Complex Roles to Flexible Permissions

Should you fix the problem quickly or address it once and for all?
I want to share my approach to handling requests from customers or company employees.

Overview

Redesigned permissions management system for complex SaaS environments. Empowers users to create and customize roles with granular permission control.

Overview

As the sole designer at Meetaverse, I was responsible for all aspects of design.

Timeline

2024

Overview

Redesigned permissions management system for complex SaaS environments. Empowers users to create and customize roles with granular permission control.

Role

As the sole designer at Meetaverse, I was responsible for all aspects of design.

Timeline

2024

The problem

I received a request to add another role to the collaborator popup modal in the system. This role would combine specific capabilities that previously existed separately.

Request to Add New Role to Collaboration Popup

Hi Yuval,

We need a new role – Meetaverse Admin, distinct from the General Admin role.

This role will be responsible for managing three elements for our next event.

Email message

Why It's Problematic?

The list of roles on the platform has inflated and become confusing, there is a lack of understanding of user roles.
As a result, we are wasting time and money on training and support.  Each personal training session with a customer lasts at least half an hour.

The old popup modal

My Approach

To change the perception of the problem, I presented my colleagues with a possible solution, considering the development effort, cost and impact.

Quick Fix

Create a new role and add it to the long list.

Development Effort: Low, but it won't address the user experience issue.

Find the root cause

Research and understand the root cause of the problem, not just the symptom.

Development Effort: High, and improves user experience and creates a more maintainable system in the future.

Prioritizing Sustainable Solutions

While a quick fix might have temporarily satisfied the customer, it would have only exacerbated the underlying problem.

Instead, I chose to invest the time and effort to address the issue at its root, ensuring a more sustainable and user-friendly solution for the entire platform.

Research

To understand the root cause of the problem, I conducted research that included:

1 On 1 Interviews

With customer managers: Employees who work closely with customers before and during the event.

Monitoring events

Observing event management: Watching how selected customers manage events.

UX and Flow

Defining and classifying roles and responsibilities within the products.

1 On 1 Interviews

With customer managers: Employees who work closely with customers before and during the event.

Monitoring events

Observing event management: Watching how selected customers manage events.

UX and Flow

Defining and classifying roles and responsibilities within the products.

Research Insights

Due to evolving user needs and requirements, a customizable permission system is essential. Flexibility is crucial to adapt to changing needs.

We must avoid accumulating roles over time, as this impacts usability and experience.

1. Flexible Role Architecture

A “hard-coded” role architecture may not be sustainable in the long term.

2. Distinction Between Roles

Users need to clearly understand the differences (e.g., Admin vs. Admin Meetaverse or the various types of Managers).

3. Role Complexity

With 12 roles to choose from, users experience decision fatigue and information overload. (e.g., a Stage Manager with announcing abilities shouldn't be a new role.)

4. Clarity of Abilities

Clear and concise explanations of abilities are necessary (e.g., Does the Stage Manager include early access abilities?).

The Solution

A new permission-based system with a limited number of categories to significantly improve the clarity of permissions.

Why Permissions?
A permission-based system is more flexible and allows for a better understanding of all the system's capabilities.benefits of a permission-based system:

Improved clarity
Increased flexibility
Reduce development effort
Improve user experience

New popup modal anatomy

The Biggest Change: "Small" Roles
Reducing the number of roles from 12 to 2, each can have permissions added and removed as needed. In addition, the scalable design accommodates future needs.

Old roles