Casey D

//

Lead Product Designer

Resume

Casey D

Resume

Casey D

//

Lead Product Designer

Resume

Cylance
Cylance

Making smart av…smart

Revolutionizing Cybersecurity with Smart, Simple Solutions

In the rapidly evolving world of cybersecurity, many providers still rely on outdated technology to tackle today's sophisticated threats. I joined a dynamic team at Cylance, a company distinguished by its straightforward and effective approach to cybersecurity.

Our mission was clear: to extend these smart, user-friendly solutions directly to consumers, enhancing their security with cutting-edge technology designed for modern challenges.

With a limited version of our enterprise-grade product, which leverages artificial intelligence to detect threats, we set out to extend this smart, simple protection to individual users. Prior market research identified three key user personas we aimed to serve:

Go-To Gus - Gus is the family's unofficial tech guru. When gadgets confound the rest, Gus is the go-to troubleshooter.

Momma Martinez - She's dedicated to keeping her family safe online but lacks the time to navigate the complexities of cybersecurity.

Online Gamers - These users optimize every aspect of their systems for peak performance and value software that is both lightweight and effective.
Armed with a consumer-friendly version of our highly successful enterprise solution and a clear understanding of our target market, we launched the product. However, there was just one problem…
With a limited version of our enterprise-grade product, which leverages artificial intelligence to detect threats, we set out to extend this smart, simple protection to individual users. Prior market research identified three key user personas we aimed to serve:

Go-To Gus - Gus is the family's unofficial tech guru. When gadgets confound the rest, Gus is the go-to troubleshooter.

Momma Martinez - She's dedicated to keeping her family safe online but lacks the time to navigate the complexities of cybersecurity.

Online Gamers - These users optimize every aspect of their systems for peak performance and value software that is both lightweight and effective.

Armed with a consumer-friendly version of our highly successful enterprise solution and a clear understanding of our target market, we launched the product. However, there was just one problem…
With a limited version of our enterprise-grade product, which leverages artificial intelligence to detect threats, we set out to extend this smart, simple protection to individual users. Prior market research identified three key user personas we aimed to serve:
Go-To Gus - Gus is the family's unofficial tech guru. When gadgets confound the rest, Gus is the go-to troubleshooter.

Momma Martinez - She's dedicated to keeping her family safe online but lacks the time to navigate the complexities of cybersecurity.

Online Gamers - These users optimize every aspect of their systems for peak performance and value software that is both lightweight and effective.

Armed with a consumer-friendly version of our highly successful enterprise solution and a clear understanding of our target market, we launched the product. However, there was just one problem…

It Seemed That No One Found Our Solution To Be Smart Or Simple.

It Seemed That No One Found Our Solution To Be Smart Or Simple.

It Seemed That No One Found Our Solution To Be Smart Or Simple.

Tom Greever, author of Articulating Design Decisions, aptly compares the role of a designer to solving a Rubik’s cube, where teams often focus solely on one facet, overlooking the holistic view. This was precisely the situation I encountered upon joining my new team. There was no unified understanding or appreciation of the customer experience.
Creating a shared vision of the problem space is crucial before initiating changes. Facilitating cross-functional team alignment can dramatically smooth the collaboration process. To achieve this, I led the team through a comprehensive teardown of the customer journey, starting from the marketing page and extending through their initial interactions with the product. This approach not only broadened our perspective but also deepened our collective appreciation for the user's experience.

A 'teardown' of our current experience

Navigating User Insights to Refine and Enhance Product Experience

However, my observations were based solely on my initial impressions. To validate how representative these were of our actual users' experiences, I sought concrete data, only to discover a significant gap: our product lacked any form of user analytics. Without robust quantitative insights, I turned to alternative methods to gather user feedback. Through my exploration, I identified three viable channels to connect with and hear directly from our users...
Support Tickets - I reviewed and summarized the 75 most recent ticket and continued to monitor new tickets.
Support Tickets - I reviewed and summarized the 75 most recent ticket and continued to monitor new tickets.
Support Tickets - I reviewed and summarized the 75 most recent ticket and continued to monitor new tickets.
Feature Requests - Next, I reviewed and consolidated over one hundred of our recent feature requests.
Feature Requests - Next, I reviewed and consolidated over one hundred of our recent feature requests.
User Research - User Finally, I would email five new users every day, asking what they thought of the product. In addition, I reached out to people who indicated great or terrible experiences.
User Research - User Finally, I would email five new users every day, asking what they thought of the product. In addition, I reached out to people who indicated great or terrible experiences.
Analyzing recent support tickets and feature requests provided critical insights into our users' experiences. I realized that presenting firsthand accounts of customers' jobs, pains, and gains—along with where our product succeeded or fell short—would pinpoint the key problem areas needing attention. Sharing user comments such as:

