Introduction:

Navigating the Future of Storage Management

The Workload Analysis dashboard is a comprehensive tool designed to provide storage administrators with critical insights needed to manage and optimize storage workloads effectively.

This one-stop dashboard allows administrators to place new workloads, move existing ones, and apply QoS policies to mitigate the impact of noisy neighbors. A key feature for Unity customers and advisors is balancing workloads over Storage Processors (SP), enhancing overall system performance and reliability.

The new Simulation feature within the Workload Analysis dashboard significantly improves decision-making processes by previewing potential outcomes before implementation. This enhancement boosts operational efficiency and user confidence, enabling administrators to make informed, data-backed decisions that align with strategic objectives.

The feature was developed through a rigorous and iterative review process, incorporating extensive research, user feedback, and industry best practices to ensure its effectiveness and user-friendliness.

Understanding the problem

Our challenge was clear: our APEX AIOps customers and advisors frequently faced difficulties in balancing workloads across storage processors. The available tools lacked intuitive interfaces and predictive capabilities, preventing administrators from understanding the potential impacts of their configuration changes in real time.

Learning by doing, peer-to-peer teaching, and computer simulation are all part of the same equation.
Nicholas Negroponte

My Role

As a Principal Product Designer for APEX AIOps, I spearheaded the design of the "Workload Analysis Simulation Feature" within APEX AIOps, formerly known as CloudIQ.

This pivotal feature is integral to our suite of tools, providing storage administrators with the capability to simulate and predict the effects of their decisions in real time. This case study delves into how we developed a tool that not only enhances intuition but also equips our users with powerful predictive capabilities to ensure optimal performance and efficiency.

I successfully coordinated with multiple teams across different storage products and managed the design handoff to the development team, which was located in Pune, India, and various locations in the United States.

Objectives:

Empowering Administrators with Predictive Analytics

Our primary goal was to create a one-stop dashboard that offers comprehensive insights and predictive analytics, enabling administrators to:

Efficiently place new workloads or move existing ones.
Apply Quality of Service (QoS) policies to manage resources effectively.
Simulate changes before applying them to predict outcomes and mitigate risks.

Feature Description:

Transforming Decision-Making with Advanced Simulation

The "Workload Analysis Simulation Feature" transforms how decisions are made by providing previews of potential outcomes through an innovative simulation mechanism.

This feature is designed to recommend actions, such as reallocating workloads or adjusting configurations, based on analytics and AI-driven insights.

Early Findings and Ideation:

Collaborative Insights

In the initial stages, we engaged with product managers, data analysts, and users from various product teams such as Unity, PowerStore, PowerMax, and PowerScale.

This collaboration was crucial in understanding the necessary data APIs and user requirements, which guided the development of user flows addressing common scenarios.

Research and User Feedback:

A Foundation for Refinement

We conducted extensive research and iterative UX reviews, gathering direct feedback from 29 users through 1-hour moderated sessions.

This feedback was pivotal in refining our designs and ensuring that the interface was both intuitive and functional.

Design and Development:

Focused on Usability

Our design efforts were focused on creating a seamless user experience, with key features including:

A "Recommendations" section that lists potential actions for rebalancing workloads.
Real-time simulation results that allow users to assess the impact of potential changes before implementation.
An intuitive navigation system that guides the user through the simulation process.

Usability Testing

Key findings:

Users wanted to add a description section within the "Recommendations Panel".
74% of users requested the addition of tooltips for each available action. These tooltips will clearly define the responsibilities and outcomes associated with each action.
Users were confused seeing systems that weren't selected still appear on the Action panel.

Users expressed a preference to replace the main "Run Simulations" button with a more descriptive label.
Users suggested to include the load percentages for current and projected when the recommendation is expanded.
Many users found the "Done" button confusing and recommended changing it to something more descriptive, such as "End Simulation".

User flows & Designs

Based on our findings, we developed five key user flows to address various scenarios in the "Storage Workload and Resources Utilization Planner." Each user flow was meticulously crafted to empower storage administrators with proactive tools for effective resource and workload management.

Flow #1

Add Resources

Objective:
Enable administrators to simulate the addition of new workloads and visualize their potential impact on system resources.

Features & Benefits:

Simulation of Resource Utilization: Allows users to input workload characteristics (e.g., storage capacity, IOPS) and view the optimal system placements based on current and forecasted loads.
Recommendation System: Identifies the top three systems suitable for the new workloads and displays potential impacts on capacity and load.

Flow #2

Change Workloads

Objective:
Equip users with the ability to modify existing workloads and assess the outcomes of various adjustments like migration or scaling.

Features & Benefits:

Flexible Modification Options: Users can choose to remove, migrate, or scale workloads.
Impact Analysis: Provides insights into the effects of proposed changes on system load and capacity.

Flow #3

Rebalance Workloads

Objective:
Allow administrators to optimize workload distribution across multiple systems to enhance performance and efficiency.

Features & Benefits:

Optimized Load Balancing: Supports rebalancing efforts whether on a single system or across multiple units.
Detailed Recommendations: Simulation results include specific actions to rebalance workloads for optimal performance.

Flow #4

Plan Resources

Objective:
Project future resource needs and simulate the impact of reaching system limits, allowing for timely resource addition or adjustment.

Features & Benefits:

Forecasting Tools: Enables planning for future capacity and load, considering a growth rate and predefined limits.
Resource Planning: Recommendations on when and what resources to add to maintain system efficiency.

Flow #5

Migrate Resources

Objective:
Facilitate the strategic relocation of resources to optimize system performance and capacity utilization.

Features & Benefits:

Comprehensive Migration Scenarios: Supports the evaluation of various migration strategies to enhance system performance.
Detailed Impact Analysis: Outlines the effects of migration on existing systems, aiding in decision-making.

Reflections and Learnings:

A Journey of Growth

This project was a profound learning experience that deepened my understanding of user interactions with simulation tools and the importance of clear, actionable insights. It also highlighted the diverse needs and constraints of different Dell products, enriching my design approach.

Acknowledgments:

A Collaborative Effort

I extend my gratitude to the participants of our usability testing, product management teams, data analysts, researchers, and fellow product designers. Their insights and contributions were invaluable in shaping this transformative feature.

Brand

Project

Responsibilities