Making complexity understandable
A story from my time at Friendly, partnering with XM Cyber to design enterprise experiences that transformed complexity into clarity.
OVERVIEW
Cybersecurity is one of the world's fastest-evolving industries, where every decision has the potential to shape an organisation's resilience. As threats become increasingly sophisticated, security teams rely on powerful tools to uncover vulnerabilities, understand attack paths, and make informed decisions.
XM Cyber's platform provides deep visibility into cyber risk, helping organisations identify and prioritise the exposures that matter most. The opportunity wasn't to simplify cybersecurity itself, but to create an experience that helped people navigate its complexity with greater confidence.
OPPORTUNITY
Enterprise platforms are often rich in functionality but demanding to use. For security professionals working under pressure, the ability to quickly interpret information and act with confidence is just as important as the data itself.
As part of the design project team, my focus was on creating experiences that reduced cognitive load, strengthened information hierarchy, and supported more intuitive decision-making—allowing users to spend less time navigating the interface and more time responding to what mattered.
APPROACH
Rather than beginning with solutions, the work began by understanding how people worked.
Working alongside product managers, engineers, and stakeholders, I explored how security teams interpreted complex information, prioritised risk, and navigated critical workflows. Throughout the engagement, one principle remained constant:
Design should create confidence, not complexity.
This thinking informed everything from interaction patterns and information architecture to reusable components and design system foundations, contributing to a more cohesive and consistent product experience.
IMPACT
The work contributed to a product experience that better supported security professionals in navigating complex environments with greater clarity and confidence.
Beyond the interface, it helped strengthen collaboration across design, product, and engineering teams, demonstrating how thoughtful design can become a strategic tool for solving complex business challenges—not simply refining visual experiences.
REFLECTION
Experiences like this continue to shape the philosophy behind Theiia. Working within cybersecurity reinforced a belief that has followed me throughout my career: complexity is inevitable, but confusion doesn't have to be.
The role of design isn't to remove complexity. It's to help people understand it, navigate it, and move forward with confidence.
Client
XM Cyber
Completed While
Friendly
Industry
Cybersecurity
Services
Experience Strategy · Product Design · Design Systems
Role
Senior Experience Designer
