Hi, I'm Kean (Ilkin), an Experience Designer based in San Francisco & Bay Area, CA. Currently, working as a Product Designer at Microsoft.

I love to strategize and design experiences that not only complete the product-market fit, but also loved by people.

More about me

Designed UX for Microsoft Azure Quota Services, Launched Globally | Advisory Committee Member, UCSC Extension UX Design Certificate Program

Recent projects

Azure Quota Recommendation

In capacity management situation, offer restrictions handle usage spikes, causing limitations for users and leading to a support-based process. The 3 to 5-day resolution time poses challenges for customers.

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Azure Quota Alert

Microsoft Azure Monitoring Logs had a lower Net Promoter Score (NPS) than detractors, indicating overall dissatisfaction. A key issue was the lack of proactive notifications for quotas, leading customers to first discover their quota limits through errors rather than alerts.

Additionally, the alert rule creation process was complex, requiring users to navigate between multiple tools such as Process Automation, PowerShell, and various pages to test, schedule, query, and generate alerts. User feedback frequently described the process as “complex,” “confusing,” and “complicated.”

The goal was to simplify the alert creation process, improve navigation, and introduce proactive notifications to improve customer satisfaction. This involved:

• Reducing the number of steps needed to create and configure quota alerts.

• Making quota monitoring more intuitive and accessible.

• Improving usability by shifting from a fully connected navigation model to a step-by-step approach.

1. User Research & Journey Mapping: Conducted a second study to analyze navigation challenges and identified the need for a guided alert creation experience.

2. Redesigned Navigation Model: Shifted from a fully connected navigation model (where users had to manually move between different pages) to a step-by-step model, reducing confusion and learning time.

3. Workflow Simplification:

• Reduced alert rule creation time by removing redundant steps.

• Integrated a dropdown selection for budget and evaluation frequency instead of requiring manual configuration.

• Allowed users to monitor quota usage with a single click on the family name.

4. Enhanced Notification System:

• Enabled multi-channel alerts (email, mobile, and Azure role-based notifications).

• Allowed users to set specific alert thresholds to receive proactive notifications before reaching quota limits.

• Simplified navigation, allowing users to create alerts through an intuitive step-by-step model.

• Alert rule creation time reduced from 20 minutes to 5 minutes (75% reduction).

• Custom alert configuration time reduced by 40%.

• Critical incidents detected 50% faster due to proactive alerts.

• Resource overuse incidents reduced by 25%, preventing unnecessary quota overages.

• Improved user satisfaction with more intuitive workflows, leading to higher engagement and better customer sentiment.

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Group quota for enterprise customers

Azure users managing over 50 subscriptions currently need to submit separate quota requests for each subscription. This leads to inefficiencies, excessive workload, and increased costs. For example, a company with five departments had to submit 2800 quota requests, requiring 466 hours and incurring a $37K expense.

Problem Exploration
- Identified inefficiencies in the existing quota request process.
- Assessed pain points related to billing, subscription structure, and user workflow.
System Redesign
- Created a new quota group page for admins to manage quotas centrally.
- Enabled admins to select management groups, define scopes, and allocate quotas more efficiently.
- Developed Information Architecture (IA) and user flows to support the new model.
- Introduced usability improvements like stepper guidance, review pages, and clearer notifications.
Implementation & Testing
- Designed low-fi and high-fi wireframes.
- Conducted usability tests to gather feedback and refine the experience.
- Implemented quota distribution options: even, proportional, and custom allocation.
- Integrated notification system to inform users of quota status (successful, partial, or failed requests).

Reduced quota request submissions from 2800 to a single group request, cutting down time and administrative effort.
Minimized processing time and cost, leading to significant savings for companies managing large subscriptions.
Enhanced user experience with improved visibility into quota allocation and real-time notifications.
Provided flexible quota distribution methods, meeting diverse organizational needs.
Introduced better error handling and proactive alerts to prevent allocation mistakes.

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Jolocom Decentralized Identity verification dashboard

Jolocom, a Berlin-based startup, developed a decentralized identity verification system with a B2B dashboard aimed at enterprise clients such as banks, airlines, and municipalities. However, users found it difficult to understand what credentials they were issuing versus verifying. While training could mitigate this issue, onboarding multiple organizations significantly increased costs, making the product less scalable and financially viable.

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Recommendations

Darin

Senior UX Designer, Microsoft

I had the pleasure of working with Ilkin at Microsoft, and I wholeheartedly recommend him to any team. His expertise in UX Design, user research, user testing, and problem solving is truly exceptional. Ilkin’s deep understanding of design systems and his ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams made him an invaluable asset to our organization.

Ethan

Senior UX Designer, Microsoft

I had the pleasure of partnering with Ilkin at Microsoft. He worked on Azure products and CSCP applications. Ilkin is a passionate and experienced UX designer with a proven track record of delivering innovative and top-notch solutions within demanding timeframes. He has a deep understanding of user-centered design principles and is skilled in all aspects of the UX design process, from user research and information architecture to wireframing and prototyping. Ilkin is also a team player and is always willing to go the extra mile to get the job done.

Scot La County

UX Design Program Instructor

at Berkeley University

I had the pleasure of instructing Ilkin Guliyev in my User Experience Design course at UC Berkeley. From the very start, Ilkin displayed a unique blend of creativity, critical thinking, and dedication to his work. His passion for UX was evident in the meticulous way he approached assignments and projects, consistently delivering well-researched, user-centered designs that were both innovative and intuitive.

Online education project

Study project | Google Professional UX Certification Program

People studying UX/UI design on platforms like Udemy or Coursera often struggle to evaluate their skills. While these platforms provide study materials, they lack a mechanism for skill assessment. My product addresses this issue by connecting students with professionals who can evaluate their acquired skills, providing a tangible proof of their capabilities.

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Amazon Flex app

Study project | Berkeley University

Amazon currently has a delivery app that lacks responsiveness. Drivers express significant usability concerns with the Amazon Flex app, noting that its design and structure are not user-friendly and are perceived as complex. Many drivers face challenges in completing specific tasks within the app, leading to delays in order processing and time wastage.

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