Overview

WEB APP



BACKGROUND

Automation should simplify work, not make it harder. Yet in Qlik Cloud, setting up and managing workflows often felt overwhelming. The experience was too technical, driving some users to abandon automation altogether. Even experts struggled: the builder felt disconnected from the rest of the platform, templates were seen as rigid, and visibility into performance was limited. Troubleshooting became guesswork.

So how might we design automation that users can understand, control, and trust.


MY ROLE


Responsible for re-architecting the Qlik Application Automation experience during the integration of Blendr.io into Qlik Cloud. Simplified automation setup and monitoring, redesigned the template picker, and improved performance visibility. Collaborated with a distributed cross-functional team across the UK, Canada, Sweden, Spain, and Belgium to align the new layer with Qlik’s design system and strategic goals, grounded in user feedback and telemetry.

UX Approach

I tackled key user challenges and refined the automation experience through a structured UX approach, grounded in real user feedback, behavioral insights, and continuous iteration.

RESEARCH &

DISCOVERY

Qualitative research with customers to understand pain points and challenges in partnership with the UX Research team.

Analyzed behavioral data and user frictions using Data Analytics and reviewed feedback from the Qlik Community.

Researched competing automation platforms to identify best practices in workflow setup and monitoring.

Mapped potential use cases and scenarios in collaborative boards, translating technical challenges into actionable design insights

DEFINITION &

IDEATION

Mapped out user journeys to highlight major friction points.

Applied progressive disclosure principles to guide users gradually through complex steps.

Redesigned the Template Picker interface to surface relevant workflows clearly.

Designed a comprehensive automation and metrics dashboard to centralize control, monitoring, and troubleshooting.

DEPLOYMENT &

ITERATION

Refined the automation builder to align with Sprout Design System, ensuring interface consistency.

Introduced smart error handling, with clear alerts, suggested fixes, and interactive debugging tools for faster troubleshooting.

Optimized automation monitoring, giving users real-time visibility and control over execution status and system performance.

Refined through iterative testing, ensuring every update addressed real user needs.

The legacy experience

Cluttered, overwhelming, and disconnected:

The old experience exposed everything at once, leaving users without guidance, clear flow, or confidence.

The plan

Trigger → Logic → Action

I redesigned Qlik Application Automation to turn a fragmented, overly technical tool into an integrated part of Qlik Cloud, making it easier for users to build, monitor, and trust their workflows. My team pinpointed four key areas where users struggled.

By rethinking the core experience, I simplified setup, improved template relevance, and introduced visibility into automation performance, helping both Analytics DevOps and App Creators act faster on actionable insights.

INTEGRATING A STARTUP PRODUCT INTO THE QLIK CLOUD ECOSYSTEM

Challenge: When Qlik acquired Blendr.io, the automation builder felt like a separate product, it didn’t fit within Qlik Cloud’s design system.

Issue: Users found the interface inconsistent with Qlik’s platform, leading to a fragmented experience that made it harder to trust the system and navigate between features. These inconsistencies disrupted flow and created confusion, especially for experienced users accustomed to Qlik’s visual and interaction patterns.

Solution: I redesigned the interface to align with Qlik’s UI, making automation feel like a natural part of the platform, so users could navigate it just as easily as any other Qlik feature.

TEMPLATE PICKER ADOTION

Challenge: The Template Picker was meant to simplify workflow creation, but users weren’t using it.


Issue: Beginners felt lost, while experienced users found it too limiting.

Solution: I revamped the Template Picker UI, reorganized categories for better navigation, and made templates more flexible, helping both new and advanced users get more value from them.

OPTIMIZING WORKFLOW SETUP

Challenge: Many users (especially those without technical backgrounds) found workflow setup overwhelming.

Issue: The process was too complicated, and the interface didn’t offer enough guidance.

Solution: I added guided setup steps, a more structured layout, and easy access to pre-built templates, making it simpler for users to configure workflows without getting stuck.

AUTOMATION MONITORING AND CONTROL

Challenge: Users needed real-time visibility into automation performance but had no way of knowing whether workflows succeeded, failed, or stalled. Without clear feedback or entry points for troubleshooting, the system felt unreliable, especially for business-critical use cases.

Issue: There was no central dashboard for tracking automation status, troubleshooting errors, or managing integrations.

Solution: I designed a comprehensive automation dashboard that let users:

01 Monitor all automations in one place.

02 Control execution status.

03 View errors and logs.

04 Adjust settings and manage integrations.

From setup to execution

To bring these improvements to life, I built an interactive prototype that walks through the full automation experience.

01 How users move from the Qlik Cloud Hub to Qlik Automation, setting up and fine-tuning workflows.

02 The redesigned Template Picker (built with Illustrators) to make categories visually clear and easy to navigate.

03 The automation execution phase, where users can connect apps and tweak workflows right from the sidebar.

04 The monitoring dashboard, giving users a clear view of automation status and full control over execution.

Design Impact

Great design goes beyond how things look. It removes friction and makes a real difference.

The updates to Qlik Application Automation led to measurable improvements:

40% faster automation setup

35% increase in successful automation runs

Higher engagement with Template Picker

Stronger governance and monitoring tools

Takeaways

01 Successfully transformed a complex, standalone automation product into an integrated Qlik Cloud feature, without compromising on usability or system performance.


02 Leveraged close collaboration across design, product, and engineering to translate technical complexity into a clear, no-code user experience.


03 Learned to prioritize ruthlessly in high-pressure environments, focusing on what delivered the most value within tight timelines.

NEXT UP

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READ KEY INSIGHTS