Vulnerability and risk management platform

Cytidel founders worked in the cybersecurity field as cybersecurity consultants for a long time. While dealing with their daily routines, they encountered multiple problems not only in the process of achieving their goals but also in the way the information was presented or accessed. They thought that all those pains and problems that they were suffering, could be tackled and they wanted to tackle them! That's why they developed a BETA product on their own which was used to showcase their solution to potential customers. However, the product is yet to be publicly launched.

We wanted to assist them in achieving their product ambitions and goals:

• To optimise and improve their BETA version (from a technical and user experience perspective)

• The creation of a prototype to aid them in securing funding

To help them, my work and team colleague the Senior Product Designer initiated a Product Discovery phase. This crucial step encompassed various tasks, including documenting a comprehensive problem statement, mapping customer journeys, establishing an information architecture, analysing the current BETA platform to improve it, establishing the 'Jobs to be Done' and defining high-level initiatives, epics, and deliverables. In the interest of budget, some artefacts were provided by the founders, for example, the Persona and the Target audience were done by the Security team at Cytidel.

Although I wasn't fully involved in the Product Discovery phase, I thoroughly reviewed all the documentation to gain a comprehensive understanding of the main insights from the work of other team members. This knowledge was crucial in allowing me to enrich the project through my contributions.

Before sketching, I took the Jobs to be Done as a North Star. I wanted to translate the JTBD's insights into the sketches, so I shifted the focus from what users wanted to why they wanted it, providing a user-centric approach to the designs and aligning them with users' goals, pains and gains.

Here are some examples of Jobs to be Done (JTBD) where the focus has shifted from what users initially wanted, to understand why they wanted it. The primary objective of the new dashboard is to enhance the quality of life for cybersecurity workers while also increasing the number of vulnerabilities analysed. 

After all this analysis, the sketching part was forthright. It helped me to visualise multiple design concepts that came out from all the previous insights.

In addition to the dashboard, the application also included a reports gallery and various views of different types of reports.

The transition from sketching to wireframing played a crucial role in the design process. I wanted to bridge the gap between ideation and implementation so the founders could see more tangible and realistic designs, a step closer to the prototypes they aimed for. First, I refined the initial creative ideas considering not only the insights gathered from the workshops and the discovery phase (e.g. content hierarchy, interactions among the app pages…) but also from the one-to-one meetings I had with the founders where I reassured them what they were looking for and what they needed. I used Figma as a tool for shaping the designs to transform the sketches into well-structured and user-centred designs.

Some examples of how the wireframes helped to translate the insights from the discovery phase into a tangible design.

Due to budget and time restrictions, the wireframes were iteratively refined based only on the feedback from peers and the founders, who as cybersecurity workers themselves and the creators of their BETA product, knew first-hand all the pains and problems they wanted to tackle.

To ensure a 100% user-friendly and visually pleasing interface, I would have preferred to adhere to a correct methodology of running a usability test, selecting the participants, establishing the goals of the test and analysing the results, but unfortunately, it was not possible this time.

The evolution of the designs throughout the project was influenced by the feedback from peers and founders, who as cybersecurity workers themselves and the creators of their BETA product, knew first-hand all the pains and problems they wanted to tackle.

Once the wireframes were completely refined and finally approved by the founders, we proceeded to create a prototype featuring clickable wireframes, offering a tangible portrayal of the product's functionalities and interactions.

Throughout this phase, I closely collaborated with the founders to shape the most precise vision for their product, taking into account the established constraints and requirements: 

• Money-wise, the prototype needed to be run within the wireframes as there was no option to create a final user interface. 

• As the main concern of the founders was to have a prototype ready for potential investors, I had to influence them and help them understand the importance of conducting a controlled and guided usability test. Having only a prototype and a few questions was not sufficient.

• Money-wise, to select and identify only the screens that were truly necessary and valuable, which will make up the scenarios and task flows that the founders wanted to present to the investors.

• Time-wise, the founders already had a selected number of individuals/investors and committed dates to present the project to them.

• Money-wise, once the founders understood the relevance and importance of conducting a controlled usability test, the necessary steps (a Usability Test Plan, a Facilitator Guide and a meeting to show them how to proceed) were established for them to take charge of it.

The resulting prototype had three main goals:

• To allow running user testing sessions which can confirm/reject the assumptions defined in the 'Jobs to be Done' workshop.

• To allow the founders to gather feedback and test the usability of their product before investing more time and resources in development.

• To have an example of their idea and product that would allow them to raise funds.

Interactive Prototypes - Exploring the User Journey and enhancing the User Experience.

After launching the prototype, I devised a usability test plan to observe user interactions, identify potential issues, and make informed decisions to refine the business strategy.

