Delivering secure file-sharing capabilities in seconds!
DISCO
At DISCO, we faced the challenge of the absence of an efficient, integrated file-sharing system, which led to user inconvenience due to reliance on cumbersome third-party tools and insufficient tracking of file access.
ROLE
Product Designer
YEAR
2022
Customer Interviews,
User-flow Mapping,
Competitor Analysis,
JTBD Workshops,
Design Sprint,
Mockups,
Prototypes,
Executive Presentations,
Final Specs
TEAM
Product Manager,
Researcher,
Domain,
Engineering Lead,
Frontend Dev,
Backend Dev,
Product Marketer
DELIVERABLES
The Problem
Although DISCO had an efficient workflow for creating productions, it did not have a simple way to share these documents with people outside of the platform. Current customers and internal service teams were dissatisfied with the current workarounds for external file sharing. As the lead designer, I was tasked with designing a solution that would not only provide an all-in-one option for sharing files but also improve workflow and enhance security perception.
With DISCO's share feature, customers can quickly provide relevant evidence for a case. By creating a shareable link and pasting it into an email, customers can save time and avoid the cumbersome process of delivering a production file. Additionally, they can monitor and control file access for added security.
What were customers struggling with?
“I need review and producing ESI to be as streamlined as possible, I don’t want to jump between different software or apps or processes, it’s good to do it all in one place.”
After conducting multiple rounds of 1:1 conversations with customers and stakeholders, we gained insights into the challenges of delivering productions, both within our software and the job itself. We documented our observations and collaborated with our research team to develop a customer survey to quantitatively answer any remaining questions. Additionally, we analyzed customer tickets and related analytics to better understand how files were being delivered to our customers.
Customer pain points:
Jumping between tools
Large files meant long download times, which doubled or tripled when having to upload to another tool for sharing
Managing, monitoring, and documenting who accessed files
Source of truth - edits to the file would happen once downloaded, so the final file might not exist in DISCO
Activities & Outputs
Customer Interviews
Customer Survey
Competitive Analysis
Current User Flows
Prioritizing and scoping a solution
After gaining a good understanding of our customer's pain points, we needed to iterate and prioritize potential solutions based on what we believed could be delivered in the initial version. To accomplish this, we collaborated with the research team to co-facilitate jobs-to-be-done and design sprint workshops. First, we created a job list for the entire workflow. Then, we identified and agreed upon three jobs related to sharing, accessing, and auditing a shared file.
Jobs-to-be-done mapping workshop and user task prioritization based on must, should, could, don’t need
We then delved further into our customers' needs and prioritized user tasks based on what was necessary, important, optional, and unnecessary to complete the job. This led to a strong consensus within the team of what to build and areas I would start prototyping and testing.
Activities & Outputs
JTBD
Design Sprint
User Task Prioritization
Information Architecture
Iterations and interaction design
I went through several rounds of iterations for each job we planned to deliver. While designing and evaluating solutions, I focused on using familiar patterns that simply inform users.
This led me to focus on a workflow that allows users to input recipient emails, set an expiration on access, and provide a note to recipients. Recipients will then receive an email directly from DISCO containing a link to download the file. This workflow is common among many SaaS file-sharing features available today. Which seemed like a good idea in following conventional patterns.
During our discovery phase, we identified that monitoring and controlling access to files was a major concern. The prior approach required breaking this up into two separate workflows. To address this, I tested the idea of having a single screen where users can both add recipients and view those who have already been granted access.
What we learned:
Customers preferred creating a shared link they could easily copy and paste into an email or a WYSIWYG option to have more control over the message DISCO would send to recipients
Email capabilities were out of scope for version 1
Customers only need a few data points to monitor file access history. Additionally, requests in the past year have been so few that we can provide customized reports for any customer who requests them
Breaking up steps reduced cognitive load, worked with our design system, and sped up the version 1 launch
Activities & Outputs
User Tests
Prototypes
Wireframing
Final Specs
Deliver files securely
Based on our testing and evaluations of the initial designs, we decided to remove email capabilities for our launch and instead provide users with more flexibility. They can now create multiple links that they can copy and paste into an email for their intended audience. We also planned to introduce a feature called "magic link" that will validate recipients downloading a file and capture their relevant data.
Create a shareable link
Users preferred to generate a link that they could email to recipients instead of inputting email addresses. We simplified the process by allowing users to set an expiration date, increasing the link's security. The default expiration period is 7 days, but can be adjusted to any time between 1 and 90 days.
Monitor and control access
Users can create unlimited links and control access to them. They can track how many people access them, but validating who accessed them is not included in this version. However, users can still revoke access if they suspect that unauthorized individuals are using the links.
Accessing a shared file
To download a shared file, recipients simply access the link through the web and initiate the download process. Our team noticed an opportunity to connect or market to individuals who were not already DISCO customers. As soon as the download begins, we share information about our solutions and present a form to contact our sales team.
“This solves 90% of my problems with delivering a production today!”
Currently in build
While in development, I was let go due to an unexpected downsizing, but the feature we worked on will still be launched this year. Testing showed positive feedback, and the solution reduced file-sharing time from hours to seconds, improving efficiency and decreasing stress. It also eliminated third-party costs and security risks.
How we envision success:
Decrease in time to share files externally
Increase in the use of shared links
Improved perception of security
Next Up
Plant Operations Advisor
Increasing reliability from 92% to 96%!