Context
Improving Relay app to make space for new features
Relay works like an old-fashioned walkie-talkie, powered by both WiFi and 4G LTE cellular — letting users connect down the street or across the country. Parents with smartphones connect with their kids' Relay devices using the companion app for iOS, Android, and Windows.
My role as lead UX designer was to improve the Relay app to make space for new features: onboarding, message history, new chat channels, location tracking, geofencing, and communication preferences. There was an additional layer knowing that everything also had to work on a screen-less device.
Comprehensive wireframe map covering message history, sidebar updates, new channels, and design components
Onboarding
Teaching users how to use their device
One of the most important problems was showing users how to use their device for communication and how to get help. The final result leveraged Lottie to create short animations showcasing communication basics.
The onboarding process focused on delightful, simple animations to show users how to:
- Send a voice message
- Switch chat channels
- Where to get help
Early mocks exploring onboarding tasks for both Relay hardware and the mobile app
Lottie Animation
Short Lottie animations guide users through Relay basics — push to talk, switching channels, and finding help — making the screen-free device feel immediately intuitive. See more animations here.
Onboarding wireframes mapping the full activation and setup flow
New Feature
Message history
Because Relay works like a walkie-talkie, missing voice messages was a real pain-point — and in some cases caused anxiety among parents. With this highly requested feature, both parents and children could listen to messages as they arrived or replay them later, much like a voicemail.
We added a new section in each chat channel for message history. This early iteration eventually informed the final feature that shipped in production.
Message history screens showing the new history view added to each chat channel
Interaction
Users opt into message history at the channel level — the enable flow clearly communicates how the feature works and that messages expire after 24 hours.
New Feature
Location tracking + geofencing
We heard that some parents wanted to take their kid-tracking to the next level. With geofencing, we could identify when a Relay device entered or left a specified location. We already had basic location tracking, but this provided an additional layer of security and peace of mind.
Similar to setting a "home location" in Google Maps, the safe zone patterns relied on setting a radius and customizing smart notification alerts — so parents didn't have to check the app every minute.
Safe zone setup flow — add a zone, set a radius, name it, and configure notification preferences
Interaction
The track location view shows real-time positions of all Relay devices, with location history accessible directly from the map — giving parents a full picture without switching between screens.
App Improvements
Overall app improvements
Beyond the new features, I proposed enhancements to the Relay app to remove redundancy and make space for growth. This included a cleaned-up sidebar, a new global settings screen, granular notification settings per channel, and a new channel creation flow.
Sidebar audit identifying redundant actions, misplaced CTAs, and scalability issues
Updated sidebar, new settings screen, and notification preference controls
Adding these features was key to helping families stay connected, ease adoption, and improve onboarding. The challenge of going from a traditional screen-first approach to one that is screen-less was challenging but rewarding to tackle.