WATCHDOX

WatchDox enables enterprises to securely share and collaborate their sensitive data. After having served Fortune 500 companies for several years, Watchdox was acquired by Blackberry.

DETAILS

Years:	2012-2014
My title:	Senior UX designer
Responsibilities:	UX, UI, research

THE CHALLENGE

KEEPING SENSITIVE DATA SAFE

When I joined Watchdox, it had been around for several years and had a strong customer base. While technically the product was working good, it had been planned and designed by engineers, the user experience was clumsy and very hard to comprehend. Managing large numbers of files is not an easy task, especially on an organizational level with many people using these files. Add to that a wide variety of security features and suddenly file sharing becomes far from intuitive.

Since our Fortune 500 clients used a wide variety of devices, we had to make sure to support this. In order to assure security, we developed native applications for Web, Mac, PC, iOS, and Android. Creating a similar experience while using native UI components on so many different devices is not an easy task. Recognizing when to use native elements or when to override these to create a homogeneous experience was one of the many challenges we faced.

APPROACH

SECURED FILE SHARING MADE EASY

The most obvious task, when I joined, was to create an intuitive user interface and to simplify the user experience of the product. Looking at the complexity of the security features it became obvious that something was not working well. Since security was our flagship feature, I knew that that would need good research and immediate attention.

Since the product had a large userbase, transitioning them to a complete new experience was something that we could not take lightly as well. Therefore, a smooth onboarding was set as an additional prime goal.

THE RESULT

HAPPY CUSTOMERS AND AN EXIT

The improved product was defined, designed, and developed for multiple platforms: Web, PC, Mac, iOS, and Android. Each platform had a dedicated application with native UI elements.

The improved user experience was tested by a leading US-based consulting firm and received a very high score. After the release, the UX team joined forces with the product and marketing teams, ensuring growth of the company's market. Eventually, the company and its assets were purchased by Blackberry.