- Context
- Admins could not combine conditions in one column, filtering behaved differently per view, and tags, snapshots or dates were not filterable at all. They scanned lists by hand.
- Decision
- One operator model per data type. Up to two conditions per column joined with AND or OR, and AND across columns. Strings and enums shipped first; the rest followed on the same model.
- Trade-off
- Grouped pills over flat pills. Scanning a dense grid won; editing one condition inside a group costs one extra step.
- Outcome
- Deployed across all platform views with no view-specific exceptions. Admins described it as comprehensive for their use cases.
The design wasn't the difficult part. The definition was.
I'm a product designer. For five years I defined how VMware vSphere Client behaves for infrastructure administrators who can't afford a wrong click: operator logic, states, failure paths, upgrade order. I work through the constraints, not around them.
Decision records
Three shipped initiatives from vSphere Client. The screens are under NDA, so each record shows the reasoning: context, decision, trade-off, outcome.
- Context
- Clusters of dozens or hundreds of hosts. One incompatible device, driver or firmware version can fail an upgrade or leave a configuration unsupported.
- Decision
- Compatibility moved into the lifecycle workflow itself: status across hosts, a hardware view that shows the root cause, and a direct path to fix the image before applying it.
- Constraint
- Explain incompatibility without dumping low-level data. Show which layer failed and which hosts it touches.
- Outcome
- Shipped in cluster image management. I owned the heterogeneous cluster workflows and the PCI device and disk compatibility views.
- Context
- New Kubernetes versions waited for vCenter releases, so platform teams went through slow, full infrastructure upgrades just to get them.
- Decision
- A staged flow: awareness, decision, validation, execution. Upgrade paths shown in the product, with pre-checks for vCenter and NSX before anything runs.
- Trade-off
- A persistent banner instead of a light alert. Less minimal, but in a high-risk context being overlooked costs more than visual noise.
- Outcome
- Validated with nine platform operators: independent, incremental upgrades replace forced full-cycle ones.
How I work
Principles I can point to, each traced back to a record.
P1
Define behavior before screens
Operator logic, states and failure paths get written down first. The screens follow the definition.
DR-01 §6P2
Treat constraints as design input
When the framework can't do something, I adapt the model, negotiate the limit, or document it. No hidden workarounds.
DR-01 §5DR-03 §4P3
Protect the expert's mental model
Experts filter by precise conditions, not presets. New concepts get the words operators already use.
DR-01 §3DR-03 §4P4
Surface risk early
The later a constraint shows up, the more it costs. Compatibility checks and pre-checks come before the irreversible step.
DR-02 §6DR-03 §6P5
Rare does not mean unimportant
A content library deleted by another user left the system broken with no visible cause. Rare, plausible, and handled.
DR-03 §7P6
Find another way to the users
When nobody signed up for research sessions, I joined the customer calls product management already ran. Nine operators took part.
DR-03 §3P7
Use AI as a thinking tool, not a shortcut
Daily, for research synthesis and exploration. Carefully with sensitive data, and with an eye on where automated reasoning breaks down in complex systems.
Daily practiceExperience
Mid-level product designer with five years of enterprise B2B SaaS.
2021 – 2026Remote
Product Designer · VMware, vSphere Client
Infrastructure workflows for enterprise administrators and DevOps operators: governance, filtering and upgrade orchestration. Interaction architecture, cross-platform audits and usability validation, in close work with frontend and backend engineering. Every major initiative shipped across the platform.
2021Aarhus, Denmark
User Experience Designer · No Zebra
B2B and B2C client systems built on atomic design, high-fidelity interaction flows and structured discovery in cross-functional agency teams.
- Education
- Business Academy AarhusDenmark
- Certification
- LUMA Human-Centered DesignCertified
- Certification
- CompTIA Security+In progress
Also taking freelance work
Focused projects with the same rigor, at a smaller scope. Tell me what the system needs to do and who it's for.
- UX audit and accessibility review
- A prioritized list of usability and WCAG 2.2 issues, each with a fix your team can ship.
- Product UI for complex tools
- Filters, tables, settings, admin and upgrade flows for SaaS and AI products.
- Websites and landing pages
- Designed and built, like this one: accessible, fast, and easy to edit.