Business Platform -Client Setup and Configuration Platform
The Roles and Permissions feature controls access by assigning user-specific or role-based permissions, protecting sensitive features and tracking access to ensure employees only access what’s necessary.
Lack of visibility and organization around user access
Admins couldn’t see who had permissions or view a clear role profile. Additionally, there was no way to set up permissions by role, making access management inefficient and unclear.
by providing a feature that clearly outlines which roles have access to what, we can increase the company’s confidence in the system.
This will not only clarify permission structures but also streamline the management of user access, making it more efficient and easier to oversee.
Additionally, it will reduce errors, minimize potential financial losses due to mismanagement of access, and save valuable time for admins, ultimately improving overall productivity.
MAIN KPI
Implement a role-based permission management feature that clearly defines and displays user roles and their associated access rights.
This feature will provide admins with an intuitive interface to view, assign, and manage permissions, reducing errors, enhancing clarity, and improving overall efficiency in user access management.
Implement a role-based permission management feature to improve clarity, reduce errors, and streamline access management. This will save time for admins and boost efficiency, ultimately increasing confidence and reducing costs.
Our first development phase focused on validating our hypothesis with the simplest solution possible. This approach is consistent across all our features. For this solution, we implemented a clear, role-based permission management system to help admins easily see and manage user access without complicated processes.
The results were positive and confirmed that our hypothesis was correct, improving both efficiency and confidence in the system.
Results
Throughout all development phases, I utilized a variety of research methods to ensure the best solution. For this feature, I conducted user interviews, analyzed session recordings to identify common patterns, and gathered data from surveys, usability tests, competitive analysis, and market research.
The primary users of this feature were system admins and team lead admins. System admins manage roles and permissions across the platform, while team leads request permissions for roles within their teams. The goal was to understand how these two groups interact with the system and identify their needs, challenges, and workflows.
After understanding the internal needs, I conducted competitive research to examine how similar solutions in the market address user access and permissions. This helped us:
Competitive Research: Evaluate how other platforms manage user roles and permissions, focusing on features, ease of use, and flexibility.
Market Research: Understand how different industries manage roles and permissions and identify potential areas for innovation.
The initial phase involved conducting a workshop with stakeholders, including product managers and key team members.
During this workshop, we:
Mapped features and roles: We discussed all features within the system and identified how users needed permissions to access them.
Grouped permissions: We explored how to group and categorize permissions for different roles, considering the backend structure.
Analyzed stakeholder needs: We defined the requirements for system admins, who assign permissions, and team leads, who request permissions for their teams within internal groups.
With a clear understanding of stakeholder needs, I moved to user interviews and questionnaires to gather deeper insights into how admins and team leads use the system:
User Interviews: One-on-one discussions with system admins and team leads to explore their behaviors, pain points, and expectations.
Questionnaires: Surveys were distributed to capture quantitative data on how users set up permissions and their feature preferences.
Once the design solution was ready, I conducted usability testing to validate the solution’s effectiveness:
Video Recordings: We recorded user sessions to observe interactions with the new permission management system, identifying areas of friction.
Usability Testing: We assessed user behavior to determine if the design met key goals like reducing time spent on managing permissions, minimizing errors, and improving speed.
To refine the design further, we leveraged user experience tools to gather real-time feedback and track user interactions:
Heatmaps & Click Tracking: Using tools like Hotjar or Crazy Egg, we monitored how users interacted with the permission management interface to identify areas of confusion or friction.
Session Recordings & Surveys: Additional feedback was collected through session recordings and in-app surveys, giving us qualitative and quantitative insights into user satisfaction and areas for improvement.
Finally, we measured the success of the solution by evaluating key metrics:
In this section, we’ll walk through the core features and capabilities of the role-based permission management system, highlighting how it addresses user needs and simplifies the process.
Feature Visibility Control
Decide Which Features Are Visible: The system admin can configure which features are displayed to team leads and which features should be hidden.
Control Permissions by Role: Admins determine which permissions (view, edit, or perform actions) are available to each role, ensuring access is granted only to necessary features.
Search & Overview of Permissions
View Who Has Permission: System admins can see which users have access to which features and their assigned roles.
Search Capabilities: Admins can search for a specific feature or role to quickly find the relevant information.
Permission Assignment
Set Up Permissions per Role: System admins define what each role can do by configuring the permissions for features based on role needs.
Cloning Permissions: Admins can clone permissions from one role to another, allowing for quick setup of new roles with similar permissions.
Role Creation and Management
Create, Edit, and Delete Roles: The system admin can create new roles, edit existing ones, or delete roles that are no longer needed.
Assign Roles to Users/Groups: Admins can assign roles to specific groups or individual users within the system to define access levels.
Permission Management for Team Members
Assign Permissions to Employees: Team leads can assign or modify the permissions of their direct reports (team members) within the boundaries of their own permissions.
Control Access Level: Team leads can determine if their employees can view, edit, or perform specific actions on features.
Feature Access Control
Toggle Permissions for Features: Team leads can turn permissions on/off for specific features by selecting checkboxes, giving them full control over what their team can access.
Access to Features
Role-Based Access: Employees are granted access to specific features based on the permissions assigned by their team lead. The system automatically determines the access level (view, edit, actions) based on the employee’s role.
Tooltips & Descriptions
Feature Explanations: Due to the complexity of the system, tooltips and descriptions are embedded in the UI to guide users (admins and team leads) in understanding the functionality of each feature.
User-Friendly Design: The UI is designed to be intuitive, ensuring that even complex processes like permission management are easy to navigate.
Hi, I’m Meital Manor, a UX/UI designer with 3+ years of experience in designing complex systems and web/mobile apps. I’m passionate about simplifying problems and creating intuitive, seamless designs that users love.
A curated collection of case studies from projects I’ve worked on the last 3 years.
Each study showcases my approach, process, design thinking and the innovative solutions I’ve delivered.
Interested in discussing design, user experience, or design strategy?
Have a problem to solve or an idea to explore? Or maybe you just want to connect—feel free to reach out!