IBM Cloud
Pak System
IBM Cloud Pak System is an integrated hardware and software product that helps organizations deploy private clouds quickly and securely.
It combines physical infrastructure with a unified management interface—a bridge between machines and the people who maintain them.
Objectives
To modernize a dense legacy interface into a more legible and cohesive system. Adopt the Carbon Design System, introducing new visual patterns where none existed, and restore clarity to complex workflows.
Role
Visual Design Lead: defining the visual language, interaction behaviors, and component specifications. Leading the strategy and roadmap of design system adoption.
Highlights
1 Modernizing login and start experience
2 Simplifying deployments
3 Monitoring deployments
Modernizing
login & starting
experience
Evaluating the Legacy Experience
We started with an interface that felt more like a doorway than an introduction. It was bare, functional, and untouched for years. Its utility was there, but intent was lost. We wanted the first moment with the product to feel like a welcome, not a form to fill out.
“The moment I log in, I should
feel like, this is a modern tool
and I’m in good hands.”
Implementing Carbon Design Systemfeel like, this is a modern tool
and I’m in good hands.”
Working within the Carbon Design System, we rebuilt structure and tone from the ground up. Grids and components gave us order; rhythm and contrast brought back personality. The goal wasn’t just compliance, but also coherence.
Refreshing the Visual Language
We approached the visuals like a reset of atmosphere: darker foundations, sharper light, a sense of calm precision. The result was something quieter yet more confident. The login page finally spoke in the same language as the technology behind it.
To-be
Simplifying
deployments
The deployment experience had grown out of step with how people actually worked. It exposed the infrastructure instead of abstracting it—dozens of interdependent parameters scattered across panels, no clear hierarchy, no sense of what mattered most.
Finding Clarity in Complexity
We started by tracing every step from login to deployment, looking for where people slowed down, repeated tasks, or filled fields just to move forward. Most of the friction wasn’t from what users needed to do, but from how it was shown. Everything had the same weight on screen, so nothing stood out.
Designing Understanding
We stripped the process to its essentials: first configure, then validate, then deploy. The design shifted from demanding precision to offering clarity, giving users confidence that they were setting things up right.
“Same complexity, just finally made understandable.”
Visual Design Saves the DayVisually, the new experience introduced structure and calm. White space and rhythm replaced noise; color and motion became cues for state and progress.
Monitoring
deployments
Bringing visibility into motion
The monitoring view was designed to make the system feel alive. Every cluster, node, and resource now had a place and a pulse. You could see activity unfolding instead of reading static data. It was less about dashboards and more about awareness.
A visual language for state and health
The visuals were pared back to help information breathe. We used color sparingly, reserving it for meaning rather than decoration. Layout and rhythm guided the eye without noise or distraction. Even complex relationships became easier to read at a glance.
Lasting outcomes
The result is a monitoring experience that feels deliberate and confident. It balances precision with calm, helping users focus on the work instead of fighting the interface.
“It gives me context, not just numbers.”