IBM Microclimate

My role UX designer responsible for information architecture, core workflows, and end-to-end interaction design across key product surfaces, partnering closely with engineering and research to validate and iterate

Challenges and constraints Complex developer workflows spanning IDE, build, and Kubernetes deployment, plus the need to make advanced capabilities feel approachable without oversimplifying for experienced users

Impact Helped establish a clearer, more guided project creation and deployment experience, grounded in interviews and testing, and supported adoption by aligning patterns with how developers actually work

Skills demonstrated Complex information architecture, developer workflow design, task-flow definition, prototyping and iteration, research-informed design, making advanced technical concepts approachable

Empowering Developers to Modernize Applications.

Microclimate was a tool that helped developers modernize monolithic apps by building and deploying microservices to Kubernetes. I led UX design, turning research into task flows and prototypes, then validating designs with users and engineering partners to keep the product grounded in real workflows.

My Role as UX Designer

As the UX Designer for Microclimate, I led the user-centered design process, ensuring the product met the needs of developers like Jane. My responsibilities included:

• Research and Discovery: Conducting user interviews and contextual inquiries to deeply understand user workflows and pain points.
• Defining User Goals: Writing user stories and creating user task flows to clarify objectives and map the journey through the application.
• Design Development: Translating research insights into sketches, wireframes, and prototypes, which were regularly validated with development colleagues.
• User Validation: Collaborating with a dedicated user researcher to test prototypes with actual users and incorporate feedback into iterative design improvements.

The Design Process

Our journey began with a design thinking workshop, where we unpacked the problem space as a team. This collaborative effort involved creating key artifacts such as:

• Stakeholder Maps and Empathy Maps: To identify and understand the needs, frustrations, and goals of our target users.
• Needs Statements and Product Hills: To articulate user requirements and align the team on measurable product outcomes.