Crypto Command Center
An web app designed for enabling customers to monitor data and generate reports for their HSM devices and subscribed services
Team
Yushi Gong, James Hales, Falco Christow, Christa Bakko
Tools
Axure, Miro, Chartcube
Tags
Product Design, User Research, UI/UX
Timeline
One Year - Shipped 2022
INTRODUCTION
Project Overview
The previous generation of Crypto Command Center has two core functions of Centralized Crypto Management and easy provisioning HSM. Although at the time this was already the most innovative product in the field of cryptographic security, we also wanted to constantly expand the product's versatility. After the product is launched, we regularly collect feedbacks from customers. Users reflects that beyond the two main functions they also hope to obtain visibility across device pools through easy monitoring and reporting, so that they can maintain full control of encryption services and data.
Therefore, how to design to add this new function into Crypto Command Center has become the direction of next generation of the product.
HOW IT BEGINS
Design Challenge
How might we design a product that can improve our customers’ visibility of the status of their HSM appliances through easy monitoring and reporting?
Solution
An experience that user can monitor HSM devices and subscribed encryption services locating on each device, generate dynamic reports for both devices and services, improve visibility, and always be up to date on the status of their HSM appliances with a centralized, convenient view of the device pools.
RESEARCH
User Research
After learning about this new feature request from product manager, we started research by conducting an interview with our key customers to learn more about their expectations and needs at first hand. Some of the findings were:
IDEATION
Determining the Features
We took the key insights from the interview process and synthesized it into a set of features/functions our target users are looking for to alleviate their pain points and address their needs.
User Flows
We created a user flow to visualize the journey that our target users would take to use the set of features. It helped us understand the steps users take to complete the tasks and also figure out what interactions would be most intuitive for users.
PROTOTYPE
Prototyping the Interface
After mapping the user flow, we began prototyping the solution. The purpose of the high-fidelity prototypes was mainly to visualize the look and feel of the feature, and also to turn design ideas into testable artifacts that we can then use to collect and analyze feedback in the next stage.
TESTING
Usability Testing
After producing a prototype, we conducted a prototype testing with our key customers to gather feedback from target audience on what works and what doesn't. It helps our UX team to identify potential issues and validate product decisions. According to user feedback, we have added the "notification" shown below as a supporting feature.
Final Output
The final product provides the three main features of monitoring, report and notification. The device monitoring feature generates data displays of managed device information, allowing users to instantly assess the status of all their managed devices, and to view more detailed information for individual devices. The Service Monitoring feature is introduced in the left navigation under Monitoring & Reports tab. It helps the CCC Administrator and the CCC Application Owner to view the list of initialized and partially initialized services with average operations count.
The reporting feature allows users to generate and view reports that provide detailed information for all of their managed devices and the services provisioned on those devices. Users can view, search, and sort a report in CCC, print it, or export it to a comma separated values (CSV) file they can import into a spreadsheet.
Notification feature allows users to configure notification messages for critical CCC events. Users can enable email notifications, connect CCC to an SMTP server, add email recipients, and select notification types to configure email notifications from CCC. Once notification enabled, users will receive email every time an important event, eg. device shutdown, occurs in CCC.
Reflection
The new generation of CCC with added Monitoring&Report feature was a massive success and has become the most popular product of Thales crypto security business. My biggest takeaway from this project was learning how to design something that fit the business purpose. Through the UX process, I realized that although business goals and UX are seemingly contrasting, they are actually the 'best combo' for good design, especially when I want to design a service that can actually work. When I told my interviewees my goal, they gave me more valuable feedback on the business model and service, not only the interface. It helped me a lot, from looking at the big picture all the way to the small details.
In addition, another very important takeaway is to realize that UX designer must continue to stay up to date and keep learning. No matter which industry we are in, it's always important to be receptive to new knowledge and keep learning. Although the time working in Thales has given me a certain understanding of the Crypto industry, there are still many knowledge points that need to be further studied. For example, when designing device monitoring in this project, I need to go through a lot of research and consult professional technicians to know what information should be displayed in the monitored appliance data, such as storage, connection and performance, etc. I believe that only by mastering certain professional knowledge can we design products that can truly provide value to users.
Metrics 👀
Currently looking into the data of this new designs. Please come back to this case study at a later date to view!
Thanks for Reading ❤️
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