<- Case 2
Sensitive Data Dashboard
Focus:
Research, Design, TestCase type:
New featureRole:
Lead Product DesignerTimeline:3 weeks
Project Overview
Netwrix 1Secure is a security platform used by MSPs and enterprise IT teams to manage data security risks across multiple environments. Sensitive data signals already existed in the product, but they were scattered across separate reports with no unified view of posture or risk. Users had to manually piece information together to understand where sensitive data lives, how exposed it is, and what to fix first. This project introduced a Sensitive Data Dashboard as a single entry point that consolidates those signals into a decision-oriented experience.
Exploration and Discovery
The dashboard would serve two key personas — Compliance Officers and Security Analysts — but we hadn't yet understood the specific questions they ask daily or how they connect. I mapped key questions and jobs-to-be-done for each persona, then organized them into a storytelling map that transforms scattered questions into a logical flow guiding users from "What do we have?" to "How do we fix it?"
This framework also generated four testable hypotheses — regarding tab structure, summary metrics, data distribution matrix, and AI insights — that provided the first iteration with clear validation goals.
Iteration 1 — Unified Dashboard
The first iteration consolidated all sensitive data signals across three tabs: Overview, Data Classification Consistency, and User Access Analysis.
The team wanted to move quickly toward implementation. I needed to validate the foundational questions first:
-
Does this structure make sense?
- Do users understand the narrative?
- Are we solving the right problems?
I ran moderated usability testing with 5 external data security professionals (enterprise orgs, 170+ employees, 45–60 min sessions, think-aloud protocol).
All four hypotheses confirmed — 5/5 understood the tab logic, the narrative flow matched users' mental models, and the concept earned a 4.3/5 usefulness rating. But every single participant tried to click on data points, expected drill-down everywhere, and looked for remediation pathways. The storytelling approach answered users' questions, but static mockups prevented them from completing actual workflows.
Iteration 2 — Posture-First Redesign
Users' first question was always "Are we in good or bad shape, and where should I look first?" — something the three-tab structure didn't answer directly. I explored a posture-first framing based on the DSPM framework, with an aggregated score across four pillars (Discovery, Classification, Protection, Governance) and a single-page layout replacing the tabs. To address the interactivity gaps from round one, I built a clickable prototype with working drill-downs.
I ran prototype walkthroughs with 8 internal specialists (Service Engineers, PreSales, Solution Engineers, InfoSec Manager, Product Analyst). The single-page layout tested well — participants could self-navigate, and 6/8 found the DSPM Score meaning clear with the provided context.
Mid-testing, the development team determined the DSPM Score and AI Insights couldn't ship due to technical complexity. Rather than accepting the cut, I documented the specific workflow gaps this created — lost executive communication tool, missing prioritization framework, cognitive overload risk — and used the JTBD journey map to advocate for including these features in future releases.
Results & Impact
Across both rounds, the concept validated strongly — 4/5 external participants said they would implement the tool, and the interactive prototype resolved the critical drill-down and action pathway gaps from round one.
Beyond validation, the research shaped how the team made decisions. The JTBD gap analysis — mapping ideal workflows against both iterations — became the primary artifact for roadmap prioritization with PM and Engineering leadership. Findings like "drill-down requested by 100% of participants across both rounds" and "terminology confusion in 100% of stakeholder sessions" gave the team evidence-backed priorities rather than opinion-driven debates.
The DSPM framework also reframed the product narrative. The shift from "sensitive data dashboard" to "data security posture management" aligned the feature with an industry-recognized framework, giving Sales and PreSales teams a stronger positioning story for executive customers.
<- Case 2
Katja Butorina
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