Access management interface with a two-panel view for editing which users have access to an account, including search and multi-select checkboxes
Designed with the existing design system components and patterns
Early access-management design using a Groups concept, showing access groups defined by shared account combinations alongside individually assigned users
1st round of usability tests: grouping users to manage access together — testing showed people found it confusing
Revised access-management design showing multiple accounts selected at once to reveal their shared users, replacing the earlier groups concept
2nd round of usability tests: selecting accounts directly instead — people understood it right away and finished every task
Animated demo of bulk-updating user access across multiple selected accounts.
Bulk edit: update access for many people in one action, instead of one by one
Account-level access view listing every user with access to a selected account
Account view: see everyone who has access to one account
User profile panel showing a checklist of every account a specific person has access to, editable from that single view
User view: see every account one person can access
Animated demo of adding users to an empty account by importing them from another account's existing access list
Import users from one account into another, instead of adding them again by hand
Generate Distribution List modal for creating a named, optionally auto-updating email list from an account's current users
Reused access selections to create a ready-to-use recipient list

Designing account-level access controls

Supporting the transition from a manual service to a digital workflow through a simple, account-level access model.

Note: To respect confidentiality, names, business details and visuals have been anonymized.

Domain
FinTech
Timeline
5 weeks
The challenge

As part of a broader shift from a manual service to a digital workflow, the team needed a clear way to manage which contacts could access specific accounts. The workflow operated within strict regulatory and accuracy requirements, so access needed to be clear, reliable, and easy to review. A traditional hierarchy of roles and permissions would have added complexity without matching the actual need: access was managed account by account, person by person.

I designed the MVP for account-level access controls, building on earlier research and service-blueprinting work. I defined the access model, created the main user flows and prototype, and tested and refined the design through team feedback and usability sessions.

I designed the MVP around one simple rule: a contact either has access to a specific account or does not. I created flows for viewing contacts, assigning and removing access, and checking access from both account and contact views, with options for single and bulk editing, importing contacts between accounts, and transitional sharing tools. I tested an early concept for grouping contacts, but feedback showed it added unnecessary complexity. I replaced it with bulk editing, and a second round of usability testing found the revised approach easier to understand and use for the main tasks.

The prototype gave the team a tested approach for managing account-level access in the new workflow. It created a clearer connection between approved access and downstream work, reduced reliance on manually rebuilding information, and provided a foundation that was later taken forward into implementation.

Abstract graphic pairing a blue faceted icon with outlined type spelling “Lutron Design System” and a ruler marked in 12-unit increments

Next project

Design system foundation for Lutron’s web redesign