PROJECT
Airdeck platform design
VM Snapshot design
AirDeck platform is a software-defined infrastructure for enterprise applications. It aims to offer customer a highly flexible and efficient cloud solution. By 2019, to satisfy the increasing needs of our users, we brought up a new function: Take snapshot. Snapshot is like a quick photograph which will help preserve the virtual machine status at a specific point in time. This function was essential for users to back up their steps on Virtual Machine.
TYPE
Work Project
(Development in progress)
(Development in progress)
WHAT I DID
UX Research, User Interview, UX Design,
Visual Design, Prototype, User Testing
Visual Design, Prototype, User Testing
PROJECT LENGTH
3 Months
TOOLS
Sketch, Adobe Kits, InVison
BACKGROUND
OVERVIEW
Taking VM snapshot was a big step to enhance AirDeck cloud platform's usability and efficiency. It would help user to create snapshots of the Virtual Machine manually or automatically. With taking snapshot function, users could easily roll back to their previous operation. This function was a must-have to fulfill Airdeck's cloud platform functions.
BACKGROUND
IMPACT
After about 3-month's research, brainstorm, interview, design, and testing, the snapshot system launched on November, 2019.
BACKGROUND
The Challenge
Our goal for the snapshot project was to build up an easy-to-use taking snapshot function. It would add a highly flexibility and efficiency to our cloud platform. However, as a new function we first came to, it was not easy to figure out a perfect scenario. We started from the simple instant creation and then manage snapshots, roll back, clone or delete. Each function brought up more complex scenarios to us.
BACKGROUND
My Role
I led the UX design of the snapshot function and collaborated with two UI developers, two back-end developer and one QA. In addition, I worked alongside a Product Manager with insights exploration. The snapshot function launched on November, 2019, and update 2 times later.
STRATEGY
RESEARCH
At the outset of the project we didn’t have a clear mission or specific goals for the VM snapshot experience. Without pre-existing insights, I partnered with our PM Vince to explore how people work with this function.
Key Interview Question:
1. What is snapshot for you? Why do you need a snapshot?
2. In which case snapshot helped you? What functions do you expect from snapshot?
1. What is snapshot for you? Why do you need a snapshot?
2. In which case snapshot helped you? What functions do you expect from snapshot?
I conducted interviews with stakeholders and recorded everything they said. Then I listened to those records again and again to dig their pain point about snapshot.
"VM snapshot preserves the state and data of a virtual machine at a specific point in time. I will take a snapshot before performing upgrade, or installing software. "
- Target user 1, senior engineer
"For me, VM snapshots are useful when I need roll back to a previous point. And as a admin, I notice that most developers have the habit to take snapshots and forget to delete them. It increases our cost highly."
- Target user 2, senior engineer, admin
- Target user 2, senior engineer, admin
"The operations I do with snapshot function are to create snapshots, revert to any snapshot in the chain, and remove snapshots."
- Target user 3, senior engineer
- Target user 3, senior engineer
STRATEGY
Early Insights
From the interview conversation, I got the following insights with VM snapshot:
Easy to take
Users take VM snapshot whenever they upgrade system, install softwares or change develop environment, it's a frequent operation, as a result, easy to take a snapshot will be the priority need. When we come to the interface, it should be at a important place.
Intelligent management
I noticed the admin's complain about the high cost of unused snapshots, it should be important to make snapshot easy to management with intelligent settings.
Clear version to revert
Users take VM snapshots to preserve the data. When there are lots of them, which one to be roll back is a big decision. We should make the versions clear to see at first sight.
SCOPE
Scoping down the Problem
Combing the user interview and competitive analysis, I reframed the snapshot function as below:
Snapshots can be considered as a quick failsafe to be able to rollback when a patch, an upgrade, a test, or unsafe operations were performed on a VM. Users will take operations like creating and managing snapshots. These operations let users create snapshots, revert to any snapshot in the chain, and remove snapshots.
As a result, our main design focus was
“How might we help users take VM snapshots easily and manage them efficiently?”
SCOPE
Objectives and key results
Design Goal
Through the research and the problem statement, I made my design goals as:
. Make it intuitive and fast to take a snapshot or rollback
. Help users to manage the snapshots easily
. Make the snapshot chain crystal-clear to view
. Make it intuitive and fast to take a snapshot or rollback
. Help users to manage the snapshots easily
. Make the snapshot chain crystal-clear to view
Before getting into too many technical details, a reasonable amount of time was spent on going through the past data and discovering the resource to make a measurable plan. I found the framework called “HEART” by Kerry Rodden, Hilary Hutchinson and Xin Fu from the Google’s research team as an extremely useful tool to measure the product user experience.
To allow the team to have clear alignment on the goals we’re trying to achieve, I made goals based on the"HAERT" framework which could be measured in Task success, User engagement and User satisfaction(happiness):
To allow the team to have clear alignment on the goals we’re trying to achieve, I made goals based on the"HAERT" framework which could be measured in Task success, User engagement and User satisfaction(happiness):
Key Results
Make task success rate 50%+
Achieve user engagement 40%+
User satisfaction survey to 52%+
STRUCTURE
Ideation
Based on the design goal and competitive analysis, I used Xmind to make my Product Mind Map:
STRUCTURE
User flow
Case01: User adding snapshot policy
There were multiple user flow cases when user uses the snapshot function, such as: Create snapshot, create snapshot policy, manage snapshots, revert snapshot or delete snapshot. Here I take adding snapshot policy as an example to demonstrate my design process.
SKELETON
wireframe
Drawing out the flow of low-fidelity wireframe several times helped me got clear of paths between pages and determined intended functionality in the interface.
SURFACE
Prototype
This is a prototype for adding an Auto-snapshot policy to Virtual Machines. I designed pages in Sketch and animated it in Principle. It's a simple flow but each step was with many brainstormings and changes from me and our team. In the following, I will show what were the design principles and the details of the process.
DETAIL
Easy to take
Easy to take snapshot was our first design goal. Taking add snapshot policy as an example, there were multiple solutions before we settled down on the add snapshot policy. First I tried use one buttons for creating snapshot and users could decide which type of snapshot they want to create at the second step. Then I tried to make separate buttons to make the auto-snapshot easier to manage. After brain storming and user testing, I made add policy to make the auto-snapshot in a more efficient way. Each solution had its pros and cons. And "easy to take" was the top priority which guides us to make the decision.
DETAIL
Intelligent Management
Learning from VMare, When users create their auto-snapshots, we suggest them with the appropriate snapshots limits to save their storage, they can also set their own limits. And our design was also flexible for multiple adding policy, or disable policy. These design ensured we help our users to manage the snapshots easily and conveniently.
DETAIL
Clear version to revert
Users create snapshot for quick back up purpose. That means when there's something wrong with their original Virtual Machine, they can revert one from the snapshot. Therefore quick to revert was also an important feature for snapshot design.
RESULT
Design Conclusion
Back to our design objectives and key results, with a 2 users' operation testing, the task success rate was 55%, which fulfilled our goal 50%+. And in the survey over 20 people, the user satisfaction was 60%. Both numbers showed us we achieved our design goal.
Also, there were problems, such as no policy appointment function, no policy to choose when adding a policy. All those feedbacks were considered carefully and updated in a new version.
Also, there were problems, such as no policy appointment function, no policy to choose when adding a policy. All those feedbacks were considered carefully and updated in a new version.
yuwangdesign@gmail.com
