nightfall ai
policy creation
In a competitive B2B security market, our set up experience needed to reflect the sophistication, clarity, and trustworthiness of our core offering.
Year started
2022
type
solo work
Category
set up & onboarding
mvp timeline
2 months
BACKGROUND
Nightfall’s original Policy Creation interface was a single, cluttered page filled with dense text fields and long configuration strings. The complexity not only slowed onboarding but also weakened our product’s perception during high-stakes demos with potential clients.
MY ROLE
As the sole designers of these main features, I led the complete redesign of Nightfall’s Policy Creation flow. Transforming an outdated, text-heavy, single-page interface into an intuitive, multi-step wizard.
IMPACT
The improved UI was showcased in enterprise sales demos, leading to multiple six-figure contracts
Directly contributed to Nightfall’s Series B funding pitch, where the updated UX was highlighted as a market differentiator.
Reduced onboarding and training costs for customer success teams.
The original Policy Creation process at Nightfall was a single, long form filled with dense text and complex configuration fields.
User pain points
Overwhelming interface causing cognitive overload.
Difficulty understanding the sequence and impact of each configuration step.
Business pain points
Confusing setup experience for enterprise customer.
Lost sales opportunities due to poor first impressions in demos.
What did i do?
Conducted UX audits and usability testing with enterprise clients to pinpoint friction points.
Applied progressive disclosure principles to reduce cognitive load and guide users through setup without overwhelming them.
As the Twilight Design System was being developed in parallel, I proactively designed the new Policy Creation flow to align with its evolving components and principles, ensuring a seamless fit from day one.
Created high-fidelity prototypes and collaborated with the dev team to ensure pixel-perfect implementation within Nightfall’s design system.
I designed a wizard-style multi-step policy creation flow that broke the process into clear, digestible stages:
Integration Selection – Select the right type of monitor and app.
Scope Definition – Define the spaces you'd like to monitor.
Detection Rules – Configure the rules and detectors to identify sensitive data relevant to the policy.
Advanced Settings – Optionally enable advanced features such as admin alerts or automated remediation actions.
Name & Description – To label and describe the policy; placed last to keep focus on configuration first.
Review – Final step to double check everything.
I approached this project with a clear balance between usability, scalability, and technical feasibility. Every design decision was intentional, grounded in user research, and aimed at delivering measurable outcomes for both customers and the business.
1) progressive disclosure
Only show the necessary information per step, reducing user overwhelm.
Broke the process into logical segments like Integration, Scope, Detection Rules, Advanced Settings, Review - so users could focus on one decision at a time without losing context.
I also streamlined the workflow by removing the separate Inclusion & Exclusion step. Instead, users can now leverage the Filters feature to easily exclude items from the monitoring scope.
2) Contextual guidance
Added inline help, tooltips, and real-world examples to explain sensitive data detectors, thresholds, and automation rules.
Designed help content to be non-intrusive yet instantly accessible, reducing reliance on external documentation and speeding up onboarding
3) Visual hierarchy & consistency
Clear typography, white space, and step indicators to keep users oriented. Structured the wizard to handle future policy types, detectors, and integrations without redesigning the core flow.
This marks the beginning of the new Policy Creation flow. All future integrations supported by Nightfall will follow this same format, with minor adjustments to specific steps as needed.
Policy creation design demo
A happy path to create a policy that helps scanning your sensitive data.
What Went Well
Significant UX Gains: Breaking the flow into a multi-step wizard reduced user overwhelm and increased completion rates
Business Alignment: The redesign not only improved usability but directly supported enterprise sales and funding pitches
Cross-Functional Impact: Improved collaboration between design, engineering, and sales by creating a shared vision of the product experience
What Could Be Improved
Early Design System Dependency: Designing alongside the in-progress Twilight Design System required extra iteration as components evolved.
Analytics & Feedback Loops: Post-launch metrics focused heavily on completion rate and speed; richer qualitative feedback earlier could have uncovered more nuanced improvement opportunities
We delivered the baseline Policy Creation wizard in just two months. Since launch, we’ve continuously refined and expanded the flow, ensuring it evolves with user needs, compliance requirements, and new product integrations.
