Context
A customer-facing product had an authentication flow that had grown complex over time — multiple paths, session management edge cases, and a high support ticket volume related to login issues. The team was considering a significant overhaul involving a new identity provider.
Challenge
The proposed solution was extensive and would take months. There was a risk that the team was solving for the complexity of the existing system rather than the underlying user need.
Approach
I pushed the team to go back to first principles: what did users actually need from authentication? The answer was simple — a secure, frictionless way to access their account. Magic links satisfied that need with significantly less infrastructure. I backed the team’s instinct to pursue the simpler path and helped them make the case to product stakeholders.
Outcome
Magic link authentication shipped in a fraction of the time. Support tickets related to login dropped substantially. The project became a reference point internally for questioning assumed complexity before committing to large technical investments.