Defendify

Product Design

Powering providers, protecting businesses.

Project summary

P R O J E C T S U M M A R Y

The product

Defendify is a cybersecurity solution that protects businesses from online threats. It caters to small and midsize companies and organizations without security teams, including IT and technology providers across all industries.

Defendify offers an integrated suite of cybersecurity tools for prevention, detection, and response.

Client

Defendify

Role

UX Researcher
UX Principal Designer
UI Visual Designer

Responsibilities

User research
Competitive audits
Ideation workshops
User flows & info architecture
Low fidelity wireframing
Prototyping
High fidelity UI mockups
Critique presentations
Usability testing
Design systems
Accessibility

The mission

“To make cybersecurity possible for all organizations, regardless of size, by providing a comprehensive, easy-to-use platform that continuously improves security posture without requiring deep technical expertise.”

P R O J E C T S U M M A R Y

The problem

The main challenge lies in the fact that the process begins with a set of services delivered within a brief timeframe, followed by services that are provided both intermittently and continuously.

Additionally, the initial services that are performed over a short period of time are not a one-time service. While these services will be the first set of services done when starting a new program, said services will occur at the beginning of each year (the nature of the work will be slightly different, but the same services are required to start each year).

User Sentiment

Time and effort to create and maintain services

Not well-versed in cybersecurity or it's available services.

Unaccustomed to industry standards and needs

Inconsistencies between various platforms and offerings

P R O J E C T S U M M A R Y

The solution

Defendify provides each of its customers with a running program of cybersecurity that includes three key layers of security: Foundation, Culture, and Technology. A “program” can be characterized as follows:

User Needs

Runs annually; day 1 being the annual renewal date

Includes at least one component of each of the three layers (Foundation, Culture, Technology)

Includes one or more components that happen intermittently (quarterly or monthly)

Includes one or more components that are always-on

P R O J E C T S U M M A R Y

Design process

Being the principal designer I approached this design challenge using two distinct types of thinking:

Divergent: I kept an open mind to explore a wide range of ideas.
Convergent: I then collaborated to narrow down our options and identify the best solution.

User insight

U S E R I N S I G H T

User interviews

I carried out preliminary research with Defendify base users to gain deeper insights into their needs and challenges within the current flow.

Research type

Moderated usability study

Location

US North-East small business
remote

Participants (7)

2 IT Manager/Director
1 IT Support Specialist
3 Business Owner/Entrepreneur
1 Network Administrator

Participants

~45 minutes session

U S E R I N S I G H T

Key insights

I carried out preliminary research with Defendify base users to gain deeper insights into their needs and challenges within the current flow.

“I was completely overwhelmed by the complexity of the cybersecurity solutions available. The technical jargon made it hard to understand what I was actually getting, and I felt lost trying to compare different products.”

- confused Compliance Officer

“The costs associated with cybersecurity platforms are outrageous! I was shocked by the hidden fees and subscription models. It feels like I’m paying a fortune just to keep my business safe.”

- bewildered Business Owner/Entrepreneur

“The amount of training required for my team to effectively use the cybersecurity tools was overwhelming. It took time away from our core work, and I felt like we were losing productivity.”

- overwhelmed Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

7/7 rated: Ease of Use

Users value intuitive interfaces and straightforward navigation that simplify the setup and management of cybersecurity tools, allowing them to focus on their core responsibilities without getting bogged down by complexity.

6/7 preferred: Customization

The ability to tailor security features and settings to meet specific business needs and industry requirements is highly valued, allowing organizations to implement solutions that align with their unique risk profiles.

6/7 wanted: Transparency

Users prefer clear and transparent pricing models that outline all costs associated with the cybersecurity platform, helping them budget effectively and avoid unexpected expenses while ensuring they receive good value for their investment.

U S E R I N S I G H T

User flow

Mapping the path taken by a typical user to complete their task from start to finish helped me anticipate user needs at each step as they interact with the product.

