The old security portal was slow and cluttered, and it looked the same no matter who signed in. I helped redesign it from the research up, so each user could shape the dashboard around the way they actually work.
Security analysts, account admins, and network engineers all worked out of the same portal. It treated them the same, buried key data in exports, made search nearly unusable, and didn't connect to any of the tools they already used.
Over two weeks, I interviewed current customers and the people who support them: analysts, admins, and engineers across six countries.
There were eight issues identified. Most of them traced back to the same root: a portal that treated every user the same.
To address the identified issues, I designed a tailored experience for each persona, so analysts, admins, and engineers could accomplish their core tasks without working around a system built for someone else.
The biggest shift was making the dashboard personal. Each user starts from a view built for their role, then makes it their own, choosing the widgets, data, and alerts that matter to their work.
An analyst watching threats all shift and an admin checking in once a day no longer share the same screen. Same portal, same system underneath, but a dashboard each person can shape around their own work.
We designed in dark mode first, since analysts are in it for entire shifts. A new Query Builder turned search into something people actually used.
The redesigned dashboard, role-based and built for long security shifts.
Three problems shaped the design more than the rest.
For six months I worked three sprints ahead of the engineering team, building high-fidelity prototypes for what was ready to build while continuing to design the next batch. We designed dark mode first, since analysts spend entire shifts in the portal. UAT sessions with real customers shaped features beyond the MVP.
Analyst home
Role-based view built for analysts triaging alerts across an entire shift.
The redesigned portal now serves 800 clients across 60 countries. Stakeholders approved the next phase based on positive feedback, and the product helped renew existing contracts. It was showcased at Google Cloud Next 2023.
The portal on the main stage at Google Cloud Next 2023.