The Desk Phone has evolved to support the hybrid office model as a personal assistant. Users can easily manage their time at work by reserving desks, accessing contacts and schedules, joining meetings, and making calls. The phone also improves call and meeting quality with AI-enhanced audio and integrates smoothly with Cisco headsets. This functionality is offered at multiple price points for scalability in organizations.

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.

My responsibilities include: Ideation, Project Planning, Detail Design & Testing, Overseas CM DFM, CAD management, LED UX, Product Launch Visuals

US Patent Pending

World Wide Launch 2024 | Product Page

Leadership Otto Williams | Gavin Ivester

Dark & Light

Where do we go from here?

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. -J. Reeder, VP

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 many technologies to create a solution such as – desk reservation devices, visual indicators, and sensors to help monitor desk utilization.

Cisco’s phones comprise of a 100+ million units serving as the backbone of communication around the world in addition to being a $200 million dollar market. The task at hand is to modernize, evolve & re-define the desk phone, for all.

Then there were Four

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 and lagging behind the competition, ultimately not satisfying the user and their needs.

Design Objective

Create a scalable design language that will work over multiple product sizes.
To create a strong visual element that is also functional- A light signature.
Manage the body mass to result in a layered, angular, multi faced design that is adaptable for manufacturing.
Emphasize best-class audio performance.
UX details to make this device function as a means of reserving, managing and facilitating a smooth hot desk work environment.

Problem
A refresh of a high sales volume product family was needed as sales were stagnating and customers were asking for new features resulting in the use cases for phones needing to change- a major shift in the product scope was required.

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

Action
I started by looking at the historical artifacts and new product requirements, chiefly a higher acoustic performance threshold and bold new interaction features to help evolve and drive a new design direction that can scale. I led a group of 3 designers through ideation and detailed the final candidate, build out the production CAD and work with our mechanical, acoustic and UX team on challenges such as meeting the acoustic SPL targets, cosmetic targets at scale, LED and key behaviors.

Result
This device lineup resulted in a 200% sales increase with the title of best selling device in Cisco’s lineup, resulting in demand outstripping supply and elevating the entire calling platform.

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. Furthermore, core components, such as acoustics, processing and lighting are modular and can be amortized.

Design Ethos

Crisp and precisely angled boundaries manage 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.

Situational awareness

is presented clearly with a light signature

Unifying Feature

Display & Body are bridged by a brand defining Arc

Contrast is King

Severe angles cast shadows in areas of depth

Efficient Angles

are created by a reversible stand

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

To enhance value on the desk, organizing one’s day can be managed through the phone for a stress free day at the office.

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 and Software teams and Contract manufacturers.

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 open for acoustic performance 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 transparency 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 in manufacturing while delivering Class A cosmetic finishes.