Prototyping Cyberse’s Marketplace Orbit

Product Design | Designing Cyberse for Cybersecurity Procurement

Project Overview

Introduction

Cyberse is an AI-powered marketplace designed to simplify the complex process of B2B cybersecurity product procurement

Project Goal

The goal was to understand user needs and design a clear, efficient platform flow that supports informed, collaborative purchasing decisions

Timeline

Oct-Nov 2023: Fast iteration cycles with real campaigns to test, learn, and optimize in real time

My Role

UX research and early product design, including user interviews, persona creation, user journey mapping, and prototyping

Background and Challenge

Background:

B2B cybersecurity procurement is notoriously complex. Unlike consumer purchases, it involves long cycles, group decision-making, deep technical evaluation, and strict compliance with industry regulations. Security leaders, IT teams, procurement officers, and compliance managers all play a role, often with different priorities and limited alignment. This creates a messy, fragmented buying experience that slows down progress and introduces risk. Cyberse set out to change that: to build an AI-powered marketplace that simplifies and accelerates the way businesses discover, compare, and purchase cybersecurity solutions.

Challenge

The vision was clear, but the path was scattered. In the early stage, ideas were flying in all directions: product listings, vendor scoring, buyer collaboration, AI recommendations. But there was no unified flow, just a galaxy of disconnected thoughts. My challenge was to bring structure to the chaos. Through user research, synthesis, and prototyping, I worked to define the first clear journey, turning scattered ideas into a coherent, intuitive marketplace experience.

User Interview

Although Cyberse’s founding team brought strong cybersecurity expertise, we intentionally began with a clean slate: grounding the product vision in real-world user needs, not assumptions. So we conducted interviews with over 10 stakeholders across industries, including CISOs, cybersecurity consultants, department leads, and internal influencers. These participants represented a range of company sizes and security maturity levels, giving us a well-rounded view of the procurement journey. Despite their differences, a few shared pain points surfaced:

•Uncertainty: Buyers struggle to know if they're choosing the right solutions for their specific needs.

•Fragmentation: The procurement process is long, confusing, and spread across teams.

•Lack of trust: Product information is often vague or biased, making it hard to evaluate vendors.

•Shared decision-making — Multiple stakeholders add complexity and slow down the process.

These qualitative insights formed the bedrock of our understanding, enabling us to move forward with user-centered personas and journey maps that accurately reflected the real-world challenges faced by cybersecurity professionals.

User Interview Record

Persona and Buyer Journey

Our in-depth user interviews unveiled a critical insight: B2B cybersecurity procurement is a complex, non-linear process driven by diverse stakeholders across various departments. To bring clarity to this intricate dance, we strategically categorized all key players into two pivotal archetypes: Decision Makers and Influencers. This focused approach streamlined our initial design efforts, allowing us to acknowledge the multi-layered reality of enterprise purchasing. I designed a "level chart", ready for future granular understanding of organizational influence, budget control, and cybersecurity expertise as Cyberse evolves.

•Decision Makers own the final approval and budget. Their focus is high-level risk management, regulatory compliance, and strategic alignment with company-wide objectives.

•Influencers meticulously research specific needs, evaluate tools, and often initiate the buying process. They are responsible for justifying recommendations and bridging business needs with technical fit.

Persona

Building on these foundational personas, we meticulously mapped out the buyer journey. This visualization illuminated how each distinct archetype navigates the labyrinthine cybersecurity procurement process, from initial security gap identification to final solution implementation. It highlighted their specific touch points, decision criteria, and emotional states, crucially revealing strategic opportunities for AI intervention and streamlining at every critical stage.

Buyer Journey

Workflow

Translating our research insights into actionable design, this comprehensive workflow serves as the visual backbone of our thinking, meticulously orchestrating the envisioned buyer journey and externalizing complex mental models into a clear, navigable pathway. It guides users through intelligent touch points from initial awareness to seamless purchase and valuable feedback, with integrated mockups visualizing this optimized experience.

Workflow

Prototype

With a clear path illuminated by our comprehensive research and strategic flow mapping, we swiftly transitioned into an intensive design sprint. This concentrated effort allowed us to rapidly conceptualize and build our first prototype version, quickly iterating to refine it into a more robust Version 2. These early prototypes were crucial, serving as the tangible visualization of our collective insights and the foundational steps towards a truly streamlined, intelligent cybersecurity procurement experience.

Prototype

Impact and Learning

This project laid the foundation for Cyberse’s product direction. What began as scattered ideas across stakeholders transformed into a unified journey, clear personas, and an interactive prototype that aligned the team around a shared product vision. This foundational blueprint, derived from deep user understanding and robust conceptual mapping, provided our development teams with a precise roadmap, enabling accelerated and highly focused product development. By visualizing how buyers navigate the complex cybersecurity procurement process, we turned ambiguity into structure, setting a clear path for both product development and strategic alignment.

One key takeaway: in domains as complex as cybersecurity, clarity doesn’t emerge by chance. It must be designed. The procurement process is shaped by risk, regulation, and cross-functional influence. Through thorough research, cultivating an empathetic understanding of diverse users, and meticulously crafting clear thinking maps (such as personas and user journeys), we proved these are not just useful, but indispensable tools. This approach not only shaped our solution but reinforced how UX can lead product strategy in high-stakes, high-complexity environments.This approach not only shaped our solution but reinforced how UX can lead product strategy in high-stakes, high-complexity environments.