Defining Access Control for IBM SaaS Management

As a Senior Lead UX Designer on the IBM Multi-Cloud SaaS Platform (MCSP) team, I focused on identity and access management (IAM). The platform enabled IBM customers to track and manage their SaaS subscriptions, providing administrators tools for access management, product usage tracking, and cost oversight across accounts. My primary goal was to streamline account management by reducing administrative workload and clearly redefining access levels tailored to each of the platform’s user roles. 

Examples of my implemented designs for managing user access across an account

My Role

  • Worked with product management and development to identify strategic design priorities and requirements

  • Developed conceptual designs through to delivery of final designs to visual design and development teams

  • Led cross-functional collaboration to ensure designs the met customer needs

  • Redefined role-based access/permissions for users of the platform

Assessment for defining access for each key role

Key Challenges Overcome

Defining role access

  • Evaluated each page and UI to determine role-specific access:

    • Whether a role should access a page

    • Content visibility and interaction permissions

    • Actions users could perform

  • Conducted a detailed analysis for each role and built team consensus through:

    • Collaboration with domain experts to refine access definitions

    • Sharing progress, resolving issues, and finalizing updates

Mapping the platform

  • Navigating the platform through the perspective of each user role (account, subscription, and instance administrators and viewers)

  • Capturing screenshots and notes for every UI element and action

  • Removed overlapping permissions and provided clear role definitions

  • Eliminated inefficient navigation to complete user tasks

  • Incorporating new, prioritized UIs from the development roadmap

Final updated role based access matrix for platform

Delivering the Final Strategy

To finalize the role-based access strategy, I:

  1. Created a detailed Figma map documenting UIs and role-specific annotations.

  2. Designed a simplified chart summarizing access levels for key pages and actions.

These deliverables served as critical tools for:

  • Internal Alignment: Clarifying role expectations across teams.

  • Communication: Sharing the strategy with broader SaaS development teams.

  • Documentation: Helping content teams explain role management visually.

This approach ensured clarity and seamless adoption across stakeholders.