IBM Project Monocle
Tackling the problem of implementing security updates on IBM Power 8 servers.
Embarking on a 6-week incubator initiative, my team navigated from exploring a problem space with updating Power 8 servers to crafting a prototype that led to a new product offering for IBM. Rooted in a genuine challenge faced by the business, this project aimed to address an issue not previously tackled. Our design team's objective was to delve into the problem space for six weeks and subsequently present our findings and prototype to the business team. Specifically, my team focused on addressing the challenges associated with implementing security updates on IBM Power 8 servers.
My Role
UX Designer
Team Lead
Stakeholder Research
User Researcher
Deliverables & Responsibilities
Journey Map
Paper Prototype
Wireframes
RITE Testing
Stakeholder Management
Hi-Fidelity Prototype
Project Details
Duration: 6 weeks
Teammates: Visual Designers, Front End Engineer, UX Designers
Collaborators: Engineering SMEs, Data Center Admins
Stakeholders: SVP, GM, and executives from IBM Systems business unit
The Ask
Make doing security updates on servers as easy as updating your iPhone.
Our assignment revolved around Power 8 servers, specifically focusing on the HMC (hardware management console) responsible for overseeing 20-30 Power 8 servers. The challenge at hand was the prolonged process—currently taking up to 8 weeks—of identifying security vulnerabilities, finding the necessary updates, and deploying them. This delay left servers susceptible to security threats. Our team's mission was to streamline this updating process, aiming for a simplicity akin to updating an iPhone. Despite the solution-oriented focus of a one-click solution, we took a step back. Our approach involved collaborating with subject matter experts to grasp the intricacies of the domain while concurrently engaging with users to comprehend their pain points.
Understanding the Users
Empathy Maps
As designers, unfamiliar with server roles, we collaborated with SMEs to create empathy maps for users. These informed our interview scripts and interactions.
We found that the primary users were system admins and IT managers, with the IT manager often covering security responsibilities. The team perceived them as risk-averse, meticulous, and time-strapped. During security incidents, they might be on call, working overtime, or missing important family events.
As-Is Scenario
Journey Map
Based on the collaborative empathy mapping exercise, the user researcher and I crafted an interview script and started engaging with users.
Simultaneously, I delved into workflow details with SMEs to grasp the overall process steps. The UXR and I refined these steps with users. Within the first week, I generated the As-Is scenario, color-coded for users, and highlighted pain points. This artifact facilitated early alignment amongst the team, SMEs, and stakeholders. We were quickly able to synthesize that the steps involved fell into the categories of find, fix, and report.
“I spend 25% of my time during the first half of the year prepping for our audit in July. That may not sound like much, but multiply that by 50 hours a week, at a manager pay rate, with all the weeks required, and that is a lot of time.”
— IT Manager
This quote is just one among many expressing time-related challenges. Users invest extensive hours searching for updates, gathering information, ensuring compatibility, and proving compliance. While deploying updates is challenging, it doesn't evoke the same level of difficulty for them.
The Pivot
The 1 click update
During user interviews, proposing a 1-click update received negative reactions. The challenge stems from the risk-averse nature of the users; automation in their updating process is not well-received due to concerns about reliability, lack of trust in IBM, and other sensitivities.
While the 1 click update was the solution our stakeholders were pushing from the start of the project, the research showed there was a misalignment with the users. So this was a major issue we needed to bring to our stakeholders.
A path forward
Recognizing this challenge, the design team swiftly addressed it. Instead of discarding the stakeholders' ideas, we leveraged our insights and quickly developed paper prototypes focused on user concerns. Through RITE testing, we iterated rapidly, resulting in a vetted concept with positive user feedback.
So with an alternative plan of action, we engaged the stakeholders in the second week of the project to present the research findings that suggested a 1 click update was not user-focused and presented an alternative path forward.
Realignment
Scope Alignment
At our next stakeholder meeting, we not only discussed the pivot but also realigned the team on the project. Given the limited time, we clarified the scope and outlined what would and wouldn't be part of our MVP based on research.
Recognizing the risk-averse nature of our users, we acknowledged the need for a lighter touch in the Fix phase. Our focus shifted towards making it easier for users to find updates and prove compliance, marking a change from our initial approach.
Additionally, we established design principles to guide the project and unite the team.
Design Principles
Presently, IBM takes a passive role in updates. The company releases an update on the BigFix website and considers its responsibility fulfilled, leaving the entire burden of finding the update on the user. Our goal was to reverse this dynamic.
Action Oriented
Each user needed something different from this product, so we wanted to introduce a flexible product that could focus a user on only the things they needed out of it.
Role Based Flexibility
This project, initially MVP-focused on one hardware piece, would need to expand to cover a broader range of OS and server setups as it scaled to cover the variety of server setups that IBM’s users required.
Extensibility
Action oriented dashboard that will tell a user what updates are available and how their environment is impacted.
Level 2 breakdown of a specific group of servers. A user can create groups of servers and see the status of each endpoint.
Endpoint view where a user can get granular details and information about updates the endpoint needs.
An optional automation and scheduling feature was designed so users could be hands off with lower risk updates.
A compliance reporting GUI was designed so that users could configure the reports they needed for auditors instead of having to use the CLI.
Results
Final presentation
When we presented our final prototype to stakeholders and senior leadership at IBM, we also invited our stakeholders to come and speak for themselves about product they had helped us develop.
"When is the release date for Monocle? I already have reserved a portion of my budget to purchase it."
Our users were our champions and had extremely positive reactions towards the prototype.
New product
The success of our MVP and positive user reactions led stakeholders to launch this as a new product. They assembled a team of Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers, bringing Monocle to market a year later. This was only the third time an IBM Design incubator has resulted in a new product offering.
Invision made a documentary about the power of design thinking and my team’s work was the use case that they highlighted in their short film. It can be seen here.
Reflection
Using methods in new ways
On this project, the team frequently employed unconventional methods. Typically, an empathy map serves as an analysis tool after engaging with users, helping to group and understand their statements and behaviors. In our case, we utilized it differently—leveraging the empathy map to extract information from SMEs about a domain we were unfamiliar with. This approach facilitated meaningful conversations with users.
Don’t go back empty handed
Another factor contributing to the project's success was our deliberate decision not to react immediately upon identifying issues with the provided solution. Instead, we took additional time to demonstrate that, while users may not be prepared for a significant leap forward, there were still immediate problems we could address. The team crafted a forward-looking vision, created prototypes, conducted testing, and iterated until we established a solid foundation for a new direction. This approach of acknowledging challenges but presenting a silver lining effectively shifted the entire team's, including stakeholders', thinking towards a well-received new perspective.
But wait, there’s more!
Planning and leading an internship
Look at how I was the co-owner of the UX team’s internship program in 2023. See how we developed the timeline, scoped the project, and helped an intern grow and learn over 10 weeks.