U S E R I N S I G H T

User personas

Fictional personas were built using data gathered from user research interviews. Their goals and characteristics represent the needs of a larger group of users. This helped me build empathy, identify patterns of behavior, stress-test designs and humanize user groups.

Problem statement 01

Gene owns an inherited family business with around 20 employees – a furniture store, restaurant, or construction company. He’s 63, and not especially tech-savvy. He most likely gets his industry information from trusted contacts and trade magazines rather than the internet.

U S E R I N S I G H T

User flow

I developed a journey map to examine the interactions between the user and the product. This allowed me to better understand the user’s perspective, identify frustrations, and uncover opportunities for improvement.

U S E R I N S I G H T

Competitive Landscape

Defendify’s core differentiation lies in comprehensive integration across Culture, Foundation, and Technology. In a fragmented cybersecurity market filled with point solutions, Defendify offers a unified, user-friendly platform designed for businesses without large IT teams. This positions it well for SMBs seeking broad protection without complexity, setting it apart from competitors who are often narrowly focused.

🔹 Culture (Human Behavior + Awareness Training)

These companies focus on security awareness training, phishing simulations, and behavior change:

KnowBe4
Cofense
NINJIO
Gophish

Defendify competes by embedding culture-focused tools into its platform, positioning itself as an alternative to pure-play awareness vendors.

🔹 Foundation (Risk Management + Compliance Frameworks)

This segment includes organizations that emphasize policies, governance, training, and risk assessment:

Survive Cyber
CRONUS
SANS Institute
Center for Internet Security (CIS)
Coalition
Corvus

Defendify overlaps by offering foundational modules like risk assessments, policy templates, and compliance guidance, which competitors often deliver as standalone services.

🔹 Technology (Security Tools + Threat Protection)

These companies specialize in endpoint protection, threat intelligence, vulnerability scanning, and password management:

Dark Cubed
LastPass
Tenable
SpyCloud
Fortinet
Norton by Symantec

Defendify differentiates itself by incorporating select technological tools (e.g., vulnerability scanning, device monitoring) into a broader platform, without requiring IT or deep security expertise.

Initial Design

I N I T I A L D E S I G N

Ideation workshop

The primary objective of this session is to establish a safe environment that fosters innovation and encourages creativity among all members of the cross-functional team.

I N I T I A L D E S I G N

Applying UX Laws

I explored key UX principles for user interface design, using psychological insights to better understand user expectations and enhance the overall experience.

Fitt’s Law

Large buttons placed in the thumb zone ensure users can quickly, easily and accurately access major functions

Gestalt Principles

Similarity: cards that look similar have the same function
Proximity: elements that are close together are more related
Common region: elements located in the same area are grouped together
Simplicity: abstract symbols and icons require less mental effort

Hick’s Law

Highlight compulsory fields to avoid overwhelming users, and place optional fields in separate location

Jakob’s Law

Use familiar UI patterns for input fields such as dropdowns, error states, etc to leverage existing mental models

Von Restorff Effect

The blend of light blue and orange brand colors helps users navigate each step of the core task flow.

Zeigarnik Effect

Stepper indicators at the top clearly indicate progress, encouraging users to complete their tasks.

I N I T I A L D E S I G N

Information architecture

I organized all content that outlines main sections, subpages, and content, and arranged them to highlight marketing, sales, customer onboarding, support, and product education.

I N I T I A L D E S I G N

Low fidelity wireframes

I developed low-fi wireframes in Figma to establish the marketing core user flow, outline the basic structure of the app and arranged content blocks logically.

I N I T I A L D E S I G N

Team Feedback

I shared draft designs with my cross-functional team to gather their feedback. By encouraging input from others in the design process, I can leverage their specialized expertise and identify potential errors early on.

User insight

U S E R I N S I G H T

Usability testing

I carried out a usability study to evaluate the ease with which users could accomplish key tasks within the design. The findings from the study were analyzed, and the insights gained were utilized to refine the designs.