Lucy Carpenter

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Lucy Carpenter

Lucy CarpenterLucy CarpenterLucy Carpenter
AMAZON WEB SERVICES

MOBILE HUB

I led this 9-month project from early discovery through V1 launch—owning the full UX strategy and end-to-end design. I collaborated closely with research, engineering, and product management to shape the vision, and I drove alignment through stakeholder feedback, cross-functional reviews, and executive presentations.

project goalS

Business goals

Accelerate mobile app development on AWS by providing developers with a unified, easy-to-use console that streamlines the integration of backend services like authentication, data storage, and push notifications. By reducing setup complexity and time-to-market, Mobile Hub aimed to increase AWS adoption among mobile developers, expand the AWS ecosystem, and drive revenue growth through higher platform engagement.

Design goal

Design the first unified console that seamlessly integrated multiple backend services from different consoles into a single, guided end-to-end workflow. The challenge was to simplify significant technical complexity into an intuitive, streamlined experience tailored specifically to the needs of a mobile app developer user.

solutions

Unified Console Experience 

Designed a single, cohesive interface that brought together multiple AWS mobile backend services—making complex configurations accessible through guided workflows and clear visual cues.

Onboarding & Setup Wizard 

Created an intuitive, step-by-step onboarding wizard that simplified app setup, reducing friction for developers unfamiliar with AWS infrastructure and accelerating project kickoff.

Contextual Guidance & Feedback 

Integrated in-app help, real-time validation, and contextual tips throughout the console to guide users, prevent errors, and build confidence as they configured services.

challenges

Integrating Diverse Services

As the first console of its kind, Mobile Hub had to unify multiple complex AWS backend services—each with different interfaces and workflows—into a seamless, end-to-end user experience.

Balancing Simplicity and Power

Designing an interface that simplified complex technical setups while still offering enough flexibility and control for advanced users was a delicate balancing act.

Onboarding New Users

Many users were new to AWS’s mobile backend infrastructure, so the design had to guide them smoothly through setup and configuration without overwhelming or confusing them.

Cross-Team Coordination

Aligning the evolving needs and feedback of engineering, product, and security teams while maintaining a cohesive design vision required strong communication and collaboration across disciplines.

discovery

I interviewed and observed mobile developers building with AWS to understand their workflows and pain points. I mapped current usage patterns and friction areas to inform design priorities, and benchmarked against top platforms known for simplifying app development. I also engaged stakeholders and joined PM interviews to align on customer needs and strategic goals. Studying common app architecture

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Design-Led Approach & Collaboration

Design Leadership & Strategy

  • Facilitated strategic workshops with cross-functional teams, driving decision-making
  • Hosted monthly stakeholder design reviews with executives to gather feedback and maintain alignment

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication

  • Scheduled regular 1:1s with PMs and tech leads to prioritize work and plan design deliverables
  • Coordinated meetings with cross-functional partners to ensure cohesive product development

Agile Execution & Team Engagement

  • Participated in daily standups to stay aligned on project progress and blockers
  • Established quick feedback channels on Slack for real-time design input and iteration
  • Organized weekly brainstorming sessions with engineering teams to foster innovation and solve complex challenges

technical architecture

I created this technical architecture diagram to understand how mobile apps commonly integrate with AWS Mobile Hub. By breaking down the connections between services like Cognito, Lambda, and DynamoDB, I was able to spot complexity in the setup flow—and identify opportunities to streamline permissions, surface better guidance, and simplify the UI.

journey mapping

The user journey map visualized the full experience of mobile developers using AWS to build and launch apps. It uncovered key pain points—especially around setup and integration—that interviews alone didn’t reveal. Mapping these steps highlighted opportunities to streamline workflows and design guided experiences that reduced complexity and helped users move confidently from start to deployment.

cross vertical collaboration

AWS Mobile Hub unified a complex backend ecosystem—Cognito for auth, Lambda, DynamoDB, S3, Pinpoint, SNS, and more. Integrating these services required deep collaboration across engineering, product, security, and infrastructure. I led cross-functional efforts, aligning teams and priorities to ensure a seamless, unified user experience despite the underlying complexity.

design iteration

During the design iteration for AWS Mobile Hub, I acted as a facilitator, working closely with front-end developers who contributed many innovative ideas. I guided the team through collaborative sprints while simultaneously designing the visual design library for hub-style consoles. Partnering with PMs, I prioritized tasks and aligned design deliverables through weekly planning sessions, ensuring 

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reducing friction for the onboarding flow

This visual represents the reworked onboarding flow for AWS Mobile Hub. Behind the scenes, users had to configure a custom bundle of AWS permissions and run app-side scripts to complete a handshake with AWS. Through user research, we learned these steps were confusing and error-prone — so I focused on surfacing guidance, sequencing complexity, and reducing setup friction.

validation

To validate design decisions for AWS Mobile Hub, I partnered with a UX researcher to run moderated usability studies at key milestones. Midway through the project, we tested mid-fidelity prototypes to gather early user feedback and identify usability issues. Later, we conducted another round of studies on high-fidelity designs to confirm improvements and ensure the final experience met user needs 

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RESULTS

Industry Recognition

AWS Mobile Hub was featured in major tech publications like TechCrunch and InfoQ, highlighting its innovative approach to simplifying mobile app development.


"AWS Mobile Hub is a game changer for mobile app developers. It simplifies the process of integrating backend services, making it more accessible for those new to AWS." - TechCrunch

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