The brief
PhoneIn is a smart intercom that lets people enter buildings from their phone — no keys or codes needed. The hardware worked, but everything around it was missing: the app, the brand, the website, the story.
I was brought in to turn a piece of hardware into a product people could understand, use, and invest in.
Impact
- Defined the entire user experience for a device that had no existing interface or category to reference.
- Built the brand from scratch: logo, color system, typography, iconography, visual language.
- Helped secure incubator acceptance with a pitch deck that told the product story to investors.
01
The App: Designing Without a Playbook
Smart intercoms weren’t a category yet, so there were no patterns to borrow from. I explored multiple flow variations to keep the interface simple, mirroring the hardware so receiving a call felt identical on the device and the phone.
02
The Brand
I created the full visual identity from scratch: colors, typography, icons, and a system that carried across app, web, print, and investor materials.
03
The Pitch & Website
I worked closely with the founders on a pitch deck that helped PhoneIn get accepted into the city’s best incubators.
For the website, we designed tailored landing pages for three audiences — residents, building managers, and property developers — so each group saw the product through their own lens.
“Rok led UX strategy, consistently delivered standout work, and was a true partner who cared deeply about the product — and was a joy to work with.”
What I learned
Ask hard questions early
Good outcomes mean challenging founders on product-market fit early, no matter your role.
Discovery sessions are worth it
The first discovery workshop set a question-asking framework I’ve used on every project since.
Every product starts with a clear next step.
Walk me through what you're working on. I'll show you where I'd start.