Designing a Centralised Server Monitoring Interface
- ClientPayPal
- IndustryFinancial Technology
- TechnologyMaterial UI · React
The Challenge
PayPal's engineering teams relied on multiple platforms to monitor server health, security incidents, downtime and deployment activity.
With critical information spread across different systems, engineers faced delays identifying issues and taking action.
Working onsite in San Jose, Graham Agency collaborated with PayPal's Cloud C3 team to design a centralised monitoring interface.
We start by understanding the business, its audiences and goals, defining the requirements and direction before design and development begin.
Strategy & Discovery →Discovery & User Research
We worked directly with server monitoring, maintenance and engineering teams to understand their workflows, challenges and information needs.
Our research focused on the first responders — the engineers responsible for identifying and acting on critical server issues.
These conversations helped establish what information needed to be immediately visible, how it should be prioritised and how the interface could support faster decision-making.
Workflows & Wireframes
With complex infrastructure and multiple data sources to consider, we began by mapping workflows, information architecture and key user interactions.
Collaborative workshops helped us work through the more complex requirements before developing wireframes and defining reusable interface components.
Our five-step UX-led process takes projects from discovery and requirements through to design, development and testing.
Our 5-Step UX-Led Process →UI Design & Prototyping
We developed the interface using Google's Material UI design system, aligning with PayPal's internal requirements and supporting implementation in React.
The visual design brought a more contemporary, consistent approach to the existing internal tools.
Throughout the process, we presented designs and prototypes to the team, gathering feedback and refining the interface.
Results
The project delivered the following outcomes for PayPal's Cloud C3 team:
A Centralised Dashboard
Brought critical server and deployment information into one interface.
Designed for First Responders
Built around the needs of first-response engineers monitoring server health.
Clearer Operational Foundation
Made essential information easier to access, supporting faster response to operational issues.
Have a Project in Mind?
Let's talk about what a clearer, more usable interface could look like for your business.
Start a Project →
