Visualizing The Threat Landscape
Design a landing page dashboard with analytics for multiple stakeholders to see the health of their system and products at a glance.
Project Overview
At Palo Alto Networks, I helped design a scalable strategy for a core Threat Feature dashboard that will be the visual basis for PAN SaaS products moving forward. Our Prisma design team collaborated across design, product and engineering teams to align with the executive vision and support diverse user needs from companies like Google, Amazon, Softbank, and the U.S. Department of Education.
Client: Palo Alto Networks, Visualization Design Team
Responsibilities: Design strategy for product family (current and future), user research, user testing, designs for Prisma Access, and testing data representation
Users: SOC Analyst, SC Admin, Executives
Company Overview
Palo Alto Networks is a global cybersecurity leader protecting the digital landscape. They deliver cutting-edge security solutions that prevent cyberattacks across cloud networks and devices. Help scaling organizations to ensure they securely stay ahead of emerging threats.
The Challenge
Palo Alto Networks' security platform includes multiple products that require users to have a deep understanding of each tool to effectively manage network security. This can create barriers for both new and experienced users trying to maintain visibility and efficiency across systems.
Current threat features and dashboard view
Goals
Create consistent workflows across the PAN product suite to reduce cognitive load and training time
Improve onboarding for new features and subscriptions, ensuring users quickly understand functionality and value
Explore visual alternatives to traditional tables and logs, helping users better interpret and act on security data
Develop a scalable design system for the Threat Feature across all PAN SaaS products, including MVPs for each
Conduct usability testing to validate design decisions and ensure clarity and efficiency
Partner with Product teams to distinguish base vs. premium features and define a clear upsell strategy for advanced capabilities
Initial Designs
Designed mock-ups based on the user subscription combinations and tiers: Prisma SaaS, Prisma SaaS Premium, Prisma Cloud, Prisma Cloud Premium, Next Generation Firewall (NGFW), and NGFW Premium.
Design highlights
Collaborated with engineers to design dashboard elements beyond traditional tables, including: Interactive pie charts, hover states, KPIs, trend lines, and enhanced tables. Also improved the filtering experience by:
Relocating filters from the settings page directly to the dashboard for easier access
Designing conditional filters that adjust based on the user’s subscription level
The video shows an initial proposal for users with all 3 premium tier products.
Implementation
The new design of the dashboard succeeded in seeing the threat landscape before looking deeper into specific products and features. Similar visual capabilities were able to be implemented throughout other products, fulfilling our goal of symbiotic product lines and reduction onboarding, customer support, and specialized staff.