control using x-ray side-by-side, logs, and device details panels. Easily access documentation and support right from within Mason Controller – no more having two windows open. Contextual help links throughout the platform provide relevant support content within workflows.
Defining a Unified SaaS Platform around the Customer Journey
To transform Mason Controller from a developer-only tool into a scalable SaaS platform, we led a series of cross-functional workshops with stakeholders, clients, and internal teams. Through facilitated sessions, user journey mapping, information architecture exercises, and validation with the Mason customer user group, we identified the core friction points across the lifecycle—from Discover / Try / Buy to Onboarding and Everyday Fleet Management.
The strategy focused on aligning the platform to users’ mental models while enabling both technical and less-technical roles to collaborate. Key initiatives included simplifying onboarding, build/deploy workflows, productizing MasonOS configurations, and adding critical platform capabilities such as role-based permissions, device groups, and bulk actions.
A scalable system that adapts as customers grow supported early product exploration and sales demos while seamlessly evolving into a powerful environment for device fleet management, CI/CD deployment, monitoring, troubleshooting, and product innovation.
