New Feature
Workflows are user-defined automations designed to streamline repetitive tasks and reduce manual effort. In a complex IT Asset Management (ITAM) environment, they save users significant time by automating multi-step processes.
Despite their usefulness, workflows can quickly become difficult to understand—especially when users need to build complex, multi-layered flows. We needed to design a builder that was powerful enough to support nested subflows, yet intuitive enough for users to build and manage their workflows without feeling overwhelmed.
To solve this, I created a workflow builder that focused on clarity, simplicity, and scalability. The design hides unnecessary sections by default, only revealing them when users choose to expand. Clear visual indicators show exactly where the user is editing within the flow, and each section of the builder is separated to reduce visual clutter. The builder was also designed with future expansion in mind, ensuring it can support new features and more complex automation as the product grows.
Workflows are widely used in enterprise tools, but researching them presented a unique challenge. Most search results focused on user flows rather than workflow automation systems. To find relevant information, I refined my search approach and gathered insights from recorded product demos, user forums, and real-world examples of workflow builders. These sources helped shape a practical understanding of what worked—and what didn’t—in the space.
As with many new features, the design evolved significantly from initial concept to final implementation. My early drafts were heavily influenced by a builder I had researched, but over time, the design matured into a more refined and responsive solution—adapted to support users across different environments and workflows with greater ease.
One of my primary goals was to reduce visual clutter and avoid overwhelming users as their workflows grew. I used subtle background colors to separate sections and collapsed the conditions area by default, keeping the interface clean for simpler workflows that only required triggers and actions.
With the visual design in place, my next focus was ensuring that each core feature was clearly represented and easy to access within the builder.
To reduce the need for multiple separate workflows, I focused on giving users granular control over their conditions. I introduced 'All' conditions, grouped with an 'AND' statement to clearly indicate that every condition must be met. For added flexibility, I also included 'Any' conditions, grouped with an 'OR' statement to show that a single matching condition would be sufficient.
The addition of subflows went through several rounds of iteration. I ultimately designed them to be nested within the action that triggers them. This approach allows users to collapse subflows to reduce visual clutter, while still giving them the flexibility to move the action—and its subflow—within the action list without disrupting the overall structure.
In our ecosystem, actions often became lengthy, with many editable fields that could easily overwhelm users. To simplify the experience, I designed a system where users can choose which fields to update. This not only keeps the interface clean by hiding unnecessary options, but also allows us to introduce safeguards to prevent conflicting inputs.
The final workflow builder received strong positive feedback for its clean layout and intuitive design. Users found it easy to navigate, even when building complex flows with subflows and detailed conditions. By reducing visual clutter and allowing customization, the builder helped users focus only on what was relevant to them.
Even team members who initially struggled to understand the project were able to quickly grasp its functionality once they saw the final design in action. The clarity of the interface made it easier to communicate the value and use cases of the feature across teams, reinforcing the importance of thoughtful, user-centered design.
