Unifying Identity: Designing the Foundation of a Seamless Experience
Role: Strategic UX Lead | Director-in-Action
Going from ‘sign up’ to ‘join us’
Salesforce’s brand, community, and ecosystem were unmatched—but its digital identity experience was fragmented, inconsistent, and often invisible to users.
This project aimed to transform identity from a behind-the-scenes login flow into a centralized, user-facing layer of connection—one that would personalize every touchpoint, simplify access across products, and turn “signing in” into a moment of engagement.
My role
As the UX lead on this foundational identity initiative, I:
Translated a fragmented ecosystem of sign-ins and profiles into a unified, user-centered identity framework
Balanced vision-setting with hands-on design strategy—crafting flows, narratives, and executive-facing presentations
Partnered across product, engineering, brand, and data to position identity as a platform for connection, not just access
Key Responsibilities
Executive Storytelling & Strategic Visualization
I crafted narrative-driven decks and future-state journey visuals that repositioned identity from a backend function to a strategic, user-facing platform—driving alignment across product and engineering teams. This helped elevate identity as a core enabler of personalization, trust, and engagement across the Salesforce ecosystem.
UX Strategy & Experience Design
I mapped end-to-end user journeys across login, registration, and profile flows, grounding design decisions in user research and behavioral intent. I proposed a modular identity model designed for reuse across Salesforce properties, enabling consistency and scalability.
Cross-Functional Leadership
I facilitated cross-functional alignment across engineering, security, legal, and UX to balance goals, constraints, and compliance. I ensured the identity experience was inclusive, accessible (WCAG 2.1 AA), and brand-consistent, while helping define governance models for long-term platform stewardship.
Data-Informed Iteration & Impact Measurement
I partnered with analytics teams to identify friction points in sign-in flows and used behavioral data to inform and streamline UX patterns. These improvements positioned identity as a key driver of user retention, engagement, and broader ecosystem adoption.
The challenge: creating connection instead of transaction
Identity was treated as a transactional checkpoint rather than a meaningful part of the user journey—resulting in repetitive sign-ins, inconsistent experiences, and little value returned to users across Salesforce’s digital touchpoints. Despite a shared user need, the experience felt fragmented and impersonal.
The root challenge extended beyond UX: siloed teams, legacy systems, and the absence of a unified strategy made it difficult to create cohesion. My role became one of strategic facilitation and narrative clarity—aligning stakeholders around a user-first identity vision, connecting product and brand efforts, and laying the foundation for a scalable, personalized experience across the Salesforce platform.
The vision: designing identity as a scalable value engine
We set out to transform identity from a fragmented access point into a unified, scalable engine of user value—one that seamlessly connected login, learning, profile, and community touchpoints across the Salesforce ecosystem.
While Trailblazer Identity symbolized growth and belonging, product logins remained disjointed and disconnected. Our goal was to bring these experiences together into a cohesive, low-friction identity layer—balancing technical constraints, organizational silos, and diverse user needs under one strategic vision.
Simple, structured, and smart
A homepage that grows with you that reflects your relationship with Salesforce and adapts based on behavior.
A membership hub that houses it all for managing progress, rewards, and preferences.
A digital CV that puts you at the center showcasing skills, credentials, and contributions.
An events hub that helps you see and be seen that recommends and streamlines registration.
A clear career path that meets you where you are tailored to goals and behavior.
And site-wide personalization that propels you forward delivering timely, relevant content and guidance.
Impact: unifying teams, systems, and experiences
We delivered a modular, roadmap-ready identity architecture that served the needs of product, marketing, and Trailhead—supporting long-term scalability while enabling phased implementation.
Executive Alignment: Secured cross-functional buy-in from legal, privacy, marketing, and product through a clear, narrative-driven strategy backed by user data.
Scalable Design System: Established prioritized design tracks, reusable patterns, and a shared backlog to accelerate future personalization efforts across the platform.
Strategic Reframing: Elevated identity from a backend function to a frontline engagement driver, aligning with the executive vision for a unified, trusted Salesforce graph.
