Case study
Enterprise filtering
Reduced time-to-revenue of cloud optimization dashboard with a sophisticated filtering system and a new user interface. This case study is a summary. Reach out for an end-to-end presentation deck.
Client: ‘CloudOptimal’ (NDA-friendly name) is a cloud technology company
Contribution: Product design, visual design. I worked as a contractor.
Businesses who leverage public cloud platforms like AWS use an “opportunity explorer” to identify potential savings, performance, and security optimizations. CloudOptimal’s opportunity explorer dashboard showed a table with 30 columns. The original design was difficult to navigate: filters took up half the vertical screen space, and the sort function was difficult to track across columns. These usability issues increased the time between discovering an opportunity and implementing changes that positively impact the bottom line. How might better filters shorten time-to-revenue?
Goal
The first iteration explored the original design’s approach to filtering structure: a drawer that hid 20+ filters. This helped us identify the largest usability issue: users had to “learn how to filter”. Then, I analyzed heavy-data products like Attio, Hubspot, Deel, and sketched ideas. I applied the “Identifier + Relative + Value” hierarchy to existing filters, with “is” as the only relative. This helped me visualize and draw a 2-level master dropdown where users could add and remove filters. With the sort function being given the same treatment, users reached their optimization goals faster.
Process & outcome
Original design reconstruction: drawer hides filter toggles
Toggles enabled filters in horizontal layout
Dashboard
New filter structure
Information architecture
Filter list
Friction reduces accidental removal
Sample prototype