Rocío Del Carmen
I joined the Platform team to lead the design of a unified onboarding flow for Kubernetes data sources. Expanding support for Kubernetes monitoring across Logs and Metrics was a key growth opportunity for Sumo Logic to better serve customers segments adopting containerized infrastructure. This effort required more than just technical integration—it demanded a seamless, scalable setup experience that could support complex environments with minimal friction.
Admins responsible for setting up Kubernetes data in monitoring tools face a fragmented and opaque experience. They often lack real-time feedback, clear guidance and confidence that Logs and Metrics are flowing correctly. For enterprise teams, this complexity is compounded by the need for automation, security compliance and cross-team coordination. As a result, setup becomes error-prone, time-consuming and difficult to scale—leading to increased Support burden and slower product adoption.
Since this was Sumo Logic’s first time supporting Kubernetes, I saw an opportunity to design setup as more than just a technical task—it was a chance to build trust, reduce friction and create a foundation that could scale with our customers’ needs.
During discovery, I focused on understanding what different teams valued when setting up Kubernetes monitoring—especially as they transitioned from existing solutions. What emerged was a clear need for differentiated experiences:
It became clear that a one-size-fits-all approach would fall short. To support adoption and scalability across segments mid-size and enterprise teams, I needed to design flexible setup paths tailored to both operational maturity and team structure.
I consider using plain language, visual guidance, and progressive disclosure to help admins—regardless of Kubernetes expertise—navigate the data setup with confidence. And also minimize as much as possible context switching between the Sumo Logic app, terminal and other applications.
I tested a full-page modal flow to give admins a focused, step-by-step experience for setting up Kubernetes data—complete with system context and guidance. While the format supported clarity and flow, real-world usage revealed a key insight: admins frequently needed to switch between tools and run validations in their terminal. The full-page approach, while clean, disrupted that multitasking.
I needed to consider designing with admins’ environment in mind, ensuring setup complements their workflow rather than competes with it.
In the next version of the setup flow, I tested a smaller, more focused modal so admins could easily switch between Sumo Logic and their terminal. I used progressive disclosure to show one action at a time, keeping the experience clear and less overwhelming. I also split the flow into Logs and Metrics, since sending Logs—especially with Kubernetes—takes more time due to higher data volume. This made the setup feel more manageable and better matched how admins actually work.
In the final version, I removed the choice between Logs and Metrics—admins understood they needed both, so splitting them added unnecessary complexity. Instead, the flow begins with a clear question: "How do you want to set this up?"—letting users choose their preferred path from the start.
I streamlined steps across both paths and added post-setup guidance to help admins move from installation to insight.
I leveraged our existing dialog component and extended it with pagination to create a clear, step-by-step Kubernetes setup flow to accelerate delivery and reduce engineering overhead. This approach allowed my team to move quickly while maintaining design consistency across the platform.
I introduced branded spot illustrations and Sumoji characters at the start and end of the journey—transforming a complex, technical task into a more approachable and trustworthy experience to increase engagement and reduce drop-off. The result: lower setup friction, improved conversion, and a scalable pattern that aligned with both user needs and business goals.
