Challenge
An early-stage start-up, Aembit is the Identity Platform that lets DevOps and Security manage, enforce, and audit access between federated workloads. Identity and access management for users has existed for years, but there was nothing for workloads/services. Aembit seized the opportunity to fill this niche and quickly built an MVP platform using an off-the-shelf framework.
We had worked with the CTO and Co-Founder at a previous successful start-up 10 years ago (acquired by Okta 2 years later) and kept in touch, so he knew our capabilities and brought us on board to help.
While the MVP was usable, they needed to have something more ‘ownable’ and also to bring a bit more logic to the workflow. Also, we needed to move fast so we constrained ourselves by addressing only what currently existed—adding no major new features.
Approach
We started with wireframes to capture all current features and reworked the flow into a more logical process. We tested with users. In doing so, we felt there was a missing element that tied the core of the platform together.
After some iteration, a builder view was introduced to perfectly solve the problem. Throughout the entire process we user-tested, and tested, and tested, to validate every assumption.
Another key aspect was the ability to add, edit, and delete entities without navigating away from the current view or using modals. This was resolved by introducing a slider panel design pattern. As the wireframes became firm, we switched to creating a more unique design system that better reflected the brand.
With solid wireframes and a design system in place, we quickly moved through mockups that were user tested constantly.
Results
The end result is a heavily tested platform with a unique and scalable interface. They now have confidence to sell the product to customers and raise additional funding.