"So It's Still Not Clear That There Is No Desktop App. It's Also Not Clear How I 'Run' Your App? Is This A Totally Passive Application?"

was instrumental in focusing our efforts on the most pressing challenges.

Through qualitative research, several clear themes emerged:
  • Shyness – users were often unsure if or how the product was working.
  • Misleading – the product provided conflicting information.
  • Different – the product deviated from familiar mental and UI models.

Armed with a unified understanding of the customer’s experience, we could now pose the right questions. Our primary focus shifted to, 'How might we make the experience not shy, misleading, or different, but helpful, informative, and pleasant?' Collaborating closely with the Director of Product, Engineering, and Marketing representatives, we brainstormed and evaluated a range of potential solutions.
Analyzing recent support tickets and feature requests provided critical insights into our users' experiences. I realized that presenting firsthand accounts of customers' jobs, pains, and gains—along with where our product succeeded or fell short—would pinpoint the key problem areas needing attention. Sharing user comments such as:

"So It's Still Not Clear That There Is No Desktop App. It's Also Not Clear How I 'Run' Your App? Is This A Totally Passive Application?"

was instrumental in focusing our efforts on the most pressing challenges.

Through qualitative research, several clear themes emerged:
  • Shyness – users were often unsure if or how the product was working.
  • Misleading – the product provided conflicting information.
  • Different – the product deviated from familiar mental and UI models.

Armed with a unified understanding of the customer’s experience, we could now pose the right questions. Our primary focus shifted to, 'How might we make the experience not shy, misleading, or different, but helpful, informative, and pleasant?' Collaborating closely with the Director of Product, Engineering, and Marketing representatives, we brainstormed and evaluated a range of potential solutions.
Analyzing recent support tickets and feature requests provided critical insights into our users' experiences. I realized that presenting firsthand accounts of customers' jobs, pains, and gains—along with where our product succeeded or fell short—would pinpoint the key problem areas needing attention. Sharing user comments such as:

"So It's Still Not Clear That There Is No Desktop App. It's Also Not Clear How I 'Run' Your App? Is This A Totally Passive Application?"

was instrumental in focusing our efforts on the most pressing challenges.

Through qualitative research, several clear themes emerged:
  • Shyness – users were often unsure if or how the product was working.
  • Misleading – the product provided conflicting information.
  • Different – the product deviated from familiar mental and UI models.

Armed with a unified understanding of the customer’s experience, we could now pose the right questions. Our primary focus shifted to, 'How might we make the experience not shy, misleading, or different, but helpful, informative, and pleasant?' Collaborating closely with the Director of Product, Engineering, and Marketing representatives, we brainstormed and evaluated a range of potential solutions.

Smooth Moves: Bringing Joy with Every Swipe

Movement was a key theme for us. Since our other products were often perceived as not working or slow, I wanted to do all I could do to subtly suggest to our users that our app is as powerful as we describe it to be.

Users have found our UI to be confusing. I wanted to help our transitions between screens to be gentle and for screen content to load progressively. I also wanted our sections of the app to load progressively. Both of these make for a great transition because it is not just visually appealing, but it is a subtle way to make transitions smoother.

Clearly indicating a users threat status while not being annoying or overbearing is a delicate balance. That is why I explored nearly 30 different animations for our device status section.

What we Delivered

Our team rose up to face significant challenges like team attrition, app store rejections, and partner challenges. Through it all, our Mobile Dashboard MVP still shipped! Meanwhile, improvements and new features are making their way into the app at a steady pace.

That's a wrap