Stopping the Wrong Channel Before It Shipped
2025 · Enterprise SaaS · AI Strategy & Architecture · Oracle
Evaluating Generative-AI Delivery Paths Under Executive Pressure
Although not formally tasked with platform evaluation, I stepped in to own the UX decision framework—examining messaging channels, interaction surfaces, and delivery models so design recommendations would be credible, defensible, and useful to executive decision-makers.
Impact
✓ Stopped a non-viable architectural bet before engineering commitment
✓ Validated strategy through platform engineering independent review
✓ Redirected AI investment toward a controllable, extensible foundation
✓ Preserved future optionality while enabling short-term delivery
The Problem
Executive leadership directed the team to explore generative-AI conversations delivered through external messaging apps—using Apple iMessage as the reference model.
The appeal was obvious: familiar UX, no new app surface, and natural-language interaction powered by AI.
The risks were not.
Global reach, protocol fragmentation, vendor lock-in, security, delivery guarantees, and enterprise compliance all posed structural constraints that intuition alone could not resolve.
I needed to evaluate whether this direction was visionary—or a dead end—before it shipped.
A seductive idea is still a liability if the system can’t support it.
My Approach
Evaluated
Researched messaging apps, protocols, vendors, and backend delivery models
Eliminated
Ruled out external channels that failed at scale, security, or control
Validated
Partnered with platform engineering for independent review
Redirected
Recommended an internal AI conversation model as the durable path
The goal wasn’t to find a way forward—it was to remove the wrong ones.
The Outcome
Product leadership deprioritized external messaging channels and aligned on an internal AI conversation model as the long-term direction.
Because the platform capabilities required for that model were still in progress, the team adopted a pragmatic interim solution—AI-assisted email—without contradicting the strategic direction.
This work elevated the quality of the executive decision by surfacing UX-driven implications around scalability, governance, and user trust—allowing engineering and leadership to make an informed call without committing design effort to a path that would not hold up long-term.
