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about

My time at SAP's Analytics Cloud's Infrastructure Team.

At SAP, I worked on improving the usability of SAP Analytics Cloud, specifically within the File Repository and Catalog while advocating for accessible design.

I had a chance to work on multiple different projects of Analytic's Cloud, collaborating with Product Managers and Developers. On the side, I actively worked on promoting and educating colleagues on accessible design through presenting and contributing to a growing library of annotated components for keyboard navigation as well as hosting talks and workshops.

Contributions

Visual and Graphic Design, UX Design, Prototyping, Accessibility Advocation

Tools

Figma, Jira

Team

Anna Chi, Developers, Product Managers

Projects

Analytics Cloud Catalog Grouping, Datasphere Folders,
Analytics Cloud File Repo Enhancements,
Accessibility Library,
Accessibility Workshops.

Improving Discoverability in the SAP Analytics Cloud Catalog.

🔗 Additional Resources

PROJECT CONTEXT

What is SAP Analytics Cloud Catalog?

SAP Analytics Cloud Catalog, is a centralized hub for analytical content within an organization. The catalog can be found on the Home page, accessible through the 'Catalog' tab. It serves as a centralized repository, and provides convenient access to analytical content that an organization wishes to highlight for its users.

🔗 How to Use SAC Catalog

PROJECT CONTEXT

What is SAP Analytics Cloud Catalog?

🔗 How to Use SAC Catalog

MY ROLE

Design Lead

As the Design Lead, I led the design of the user experience while planning and hosting design reviews with my product manager and senior developer. My scope for this project involved both admin and consumer experience.

MY ROLE

Design Lead

THE PROBLEM

Growing Data Catalog made navigation difficult.

As our user's data catalog grew significantly in size, it became increasingly difficult to view and find files. While the existing filter functionality provided some organization, it was no longer sufficient as the volume of content increased. The lack of a higher-level organizational system created a navigation problem.

THE PROBLEM

Growing Data Catalog made navigation difficult.

PROPOSED SOLUTION

A new level of hierarchy that allowed users to group their existing Filters into Categories.

PROPOSED SOLUTION

A new level of hierarchy that allowed users to group their existing Filters into Categories.

USERS

This feature involved 2 User Groups

USERS

This feature involved 2 User Groups

Administrator

👨🏼‍💻

Jeff

Jeff is the system admin for SAC in his organization.
He provides and maintains the creation of Groupings within Catalog.

Business User

👩🏻‍💻

Janice

Janise is an analyst on Jeff's team.
As the team's Catalog grows with content, she is having trouble finding cards that are relevant to her.
She wishes there was a way for her to view cards only relevant to her department.

Working with Constraints

Constraint #1: Working with existing components.

To ensure consistency with the current design system and make development easier, I had to work with the product's existing component library, without creating anything new.

How I dealt with this constraint.

I audited our existing component library by looking through our internal documentation and worked with developers to understand what parts of the components could be customized to perform the functionality I wanted.

Constraint #2: Accommodating existing files.

Users already had hundreds of files in the catalog, so the new feature had to work with these existing files without forcing users to manually migrate them.

How I dealt with this constraint.

I thoroughly understood the catalog functionalities and the different features it contained, and how everything worked together. This included understanding how the catalog files were set up, edited, and viewed, and how filters played a role.

DESIGN PROCESS

Exploring initial ideas and why they didn't work.

DESIGN PROCESS

Exploring initial ideas and why they didn't work.

Idea #1: Using visuals to highlight folders.

I initially considered using visuals for folders, but after some testing, I found it took up too much vertical space and took focus away from the files themselves. It also posed a risk, as we couldn’t mandate images usage from our users, which could lead to an inconsistent visual experience.

Idea #2: Using drop downs to preserve space.

Another idea was using dropdowns, a pattern already found in the product. However, testing revealed this made browsing difficult, especially for users who were just exploring. It also created complex workflows and horizontal scrolls.

Through testing initial ideas, it helped me understand the User Experience Goals we wanted to deliver with this feature.

Browsable Experience:

To ensure consistency with the current design system and make development easier, I had to work with the product's existing component library, without creating anything new.

Simple Setup:

A lot of my initial design ideas relied on visuals to represent categories. While this was visually appealing, we couldn't guarantee that all users would assign an image to their categories. This would lead to a visually inconsistent and messy catalog. This approach also put more work on the administrators, who would have to manually assign images.

Some other explorations I tested to receive feedback from the team:

FINAL SOLUTION

Simple Category Tabs

Utilizing the current tab components within the product, I proposed a simple solution that provides user with a higher level of hierarchy for their file organization. To ensure users will not have to migrate all their existing files to a folder, catalog folders are assigned to through using a combination of filters.

FINAL SOLUTION

Simple Category Tabs

Designs with specifications of each workflow were delivered:

The new Catalog view containing folders.

New Catalog file publishing fiow.

Folder creation and management flow in Administrations.

Edge cases and error scenarios.

How the new feature fit into the existing ecosystem.

End to End Workflows

CRUD Workflows for Admin and Consumer Roles.

End to End Workflows

CRUD Workflows for Admin and Consumer Roles.

Category Interactions

Filter Panel

Category Creation

Category Assignment

FINAL HANDOVER

Detailed Specs were delivered to the Dev Team.

FINAL HANDOVER

Detailed Specs were delivered to the Dev Team.

RESTROSPECTIVE

Scope creep was a big challenge.

Throughout this project, a major challenge was scope creep. New requirements continued to appear, and delaying the feature. For example, my collaborator emphasized the need for visuals for the folders, as the request came from a customer. However, as stated previously regarding the maintenance issues along with it. After further discussion, I discovered that the request only came from one customer.

RESTROSPECTIVE

Scope creep was a big challenge.

I made the decision to question this request, reminding the team of our initial goal: helping users find relevant files faster. It was a straightforward problem that didn’t require a complex solution. By showing them what the new solution could look like, I was able to get buy-in from the PM and the developer team, and we were able to deliver the feature on time.

RESTROSPECTIVE

Scope creep was a big challenge.

Don't get distracted by flashy features.

This project taught me that it is critical to continuously refer back to the project’s goals so you don’t get sidetracked by flashy but unnecessary features. It also taught me the importance of building strong relationships with your team members to better collaborate and gain buy-in for your proposals.

Don't get distracted by flashy features.

IMPACT

Successfully delivered for Q4 2025!

We were able to provide a simple and intuitive solution to a complex problem. The new design allows users to easily find relevant files, which directly addresses the core issue of the growing catalog. This feature not only improved the user experience but also demonstrated a successful collaboration between design, product, and engineering to deliver a meaningful solution on a tight deadline.

IMPACT