In shaping the Usability Test Plan and the Facilitator Test Guide, various factors influenced the structure. A significant consideration was budget constraints, which required the founders to conduct the Usability Test themselves. This unique situation prompted me to create tailored documents and provide comprehensive training on how to execute the test effectively.

These two documents aim to be a complete reference, enabling effective usability testing while aligning with the UX design process for wireframes and prototypes. It is important to highlight the added value of these documents in the project, as their goal was to ensure founders could independently conduct tests, gather meaningful insights, and maintain a smooth, consistent process. To achieve this, I developed a Usability Test Plan and a Facilitator Guide (both interdependent in their use) following these considerations:

• Clarity and consistency: I wanted to provide a clear guide outlining the facilitator's role and his responsibilities to ensure consistency across all the test sessions. This was important to get an effective facilitation. For example, at the beginning of the Usability Test Plan, I incorporated an overview of the test's purpose goals, and objectives, and I provided step-by-step instructions. This helped us clarify what we wanted to achieve and which specific aspects of the user experience needed evaluation.

The goals in my Usability Testing Plan align with the clarity and consistency criteria outlined as fundamental principles for developing this document.

• Participant comfort: I think the best way to obtain honest feedback from the participants is if they feel comfortable with the environment/situation. To do so, it's vital to create a welcoming and non-threatening environment. In the Facilitator Guide, for example, I emphasised the importance of building a good relationship, making participants feel comfortable, suggesting appropriate language and phrases for interactions, and assuring them the facilitator is not testing them, but the product. 

• Flexibility: The founders needed guidance on adapting to unexpected situations during usability tests to maintain test integrity. I include some tips for handling issues like participant confusion or technical glitches while staying aligned with testing goals.

• Empathy and objectivity: It’s important to focus on an active listening strategy to understand all participants' perspectives without bias, so I let them know that maintaining objectivity is crucial.

• Technical proficiency: I reminded them that they and the participants needed to be familiar with the testing tools and equipment before running the test to ensure a smooth testing process. In the Facilitator Guide, I recommended double checking this point before running up the test. In the event of not being familiar with any reason, it is important to set up clear instructions, including software or hardware requirements, along with troubleshooting tips for common technical issues. 

• Data collection: The main goal of running a usability test is the collection of accurate data. I specified in the Usability Test Plan the different roles needed to collect the data during the sessions, including when and how to record observations, comments, and participant feedback. To follow a process during the collection of the data, we also provided a standardised data collection template.

The roles in my Usability Testing Plan align with the data collection criteria outlined as fundamental principles for developing this document.

• Ethical considerations: I included some ethical guidelines that the facilitators should address for the benefit of all the participants. In the same way, I included all the necessary references related to obtaining consent for the record of the session, respecting data privacy, and allowing participant withdrawal at any time.

• Training and resources: To ensure the founders/facilitators were well-prepared, the design team provided them with a session on how to run a usability test, and which test methods to use: moderated, in-person testing, and think-aloud protocols, in this case. At the same time, we handed in the relevant documentation and explained it to them. We also included additional learning resources. This approach ensured that despite the limitations, we could still help the founders gather valuable user feedback and insights to inform their decisions.

Building on the alignment between usability testing goals and the Jobs to be Done, my primary aim was to evaluate features designed to streamline users' cyber risk prioritisation and analysis. To accomplish this, I framed test scenarios and tasks that mirrored real-world situations, offering participants clear guidance during the usability testing. These scenarios and tasks were directly in line with the testing objectives, ensuring that participants had meaningful interactions while assessing their experience with the product. This approach facilitated a seamless transition into my role of assessing and enhancing the product's functionality.

Once the Usability Test Plan and the Facilitator guide were finished, we also provided them with a standardised digital data collection template, used to help them uniformly record observations and user feedback throughout the different sessions of the testing process. The aim of providing and showing them how to use it was to enable consistent documentation of critical data points (user interactions, issues encountered…) ensuring a reliable and systematic data capture for analysis. 

We offered to carry out a recruitment process for the participants involved in the usability test, but due to budget constraints, the owner will do the recruitment based on their defined user personas and prospective app users. So, at this point, they were ready to go and run the test by themselves!

Next steps

After conducting usability tests, it's crucial for me to meticulously analyse user feedback. The founders were urged to adopt this approach. By delving into comments, they could uncover recurring patterns and pinpoint both strengths and areas of concern in the app's performance. Armed with these insights, my next step would be prioritising design enhancements, addressing immediate concerns, and planning for future updates. 

Embracing an iterative approach, I encouraged them to continuously refine the app's design based on user feedback, ensuring a user-friendly and effective product. Engaging in ongoing user research through surveys, interviews, and analytics is my practice to adapt the app to evolving user needs, and this was conveyed to the founders. They were also recommended to stay informed about industry trends and competitors to guide strategic decisions and maintain competitiveness aligned with user expectations.