Why does this matter
Permissions became one of the highest-friction areas for admins, generating 115+ support tickets in just two months
Admins found it difficult to set up roles correctly, which created recurring bottlenecks and a heavy reliance on the support team.
Added WORKload
Each ticket consumed ~15–20 mins, diverting resources from higher-value issues
Wasted time
Slow role setup increased frustration and reliance on support
Risk for growth
Scaling to thousands of employees would multiply the problem
PHASE 1
The Prep (Discover)
cONTEXT
Designing for Two Sides of a B2B Platform
As a UX Designer on the Platform team, I designed for two user groups: external Client Admins at companies like Accenture and Adobe, and the internal Customer Support (CS) team who assists them.
Problem #1
Clarity
Current permissions system contains 110+ permissions that are not CATEGORIZED. Without prior knowledge, both CS and admins expressed uncertainty about what each permission actually controlled
"
New clients struggle to understand the long list of permissions. Many admins just rely on us to handle the setup for them.
Linden
Implementation Consultant
Problem #2
Scalability
Managing and maintaining roles is inefficient. This leads to role clutter (sometimes 80+ roles) for enterprise clients.
Braden
Implementation Consultant
"
We created dozens of duplicate roles. I wish there was a more efficient way to create them.
Problem #3
Granularity
Some permissions are too broad. Admins often end up over-assigning access, creating security concerns
Current design with "Admin Settings" being the most broad permission
Converge
How might we redesign the permissions system to make access clearer, easier to manage at scale, and precise enough to maintain security without overwhelming admins?
PHASE 2
The Simmer (Ideate)
IDEA #1
HMW improve clarity for each permission?
SOLUTION #1
Add tooltips & simple explanation
SOLUTION #2
Add detailed explanation & screenshots
IDEA #2
HMW make role creation faster and more consistent?
First, templates can act as a starting point with selected permissions. Also, admins can customize, add, or remove permissions as needed.
SOLUTION
Simplifying Role Creation with Templates
IDEA #3
HMW make permissions easier to navigate?
First, templates can act as a starting point with selected permissions. Also, admins can customize, add, or remove permissions as needed.
BEFORE
No Groups, Just a Long List of Checkboxes
SOLUTION
Create Groups and Align Them with Sidebar
PHASE 3
The Taste Test (Testing)
FUrther RESEARCH
Card Sorting
To further explore the mental model of how users prefer to categorize the permissions, I designed a card sorting activity in an online testing platform called Useberry. This allow me to collect data offline and support my design deicisons.
Task
Iteration #1
Discussed Technical Feasibility by Aligning with PM & Engineers
Regarding idea #1, second solutions works better by causing less development and maintainence resources. My conversation with users also proved that additional information may not be necessary. Therefore, I decided to go with the first solution.
BEFORE
Final design decision
The alternative solution is simple and clear, makes everyone (both internal and external) happy
User Testing
Test the Usability with Three Tasks
I recruited 5 users by following up with people who I interviewed before at the beginning of this project, and all of them provided positive feedback on the new design I presented. I was also able to identify a few ideas for improvement.
Testing sessions
I conducted user testings both in person and remotely
Iteration #2
Reorganized Dashboard Layout Based on User Feedback
Some users from the testing session reported that some information on the dashboard are not necessary to present. As a result, I simplified the layout to only provide what's needed, which also makes it visually clean and easy to scan.
BEFORE
after
PHASE 4
The Seasoning (Design)
Part #1
Simplifying Permission Selecting with Templates as a Starting Point
Part #2
Understand Permission Easily through Tool Tips
Part #3
View and Manage Roles through a Clear Dashboard
PHASE 5
The Serving (Handoff)
KEY TAKEAWAYS
From Uncertainty to Clarity
Navigating through ambiguity taught me to stay patient, keep listening to users, and continuously align with the team on technical feasibilities.