Designing for Security at scale : A Google Cloud Case Study
Due to NDA restrictions, this case study does not include internal UI designs or proprietary assets.
Challenge
The challenge at Google Cloud is designing for a massive, interconnected platform with high-stakes security implications. A designer must craft a seamless experience across every touchpoint, including the web console, APIs, and documentation, for thousands of enterprise users.
Outcome
I led the end-to-end design for two brand new security products,—Privileged Access Manager and Parameter Manager—from concept to Private Release.
I also contributed to the existing Tags product with usability fixes, 2 new features, and cross-team consultation.
My Role
Owning end-to-end delilveries of assigned products as Interaction Designer which includes Research, Design, Validation & collaborating with Researcj, Legal, Accessibility, Design System and Engineering teams.
Key Projects
🔒 Privileged Access Manager
Business need
As cloud adoption scales, organizations are under pressure to minimize standing access and enforce just-in-time, time-bound access to sensitive infrastructure. Competitors such as Microsoft Azure and AWS already had similar functionality.
GOAL
Design a complete request-to-access workflow that enables enterprise users to request elevated permissions when needed > allows reviewers to approve or deny based > Track all actions to be auditable.
My Contribution
I spearheaded the entire end-to-end UX for this product. It needed to balance complex policy logic (approval chains, escalation, timeouts) with a user-friendly admin interface.
impact
Product launched in Private Preview - Official Announcement
Product received lot of appreciation and support from customers, engineering community as seen on blogs, product reviews
For confidentiality reasons, I have omitted the actual numbers and business metrics
⚙️ Parameter Manager
Business need
Development teams often face deployment errors and security vulnerabilities due to inconsistently managed or unsecured configuration settings.
GOAL
Design a parameter management experience that supports JSON/YAML values, version history, environment scoping, and secret references—while keeping the product approachable for both infra engineers and developers.
my contribution
This was an early-stage product, with cross-functional dependencies on Secret Manager and Config Controller. I defined its conceptual model and established patterns that could scale as the product matured. I led the designs right up to its successful Private Release.
impact
Worked on foundational UX for Preview & eventual GA version
Shipped designs for Preview release in record time (within a month)
🏷️ Tags
Business need
Large organizations needed more ways to apply fine-grained security and policy controls across thousands of cloud resources.
GOAL
Improve tagging workflows, consult with internal teams on implementation edge cases, and add features that reduce policy friction for admins managing large org structures.
My Contribution
As this was an existing, live product, changes had to fit into the current UX without disrupting policies already in use. Additionally, tag logic had to be explainable across both UI and CLI tooling.
I conducted research workshops and Consulted with internal teams on implementing tags in other GCP Products such as Buckets, VMs etc.
impact
Added 2 new features to Tag functionality - Assigning Tags during resource creation and
Created and presented several POCs for enhancing workflows
Uday possesses a rare combination of technical expertise and deep user empathy. He excels at translating complex security concepts into intuitive and engaging user experiences. This was clearly evident in Uday's work on numerous important projects. His ability to simplify the product user journeys while focusing on business objectives was truly commendable.
ALEX ROZENBERG, Head of UX, GOOGLE
What I Learned
🎯 Designing at scale while embracing constraints
I learned to work within complex technical, legal, and organizational boundaries
🤝 Collaboration is about alignment, not just input
Partnering with teams across time zones, disciplines, and product surfaces taught me the value of structured communication and shared language.
📣 Overcommunication is a skill
At a company like Google, clarity doesn’t just happen—you earn it. I learned to articulate design rationale early, often, and consistently to build momentum and trust.