Setting Storage Capacity Limits
Role: UX Designer
Team: Software Architect, Information Developer, Front-End Developer.
Tools: Pen and paper, Sketch, InDesign, Carbon Design System
Duration: 3 weeks
Platform: Web (Enterprise SAAS) - Storage Insights
Storage Insights
Storage Insights monitors storage infrastructures across storage environments. It provides a view of the capacity along with other health metrics of the environment. Storage Administrators use this data to diagnose, troubleshoot, and prevent issues with their infrastructure and their storage.
Running out of storage capacity is not an option
Storage Administrators have to constantly monitor storage capacity. Running out of in, in the worst cases, means halting operations. We needed to provide a way for Storage Administrators to set capacity limits on their storage devices and receive notifications when those are reached, so that they better adjust and plan for their storage needs.
Storage Administrators monitor and manage large storage environments, think huge bank data centers processing transaction records in real time, or hospital data centers updating patient records and keeping that information safe. Purchasing storage devices is a process that in most cases takes 3-6 months. They cannot run out of storage.
Understanding the problem and constraints
To have a consolidated reference of the problem, requirements, user stories, and out of scope items, the Software Architect and Project Managers created a project brief. The design brief allowed me to understand the problem and the constraints. The project was an urgent request from one of our largest customers, so I had to hit the ground running.
From previous research on capacity, our team was aware that although the users were able to monitor their storage capacity in real time, they continued to struggle with their storage filling up to critical levels. Setting up capacity limits was not an option in Storage Insights, so it was difficult for them to know when their storage devices were reaching those levels.
Capacity limit updates in the product
To understand with more detail what areas of the product were being impacted with the new changes, and to visualize where they were I created a simple site map. This allowed me to asses not only how long I was going to take to make the design updates, but it also provided an understanding of the system. Making changes in one area had an effect on other areas; I had to make sure everything was accounted for when it came to setting capacity limits.
Simplified site map - Capacity limit updates implemented in areas shown in orange
Designs and documentation
To ensure all the different screens were properly updated, I created designs showing the new capacity limit fields, and documented the changes. The documentation allowed developers to quickly know what areas of the product needed to be updated. At one point, I reached out to the IBM accessibility team to confirm that the way we were showing a negative number value was indeed accessible.
The Software Architect continuously communicated with the client who had requested the feature, and gave their Storage Administrators a walkthrough of the design. They were impressed with the fast turnaround, and how easy setting a capacity limits in the new design.
"Absolutely nailed what we were looking for." - Customer
Capacity limit - Overview dashboard
Capacity limit - Block storage
Capacity limit - Edit properties
Capacity limit - Metrics
Capacity limit - Pools
Capacity limit - Edit pool properties
Lessons and outcomes
This project was a great introduction to storage capacity. It was a fast paced, and abundant with opportunities to learn. Below are the top three.
1. 3. Successfully completed a high profile project that further solidified the relationship with one of our biggest customers.
2. Thinking about the product as a system has definitively impacted the approach I take when I begin a new project.
3. Reaching out to the accessibility team made me aware of the resources available within IBM.
Customer Quotes
"Team was extremely impressed with the responsiveness and improvements being provided by the Storage Insights team."