UXReactor

As the use of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) surged in the last decade, so did the threat to digital security. In this volatile, ever-changing landscape, CloudVector was founded on the idea of creating a cybersecurity solution to keep APIs secure. CloudVector’s platform was a groundbreaking solution to address these vulnerabilities through advanced, real-time API discovery, monitoring, and threat resolution.

Despite having a powerful product, CloudVector faced challenges in appealing to customers during demos because it was difficult to navigate and visually comprehend. With an ambitious growth trajectory, they partnered with UXReactor to initiate a strategic shift.

To increase market penetration, CloudVector sought not only to entirely overhaul the UX of their product but also to introduce a complimentary, streamlined version of it as well: the new “Community Edition.” It would be designed to showcase CloudVector’s core value proposition and foster grassroots advocacy to leadership to invest in an upgrade to the more feature-rich “Enterprise Edition.” 

UXReactor was entrusted with the dual task of conducting a comprehensive UX refresh of the existing “Enterprise Edition” and designing the new “Community Edition.” 

UXReactor’s work was released into the product by 2020, allowing them to go to market with a newer strategy to make user adoption seamless . In 2021, CloudVector was acquired by Imperva.

"I've been lucky enough to have worked in several very high-performing teams at some fast-paced startups in my career, and I would easily place the UXR team among the most talented I've interacted or worked with" – Andrew Cranston, Director of Software Engineering, CloudVector

The Challenge: Poor User Experience Leads to Low User Acquisition & Retention Rates

PROBLEMS:

1. Low user acquisition: The key differentiators of CloudVector’s value proposition were not effectively reflected in its products’ user experience or marketing.

2. Low user advocacy: Users did not have a good understanding of the product early on to advocate for its adoption.

3. Lack of recognition of product’s value: Users faced high cognitive load due to an overload of data, and it took unnecessarily long for users to understand how to make the best use of the product.

4. Incomprehensible data: The data presented was not easily accessible, digestible, or actionable for users, with no clear direction for next steps.

The Outcome: Streamlined User Experience Unlocks Product Potential 

SOLUTIONS:

1. Increased user acquisition through Product-Led Growth principles: The redesigned Enterprise and Community Editions increased awareness and realization of CloudVector’s value proposition, with the Community Edition allowing users to “try before you buy”.

2. Increased user advocacy: The upgrade of the free Community Edition allowed DevOps to get a sense of the value of the product without full commitment, and upsell to their teams. 

3. Increased user efficiency by 45%: The simplified interface and navigation design allowed SecOps to be a projected 45% more efficient in completing certain day-to-day tasks.

In 2016, Balaji Parimi, the founder of what would become CloudKnox, sought to solve a cybersecurity issue: to improve the visibility and control of employee access to software on the cloud. According to Parimi, 90% of access privileges were either unneeded or unused in most companies, leaving employers open to accidental or malicious privilege misuse. 

Parimi partnered with UXReactor to take his business idea from a back-of-napkin sketch into a proof-of-concept prototype. Over an initial eight weeks, UXReactor leaned into our discovery process and rapidly unraveled the issues unique to cloud cybersecurity. We worked intensively to create the Product User Experience as a prototype that enabled CloudKnox to articulate the product vision and impact clearly to its stakeholders. Not surprisingly, this also helped them to raise substantial seed funding in an oversubscribed round. 

Following this initial phase, the UXReactor team dedicated the next year to advancing the concept, working closely with the in-house engineering leadership. This collaboration focused on bringing the idea to market, with an ongoing emphasis on prioritizing, refining, and enhancing the Product Experience. Additionally, our team played a pivotal role in transitioning the work seamlessly to their in-house designers, ensuring continuity and alignment with the project's vision. Fast forward to 2021, this concerted effort culminated in the acquisition of CloudKnox by Microsoft.

From concept to an impressive exit in five years, CloudKnox's achievement is a prime example of how user-centered venture design can accelerate and de-risk innovation for startup founders and internal innovators alike.

"Thank you, UXReactor team. You played a huge part in getting us off the ground." - Balaji Parimi, Founder & CEO, CloudKnox

The Challenges: Overcoming Visionary and Financial Hurdles

Problems:

1. Need for a proof of concept

In order to solidify ideas and a vision for the product 

2. Need for Funding

To turn the proof of concept into a reality and get the startup off the ground

The Outcomes: Materialized a Solution that Led to Further Wins

Solutions:

1. Idea conceptualized

UXReactor’s work led to the creation of CloudKnox’s groundbreaking Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) platform concept.

2. Oversubscribed round

CloudKnox was able to raise seed funding with the prototype in an oversubscribed round. In 2018, the CloudKnox platform was publicly launched and raised an additional $10.75M round.  

3. Foundational design 

Throughout the initial collaboration (post-funding), UXReactor helped set the proper design foundation, which included the global design framework, navigation, workflows, branding, look and feel, most of which remained until acquisition. 

4. Acquisition

In 2021, CloudKnox was acquired by Microsoft. Even as the startup grew, UXReactor’s initial venture design stood the test of time: the system and brand remained essentially unchanged.

RedSeal is a Silicon Valley-based cybersecurity company founded in 2004, that initially became an industry leader with their network modeling capabilities for on-prem environments. Fast forward to 2016: RedSeal knew they had to innovate in order to help organizations against cyber attacks on their cloud and hybrid network environments. 

UXReactor was retained for a 6-month engagement that turned into a multi-year partnership to help RedSeal on their journey from an on-prem to a cloud-based solution. During this time, UXReactor and RedSeal were able to transition the legacy product with tailored end-to-end experiences for multiple user groups and foster an internal user-centric design culture.  

Challenge

The existing product takes a “one-size fits-all” approach for all users, who are various cybersecurity professionals ranging from network operations engineers, incident response professionals, and vulnerability managers. They approached us to redefine this strategy and redesign the product eXperience. 

Approach

• Conducted several types of research, from card sorting, formative interviews, and usability testing, to inform design and business decisions throughout the engagement. 


• Designed a web version of the product with a new framework of user-centered “workspaces”; these are tailored to specific users with clear starting points for those users.


• Implemented a cross-functional rapid ideation process to validate the ideas, gather user and business insights which reduce the churn in later stages of design.


• Created a comprehensive design system that provides a unified base for design and implementation.




 

Impact

• Started a user research function and made user research-driven decisions for designing the product.


• Co-engineered a cross-functional and end-to-end design process.


• Enabled the company and its customers to become less dependent on a legacy product by simplifying the new product experience and integrated help throughout.

Testimonial
"If all you're trying to do is revamp your webpage, that would be an under-use of  UXReactor's skills. If you feel really strongly about UX and you have a strategic project, that would be an excellent fit for them. They'll do a lot of research and iterate constantly" - Kurt Van Etten (Chief Product Officer, RedSeal, Inc)