Management System for Cyber Defense Plans
Client: HolistiCyber
Overview
HolistiCyber's vision was to help cyber security teams manage the full lifecycle of their Cyber Defense Plan. The challenge was to transform vast, complex threat data into a system that feels intuitive, adaptable, and insight-driven.
We designed a modular platform that centralizes all cyber-related data - risks, threats, mitigations - and offers AI-powered recommendations to support smarter decision-making.
The resulting product was highly regarded by partner organizations.
The product
A new product by HolistiCyber allows Cyber Security departments and CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) to gather all information related to cyber security risks, threats and mitigations in their organization. The system is rich in modules and features. It aids in the construction of an effective Cyber Defense Plan for the organization, to effectively monitor and mitigate risks within their organizations. It provides insights to improve the defense and track progress, and supports changes to this plan during its implementation.
Key Challenges
1
Integrate diverse modules and features into a cohesive system
2
Amaze management with a bird's-eye view of the data
My role
+ Review the demands
+ Lead the work
+ Provide full UX design
+ Point of contact for the client
Process steps
A
Research the field and user needs
B
Create a solution
C
Test and reiterate
Research into the users
We began by identifying two primary user personas:
Cyber security team member
Cyber security manager (CISO)
Meet Mathew, our CISO persona:
Persona: CISO
Name: Mathew
Age: 53
Role: Chief Information Security Officer
Experience: highly experienced
Tools: personal computer
Work environment: works under pressure, works with higher managers and well as underlings, needs to keep track of a large data load (mental load). Multiple systems and products in place
Characteristics: used to a specific way of doing things
User journey
Locate issues to deal with (according to department or severity level)
Examine these issues, and see if they are mitigated
Edit information as needed
Weigh and mark the effect that any edit made
Back to step 1, as department and severity may have changed
Streamlining the User Journey
The user was expected to go back and forth between three screens, presented below. Our first challenge was to allow easy navigation across the multiple screens.
The business process (step 1)
Table of findings (step 2)
A finding page (steps 3 & 4)
UX Review
I started out by conducting a UX review of the 2 main concept screens.
The business process design
This screen was identified as suffering from too-small and inconsistent font sizes, which hinders readability. The display for large companies with many sub-departments may not be readable at all.
Any attempt to add information onto the structure will results in more clutter.
The table of findings design
The table was identified as lacking essential functionality, leaving users uncertain about how to interact with the information presented.
Furthermore, the table does not support additional columns.
Design iterations
Iteration #1
Initial expectations were for me to create a system with three main screens, but my redesign revealed opportunities for a unified view.
The new option, displayed here, allows a view in one glance, removing the need to switch between modules.
Iteration #2
Further research indicated that users need real-time insights into the impact of the changes they make. Simple numerical data will not be enough.
Hence, I have replaced the numbers with graphs. I have added affordances to allow flexible, user-controlled sizing adjustment for each part of the screen.
Redesign
Replacing the business chart
We opted for a tree structure to enhance navigation and scalability while presenting complex organizational data. This approach allowed us to:
Keep the layout compact and consistent
Maintain uniform font sizes for better readability
Accommodate long names and detailed data
Support unlimited depth and width, making it future-proof for evolving needs
Table of findings redesign
After research we made the following changes:
Tabs were added, to differentiate types of information
Background color index for severity was minimized in size
Icon on the top right allows changing the table columns on display
Easy to reach row actions using the three dots menu
Full UX/UI Design
The table of findings design
This redesign significantly enhanced user value, enabling immediate visibility into the impact of data adjustments. One click into a finding displays its details.
Feedback received
We actively sought feedback from clients and colleagues, iterating on the design to ensure it met user needs effectively.
We also realized that some of the modules were in fact different representations of the business structure. As seen in the screen and in close-up here, we relocated the representations of the business structure to a new top left menu. Accordingly, we tweaked the modules menu, that is on the top right.
Advanced UX/UI design
What about the second task?
While most clients loved the new design, it did not attend to the second persona’s, the manager’s, needs. So, for the second challenge, of providing a "management view" we have created and entirely different main view.
Our management view presents a visually appealing overview that highlights essential information at a glance, with a single click revealing deeper insights.
Management view design
Impact
Itai Tomer, VP of Product Management and Development:
"Adi effectively crafted our product's UX design. The UX and interface were meticulously planned. She delivered smart and sophisticated solutions for the problems we faced. The outcome is striking both aesthetically and in its methodical, user-centric information presentation. Our clients give it high praises. Adi was consistently amenable to feedback and adjusted the design repeatedly until we were content with the result"
