Microsoft UX Design

Cloud Resource Management Dashboard

C O M P A N Y

Microsoft Corporation

T E A M

Azure Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)

L O C A T I O N

Redmond, WA

R O L E S

User Research, Wireframes, Storyboards, Interaction Design, Interface Design, Visual Design

D E S C R I P T I O N

During my UX design internship at Microsoft, I joined the SRE team to assist in the design of a dashboard feature that empowers employees to view, manage, and share their cloud resources seamlessly. The objective was to enhance resource visibility and improve collaboration among teams.

Project Background

While using Microsoft’s Azure portal, employees often struggled with managing multiple cloud resources across different projects, leading to inefficiencies, duplication of efforts, and a lack of visibility into resource utilization. The existing systems were fragmented, making it difficult to share resources and insights across teams.

Goals

  • Create a centralized dashboard for Azure portal management.

  • Enable easy sharing and collaboration on resources.

  • Provide actionable insights and analytics on resource usage.

  • Understand and experience the agile design process.

User Research

Interviews

Conducted interviews with 50+ employees from various departments to understand the Azure portal workflow and uncover possible pain points.

Surveys

Distributed a survey to gather quantitative data Azure resource usage and team sharing practices, achieving a 45% response rate.

Heurestic evaluation data gathered from interviews and surveys, 2018

Competitive Analysis

Analysed existing cloud management tools such as to identify strengths and weaknesses, focusing on usability, interaction and visual design, and sharing capabilities.

Key Findings

  • Employees desired a single outlet for creating and managing all cloud resources.

  • Most users were not aware of the current features available to them due to non-intuitive buttons on current dashboard.

  • Sharing information among teams required strenuous processes that made collaboration difficult.

User Personas

Wireframes

Developed wireframes to showcase the layout and basic functionality of the dashboard.

Prototyping

Created an interactive prototype using Figma, incorporating feedback from stakeholders and potential users. Key features included:

  • Dashboard layout with visual hierarchy

  • Intuitive navigation and search capabilities

  • Interactive sharing options with role-based access controls

Based on feedback from the MissionControl team, we made several interations which:

  • Simplified the sharing interface.

  • Enhanced filtering options with advanced search features including color coordination.

  • Added tooltips and guidance for first-time users to improve onboarding.

Final Design & Impact

The final design included a user-friendly dashboard featuring:

  • Resource Overview: A visual snapshot of all resources.

  • Filter and Search Options: Easy access to find specific resources.

  • Sharing Options: Simplified workflows for sharing resources with teammates.

Post-launch analytics indicated a 30% increase in resource sharing among teams and a 25% reduction in time spent managing resources. Employee feedback highlighted increased satisfaction with resource visibility and ease of use.

Reflection

This project deepened my understanding of user-centered design principles and the importance of collaboration in product development. Working closely with the SRE team allowed me to merge technical feasibility with user needs, ultimately leading to a successful feature that enhances productivity.