SecDesk
UX Techniques
Competitive Analysis, Personas, Information Architecture, Prototyping
Background
SecDesk was a custom dashboard and IT security incident ticketing prototype for security analysts. These analysts spend their day monitoring, receiving, and logging incidents all day by monitoring a variety of applications. Having to constantly observe, translate, and makes sense of data was very time consuming and mentally exhausting.
Problem
Users were dissatisfied with their current custom UI due to cluttered screens; information being in different locations; and difficulty with interpreting data visualizations. Page layouts and behaviors were also inconsistent since they had to use multiple applications. Users reportedly many instances where they had to “hunt down” various data points to make sense of it, which took a lot of time and effort. Users also reported that they spent more time trying to find information rather than performing the work to resolve issues at times.
Solution
After spending a day observing users with their current application and understanding their pain points, I was able to create a mockup on how I can improve the user experience and interface. My solution involved creating additional data objects and application programming interface (APIs) to retrieve data from a variety of sources so that users can reduce searching in multiple applications. I also showed how my design can reduce screen clutter by providing high-level summaries with the option of drilling down to the data.
Outcome
The designs were well-received and appreciated by the users and champion for this project. They had challenges with articulating their thoughts visually.
The project’s champion was able to take the designs and complete the business case for requesting funding to further elaborate and develop the product.
