More than a phone- this office companion helps guide and manage a worker's experience in the office effectively while also providing metrics to employers to better manage the workspace. Users can easily manage their time at work by reserving desks, accessing contacts, chats and schedules, joining meetings, and making calls.

Cisco Desk Phone 9800 series

Transforming the desk for modern work, one phone at a time.

Main Lead Designer with Ladislao Solis
Supported by Leila Ensaniat & Naoki Shimada.

Ideation, Project Planning, Detail Design & Testing, Overseas CM DFM, CAD management, LED UX, Product Launch Visuals.

US Patent D1089134

World Wide Launch 2024-25 | Product Page

Leadership Gavin Ivester | Otto Williams

Where do we go from here?

Cisco’s phones comprise of 100+ million units serving as the backbone of communication around the world in addition to being a $100M/year market. The goal is to modernize, evolve & re-define the desk phone, for all.

A New Era

“Post-pandemic, recent research tells us that 80% of employers are mandating a full or partial return to office. We also heard challenges with open office spaces, making it clear that the phone would need to evolve to stay relevant in the hybrid office”

Organizations are shifting to shared, non-dedicated desks.
Users want it to be easy to find a space and have a personalized experience.
IT is faced with many technologies to create a solution, such as – desk reservation devices, visual indicators, and sensors to help monitor desk utilization.

If you confuse, you’ll lose

A decade old portfolio without oversight resulted in a complex, niche in a niche lineup of a dozen unique devices that is confusing to customers, ultimately not satisfying the user and their needs.

Design Objective

Create a scalable design language that will work over multiple product sizes.
Detail for sustainable practices and contribute to circular economy.
Create a strong visual element that is also functional- A light signature.
Manage mass to reduce material use and introduce a layered approach to form and assembly.
Emphasize best-class audio performance.
UX to make this device function as a means of reserving, managing and facilitating a smooth hot desk work environment.

Problem
Declining sales and a changing work environment requires the phone to evolve- by solving the challenges of flexible hot-desking and outdated user experiences by delivering a secure, sustainable, phone that integrates meetings, calls, and personalization into one device.

Task
I was responsible for leading the entire design effort; from design program management to ideation to DFM with multiple suppliers to assure consistent execution for all product SKUs.

Action
I led 3 designers through ideation, finalized the design, developed production CAD, and collaborated with mechanical, acoustic, and UX teams to meet acoustic SPL, cosmetic, LED, and key behavior targets.

Result
This device revived the phone lineup with large orders and improved return to office for employees and admins. Customers were impressed with the UX improvements and design.

750K

annual booking

Highest launch sales for Cisco devices

150%

sales increase

YoY forecasts beat

4 unit

efficient lineup

18 model portfolio reduced to 4 models

100M

dollar revenue

Global $100 million yearly revenue stream

25%↑

acoustic volume

larger acoustic volume for wideband audio

20%↓

material usage

Less material usage for lower shipping impacts

75%+

PCR ABS parts

All major plastic parts are 85% PCR and fully recyclable

A First Impression is Everything

A simple line can deeply influence how a product is viewed. Our aim was to create a iconic, brandable yet functional visual signature.

Iconic

Evolution

A previously decorative element has been evolved into a functional visual indicator to define this new generation of devices.

Data driven

Customer complaints pointed to weak acoustic performance on older generation of phones. As a result, the size of the acoustic chamber grew and dictated the overall proportions with clever detailing helped manage the mass.

Scalability & Modularity

4 models with different feature sets and multiple suppliers required the design language to scale and adapt, even for future models. Consistency is key and every effort is made to blend and mask differences through the family through designing from the inside out, allowing for effective component sharing into the 60% range.

Shared Parts

Design Ethos

Crisp and precisely angled boundaries manage and disguise mass by creating contrast between thin and thick areas. Precision is further expressed in the display lenses, which are frameless and visually float, reducing visual bulk and elevating the display area

Timeless

A 85% PCR blend comprise the highlighted plastics, including double-shots. A min 10 year supported lifespan requires serviceability, with no adhesives and simple hand tools for disassembly. At the end of life Cisco will take back and regrind the plastics into new devices.

2544

Barrels of Crude/year, saved

Let there be

Light

Defining and prototyping the LED resulted in the Arc LED signature that will define Cisco’s phones for a decade.

Learn more about light signatures

More

than a Phone

The phone helps organize the workday for a stress-free office experience, while usage data enables workplace teams to better manage seating and resources.

In collaboration with UX team led by Justin Styler and Dave Boor

One Tap

to join a meeting

When a meeting is scheduled, a hidden till lit “button” will light up signaling that one can join the meeting, discreetly and avoiding becoming a distraction.

Sit down, scan, and go with QR-code-enabled hot desking.

View, call, and meet with your calendar and contacts at your fingertips.

Book your desk in advance or on the fly.

Ready

for any action

In the event of an emergency situation, the action key can be configured to dial out any preconfigured entity, from emergency services to security. The button can also be configured to be a long press or single quick tap as a silent alarm.

Everything Everywhere

My goal was to lead the team into the nuance of the requirements and inspire a new visual identity. Cross pollination resulted in a fresh approach from which I led detail development, with our multiple engineering, UX, software teams and external manufacturers.

Separating out component blocks was the defining archetype for all future ideation. This is driven by component needs as well as a range of sizes in the lineup.

A Detailed look
Whole Holes

Goal: Identical visual design intent through DFM across multiple suppliers while reducing visual difference in blind vs. through holes.

Constraint: The speaker hole pattern required a large total area to be acoustically transparent while the 3mm nominal walls complicated the shape, blind depth and min size of the apertures.

How: The Cisco logo elements inspired the pattern and allowed for desired acoustic open area while careful cross communication and negotiation with multiple engineering teams resulted in smooth flowing plastics resulting a class A execution.

Details

Make’th

Testing

1.2.3.

Moving the beltline, sharpening up the perimeters were considered and tested, but a softer shape was the best approach based on user testing.

Stand development was driven by a two goals: Rigidity and a single part. The Result is a “monoblock” design that is reversible for achieving a 45° & 30° interaction angle.

Dialing in the gradient for the LED’s gradient required clear communications with multiple suppliers to achieve design intent. The result is a smooth gradient that fades out towards the end.

The Arc Accent piece is a complex, thin, multi-axis surface part that bridges the lens with the body, requiring multiple iterations to allow for high yields while delivering Class A cosmetic finishes.