Case Study
Squad
2 Product Designers
3 Engineers
1 Product Manager
The problem
Security Hub serves as the central entry point for IBM Cloud security services, helping organizations monitor their security posture and access critical security tools from a single location. Following its initial launch in 2024, a User Acceptance Test (UAT) revealed several usability challenges that made it difficult for users to quickly find information, navigate workflows, and understand the overall health of their environments. As the platform evolved, we saw an opportunity to rethink the homepage experience—creating a more intuitive, actionable, and user-centered dashboard that would help customers identify risks faster and take meaningful action with confidence.
Research & Discovery
To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed homepage redesign, we conducted a comparative usability study using both the existing and redesigned experiences. The goal was to understand whether the new design addressed known pain points while improving overall usability and usefulness. Participants completed identical task-based scenarios across both experiences and then evaluated each design using UMUX Lite metrics.
The research revealed several opportunities to improve the experience, including reducing visual complexity, improving access to critical security information, streamlining navigation, and making high-priority issues easier to identify and act upon. These findings directly informed the final design direction and established a measurable baseline for future iterations.
Outcome
The redesigned homepage achieved a 10-point increase in the UMUX Lite score compared to the existing experience, validating that the new design better supported users in completing key security tasks and understanding their overall security posture.
Beyond the quantitative improvement, the study established a baseline for measuring future experience enhancements and provided stakeholders with actionable insights grounded in both usability findings and user sentiment. The research findings informed prioritization discussions, helping the team focus on the improvements that would deliver the greatest value to customers.
The initiative also strengthened the team's research practice. By combining qualitative usability testing with UMUX Lite metrics, we demonstrated the value of integrating quantitative measures into the design process. The work contributed to the resolution of more than ten Journey DUX assessment issues and increased stakeholder engagement in research-driven decision making across IBM Cloud product teams.
Today, the redesigned Security Hub experience is live in IBM Cloud, providing customers with a more streamlined and actionable view of their security environment.
Impact
Hub earned the 2025 Fortress Cybersecurity Award.
Improved UMUX Lite scores by 10 points, demonstrating measurable gains in usability and usefulness and creating a quantitative baseline for future product improvements.
Helped resolve 10+ Journey DUX assessment issues through research-driven design decisions.
Awareness to Action: Security Hub
My role
As the lead designer for this initiative, I drove the research and validation strategy for the Security Hub homepage redesign. By introducing UMUX Lite into our usability testing process, I helped establish a quantitative benchmark for the existing experience and measure the impact of the redesign. I synthesized findings, aligned stakeholders around key insights, and translated research outcomes into actionable design recommendations that informed product priorities and future enhancements.