Self-Guided Cloud Activation
Streamlining a complex, support-dependent activation process into a self-guided experience while maintaining security or scalability
Company
Rubrik
My Role
Product Designer
Timeline
Mar 2022 - Jan 2023
Team
UX researchers (2), product managers (2), engineers (12), visual designers (2), UX writers (2), support (5), marketing director, legal team
Outcome
89%
self-guided completion rate
78%
reduction in support tickets
Context
Challenge
Rubrik was moving from on-premise software to a cloud-based SaaS model. The old activation process needed a lot of help from the support team. Customers bought data briks (Rubrik’s physical hardware for managing data security) and had to register them through a manual process.
Users needs to be on call with a Rubrik support to perform data briks' registration and activation process.
Switching to Rubrik Security Cloud (RSC) made activation harder.
• More security steps made the process longer.
• Different types of customers needed different workflows.
• Too much reliance on support slowed everything down.
I redesigned the activation process so customers could complete it on their own. The goal was to reduce friction, help more people succeed, and make activation faster.
Results
📉 78% fewer support tickets, reducing the load on the support team.
🚀 89% successful self-guided activation rate, making the process much smoother.
📈 Faster activation, so customers could set up quickly with less hassle.
These improvements helped Rubrik scale its SaaS model. The new process made activation easier, cut down on manual work, and kept security strong.
Research
I worked with UX researchers, support teams, and product managers to find pain points. We ran user interviews, checked support tickets, and tested different flows to see what was causing problems.
Key Findings:
🔍 Admins didn’t make purchase decisions → Data Admins handled activation, but they weren’t contract owners. Many didn’t know contract details and were afraid of making mistakes. They often called support.
🔍 Too much information at once → The old process showed everything all at the same time. Users got confused and didn’t know what to do next.
🔍 Cloud authentication caused friction → Users had to leave the local software, log into the cloud portal, get an activation key, and go back to finish. This made them frustrated.
🔍 Users needed more guidance → People wanted clear steps instead of reading long documents.
These insights helped shape the design. The goal was to simplify activation, guide users step by step, and remove obstacles.
Design Decisions
Unexpected Challenge: Users ≠ Decision Makers
One big problem was that the person activating the product wasn’t the one who made the purchase.
This caused delays because:
• Admins didn’t understand their company’s contract details, so they hesitated.
• They were afraid of making mistakes, so they stopped and called support.
The UX Solution
I suggested a few changes to fix this:
✅ Show contract details inside the activation flow so users could check their company’s agreement with Rubrik.
✅ Include contract details in the brik shipment so they had the right info before they started.
These changes helped users feel more confident. Support calls dropped, and activation rates went up.
Biggest Pain Point: Too Much Information at Once
The old activation process was overwhelming. Users struggled with:
❌ Too many instructions at the same time → Hard to follow.
❌ Unclear task flows → Users got lost and made mistakes.
❌ Different use cases mixed together → The process didn’t fit all situations.
Solution: A Step-by-Step Flow
I broke the activation process into smaller steps:
✅ Users got only the info they needed at the right time.
✅ The flow changed based on user type, so it felt more relevant.
✅ Every step had simple instructions, reducing stress and confusion.
This made activation feel easier and improved success rates.
Critical Design Decision: Fixing a Major Friction Point
One of the biggest issues was jumping between platforms. The process required users to:
1. Leave the local software, log into the cloud portal.
2. Manually find and copy an activation key.
3. Return to the local software to finish activation.
This caused problems because:
❌ Some users didn’t have cloud login credentials.
❌ Switching between platforms broke their focus and slowed them down.
The Fix
I worked with engineering and product teams to remove this step. We created a backend solution:
✅ Automatically retrieve the brik serial from the cloud instead of making users do it manually.
✅ Link the serial to the user’s account, so activation worked without extra logins.
This removed unnecessary steps and made activation much smoother.
Next Steps & Future Enhancements
🔹 Automate more steps to make activation even faster.
🔹 Support multi-user roles so larger teams can work together.
🔹 Track user retention after activation to see long-term engagement.