SaaS console visual and UX overhaul
Modernising visual and brand identity while driving a 20% usability increase through UX design.
PRODUCT SUITE
IBM Automation platforms
KEY CONTRIBUTIONS
- Visual Language
- UX Design
- Branding
- Motion graphics
ROLE
UX-Visual Design Intern
TIMELINE
Q1 2023- Q3 2023
Overview
IBM SaaS Console is a centralised web based platform that enables organisations to manage all IBM Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscriptions across multiple cloud providers from one place.
While the platform enabled core functionality, its visual identity and interaction patterns had not yet reached the level of cohesion and refinement expected of an enterprise grade solution. As the product expanded in scope, supporting more services, clouds, and enterprise workflows, its experience needed to scale accordingly.
I joined the SaaS Console team during its transition phase. My work focused on elevating the product’s visual identity, improving dashboard usability, and helping align the experience with the scale and complexity it was built to manage.
The Challenge
Scaling product maturity
As enterprises adopt Software as a Service SaaS to reduce management and infrastructure burdens, they face a new challenge: managing hundreds of subscriptions across multiple hyperscalers such as AWS and Google Cloud. This results in scattered access control, underutilised licenses, and limited visibility into SaaS spend.
At the time, IBM SaaS Console had been released to centralise subscription management across clouds. While the platform enabled core functionality, it lacked the visual cohesion and refined interaction design expected of a solution operating at an enterprise scale.
SOME STATS
90 SaaS services offered by IBM
~305 subscriptions managed by the average enterprise
25% of provisioned licenses go unused
12% of SaaS expenditures remain unmanaged
To address this gap, the team focused on two complementary initiatives:
Elevating the product’s visual identity to reflect its expanding scope and enterprise credibility.
Improving dashboard usability and interaction feedback to reduce cognitive friction and increase user confidence in system processes.
Visual Identity
As SaaS Console expanded to support additional clouds and features, a parallel rebranding effort was initiated. The existing identity had been carried forward from earlier releases and no longer matched the scope or maturity of the product.
Partnering with the visual design team, we realised that the opportunity was not just to redesign an icon but to strengthen how the product represented scale, orchestration, and credibility within the IBM ecosystem.
Design constraints:
The new app icon needed to align with IBM’s established app icon grid system, visually integrate within the IBM product family, and represent the broader scope.
I studied IBM’s iconography guidelines, grid structures, and colour systems to ensure alignment from the outset.
The final app icon represents the relationship between IBM products and SaaS Console. The logo shows the continuous loop of data that flows from the product to the console and back. The counterform of the logo also forms a cloud. Together, these elements communicate orchestration and system continuity at enterprise scale.
As part of the broader visual refresh, I also led the creative direction of a promotional video for the Think event and the marketing page, showcasing SaaS Console’s capabilities to enterprise users.
The key goal was to translate IBM’s minimal design language into motion, appeal to both developers and enterprise stakeholders, and communicate value clearly within a short attention window.
The visual approach blended IBM’s modern design system with abstract three dimensional elements to convey scale and system connectivity.
* Early pre-production version — the product name shown is a working title.
Dashboard UX improvement
The first release of SaaS Console launched in December 2022. By the time I joined the team, initial user feedback had surfaced friction within the dashboard experience.
In collaboration with a fellow UX designer, we revisited defined personas and conducted a structured evaluation of the dashboard.
We started with a journey map to place where exactly in the journey the friction points were occurring. Once done, we prioritised the ones we wanted to solve first. We used a priority/feasibility matrix for this.
To summarise, users reported poor task completion rates, unclear subscription and instance states, and missing key administrative dashboard features. While the platform was functionally capable, interaction clarity and task progression required refinement.
User flows and initial concepts
Understand, design, repeat
We looked at some of the key users flows and keeping in mind the key tasks for each user persona we designed a refined user flow.
Testing
Understand, design, repeat
Design iterations were tested with active product users to validate improvements in task clarity and interaction flow.
Revamped Dashboard
A truly joint effort
The updated information architecture adheres to the principle of progressive disclosure, creating a scalable system that is easier to comprehend. By preventing information overload on the initial landing page, users can better navigate the system.
As a business lead,
I want to have a robust dashboard to see all my product subscriptions across different clouds,
so that I can ensure that the right team, gets the right resources at the right time without going over budget.
Impact
The new SaaS Console app icon introduced with the next major release, along with the dashboard improvements to support the expanded feature set.
New app icon
and visual system, supporting product's expanded scope and new market positioning
20%
increase SUS score due to improve task clarity and usability of the dashboard.
Reflections and what's next
Reflecting on both projects, each was a significant learning experience. They marked my transition from academic UX concepts to designing within real world enterprise constraints. It reinforced the importance of structured research and moving with speed while considering scale.
Request a case study
Want to learn more about this project? Get in touch to request a case study.