Alert Manager - A Unified Platform for Enhanced Operational Efficiency
Design Brief
OVN Alert Manager is an application designed for internal operations teams (L1, L2) responsible for supporting applications related to operability and observability in Visa's transaction processing systems. As the company transitions from mainframe systems to modern architectures, existing alert monitoring applications have proven inadequate, leading to significant challenges for operators.
​As the Lead UX Designer for the OVN Alert Manager project, I conducted user research to identify pain points and workflows, collaborated with stakeholders to gather requirements, and led the UX team in prioritising features and creating wireframes and prototypes. I implemented usability testing for iterative design refinement and maintained communication with stakeholders, ensuring alignment with project goals to enhance operational efficiency.
Company
Visa
Role
Lead UX Designer

Research
Conceptualization

Collaboration
Design
User testing 

Dev handoff
Team
01 Architect

01 Product Manager
02 UX Designers

05 Engineers
Duration
3 months
Problem
The legacy alert monitoring systems presented multiple issues, including information overload, siloed information, inefficient handovers, and ergonomic strain on operators. This created an unsustainable environment where operators struggled to manage alerts effectively amidst increasing complexity.​
The operations teams faced several challenges:​
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Information Overload: Operators were inundated with alerts, struggling to prioritize critical issues.
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Siloed Information: Disconnected systems hindered incident response and root cause analysis.
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Inefficient Handovers: Shift-based operations led to knowledge gaps during transitions.
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Ergonomic Strain: Monitoring multiple screens with rapidly changing data was taxing on user well-being.
HYPOTHESIS
We hypothesize that implementing OVN Alert Manager, with a user-centered design that consolidates application and infrastructure alerts, will:
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Reduce Alert Fatigue: By minimizing noise and prioritizing critical issues.
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Improve Efficiency: By decreasing Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) through streamlined workflows.
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Enhance Satisfaction: By providing an intuitive and ergonomic user experience.
Design Process
CORE RESEARCH
To address these challenges, I employed various research methods.
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In-depth Interviews
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Focus Groups
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Surveys
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User Observations
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Competitive Analysis
INSIGHTS
Increase Visibility
Need to reduce noise and highlight critical issues.
Incident Management
Importance of providing rich context for alerts.
Improve Response Times
Desire for an intuitive interface that minimizes cognitive load.
Continuous Improvement
Requirement for consolidated alerts from multiple sources.
GOALS
Increase Visibility
Provide a unified interface that consolidates alerts from multiple sources into a single view.
Incident Management
Create and manage incidents through integrated ticketing and authentication systems.
Improve Response Times
Enhance incident response with triaging insights and a holistic view of active incidents & system health.
Continuous Improvement
Identify areas for improvement and ensuring OVN Alert Manager evolves with user needs.
Usability Feedback
Improved Workflow Efficiency:
Test users reported that the single-pane interface with visible CTAs and bulk operations significantly improved the efficiency of managing alerts
Reduced Redundancy:
Grouping and inhibition of alerts helped reduce noise and allowed users to focus on critical issues, reducing decision fatigue.
Comprehensive Summaries:
The inclusion of detailed summaries, event timelines, and direct links to incident tickets enhanced the user experience by allowing them to assess and act quickly.
Greater Control and Collaboration:
Features such as adding comments, linking tickets, and bulk operations increased collaboration and gave teams better control over the alert management process.
Final Solution
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The final design of OVN Alert Manager includes several key features:
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Contextual Information Panels: Provide relevant data for rapid incident response.
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User-Friendly Interface: Enhances usability and ergonomics.
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Alert Grouping & Deduplication: Combines related alerts into single notifications to reduce noise.
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Silencing & Inhibition Features: Allow users to manage alerts effectively during maintenance periods or when critical alerts are active.
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Integration Capabilities: Configurable rules for directing alerts based on severity; integration with existing monitoring platforms and ticketing systems.