In-App Guide for Informatica CDGC Product
Overview
I designed and implemented an in-app guide to streamline the configuration of Secure Agent services, a critical step in the CDGC onboarding journey. I translated complex technical requirements into an interactive flow using progressive disclosure, surfacing the exact copy users needed for their immediate step, rather than overwhelming them with a front-loaded manual. By combining concise tooltips, targeted GIFs, and precise UI anchoring, I transformed a dense administrative task into a guided experience that reduces cognitive load and prevents drop-off.
Problem
Users frequently struggled to navigate the CDGC onboarding process, specifically the manual configuration of Secure Agent services. Key challenges included:
🧠 High cognitive load: The process required users to toggle between documentation and multiple UI tabs (Services, Connectors).
⚙️ Complex dependencies: Certain services needed to be verified as "Up and Running" only after specific configurations were saved, leading to user confusion.
Goals
To address these challenges, the project aimed to:
Simplify onboarding: Provide a step-by-step walkthrough that guides users smoothly through the Administrator and CDGC interfaces.
Ensure guide stability: Implement a robust navigation strategy that works reliably across various user configurations and dynamic row names.
Enhance visual clarity: Use optimized multimedia to orient users without obscuring the critical UI elements they need to interact with.
Solution
I collaborated in a fast-paced, iterative loop with Marketing and UX leads to refine the guide’s logic and visual clarity.
Cross-functional alignment: Partnered with leads to identify the specific services (Amazon S3, Oracle) and connectors required for the CDGC license.
Dynamic navigation: Used optimized GIFs to demonstrate "Actions" menu access.
UX optimization: Tested caret positioning and page locations to ensure tooltips remained visible and did not obscure critical UI elements during interaction.
Feedback & Iteration
Through a rigorous review cycle with various Product teams, I iteratively refined the guide to eliminate user friction. I restructured the step logic to prevent the guide from breaking during live interactions and stabilized UI anchoring to ensure tooltips persisted during scrolling. Most importantly, I tightened the copy to be strictly action-oriented—adjusting line lengths and utilizing white space so users could scan and understand the instructions in seconds. These iterations transformed a technically dense configuration into a high-completion onboarding flow.
Next Steps
To ensure the guide remains a permanent and scalable part of the CDGC ecosystem, I drove the following final steps:
Global integration: Finalized the integration of the "Enabling Services" walkthrough into the global CDGC Onboarding Assistant menu to ensure long-term discoverability.
Cross-functional handoff: Conducted a final hand-off demo with the Customer Experience team, empowering them to easily update service requirements as the product evolves.
Data-driven tracking: Because the experience is built in Pendo, I established a foundation to track quantitative UX metrics—such as completion rates, drop-offs, and time-on-task—allowing the team to continuously iterate on the content based on real user behavior.
