A categorization system inside Arista's CloudVision that helps network
operators reduce alert noise, bringing attention to events that require attention.
Role
Lead UX Designer
Timeline
2025
Team
Sole designer · cross-functional team
Tools
Figma
01 · Context
Identifying key issues among thousands of events
In any given network, thousands of things can go wrong at any moment.
Issues range from a slightly overactive CPU fan all the way up to a
complete device outage. CloudVision helps users manage and detect these
issues through
Events:
alerts that flag potential problems in the network.
Users set custom parameters per event to prioritize urgent problems and
filter out the less critical ones. The goal is simple: help operators
quickly see which parts of the network need attention now, and which can
wait.
02 · Project goals
Categorize events so triage is faster.
This project provides a system that categorizes network events
so users can quickly tell which parts of the network need critical
attention. By grouping events into clear categories like
Hardware,
Environment, and
Layer 1 (L1),
CloudVision lets users tell physical issues apart from network-related
ones. Troubleshooting becomes faster because operators can prioritize
based on the type and severity of the issue.
New Category
Environment
Device Fan Failed
Device Power Supply Failed
…
Temperature Sensor Alert
New Category
Hardware
Abnormal Disk State
Disk Temperature Breached Threshold
…
Disk Volume Space Breached Threshold
New Category
L1
DOM Optical TX Power
ADOM Temperature and TX Power
…
Transceiver Voltage Outside of Expected Range
New Category
L2
Administrative Interface Shutdown
Cabling Issue Detected
…
MLAG Peer Not Connected
03 · Two types of categories
Built-in Categories and Custom Categories
There are two types of categories are available for users, a fixed pre-built category that CloudVision continuously updates, and a seperate workflow to create a new one.
Built-In Category
Environment
Event 1
Event 2
…
Event 10
Custom Category
Custom-Environment
Inherited from Environment
Events 1–10
Event 11
Event 12
Event 13
Built-in categories
are lists of events that CloudVision provides for users who don't need
much flexibility. As new events get added to CloudVision over time,
they're sorted automatically into the relevant built-in category.
Custom categories
give users the flexibility to build their own list of events for specific
scenarios, goals, and tasks. Users can pick from the full list of
CloudVision events and add them with little restriction.
Custom categories can also
inherit a built-in category
during this process, which gives them a set of core events to start with
while staying automatically up to date with anything CloudVision adds
later.
04 · User issues and findings
Interviewing Sales Engineers
Direct access to customers is limited at Arista, so I ran research
through our
Sales Engineers (SEs):
the field agents who work hands-on with customers every day. Their
interviews gave me a grounded picture of how network operators actually
spend their time inside CloudVision, and where the events experience was
creating friction. Three themes came up in every conversation.
Finding 01
Unnecessary noise
Because of how events are configured, CloudVision produces thousands
of events. Most of them aren't important on a day-to-day basis for
network operators troubleshooting their network.
Finding 02
Network health at a glance
With so many events firing, operators struggle to figure out which
ones need attention now and which can be backlogged for later.
Finding 03
Relevance
Operators are usually responsible for specific areas of a network.
An event might matter to the network as a whole and still be
irrelevant to the individual operator if it's outside their site or
area of expertise.
"CloudVision produces thousands of events, and most of them aren't important on a day-to-day basis."
05 · User flow and entry points
Mapping the new flow against what already exists
Before sketching screens, I mapped out the existing event-creation flow
and the new category-creation flow side by side. The exercise made one
design question concrete: when an operator wants a new category, are
they more likely to start from scratch, or duplicate one that already
works? That decision became the main entry point I designed the
experience around.
Creating an Event
Simplified · existing workflow
I want to create an Event
Go to Events page
Select Event Generation
Select / search for the event
Add / edit parameters
Creating a Category
New workflow
I want a custom category for my use case
Go to Events page
Select Manage Categories
Duplicate an existing category, or create a new one?
→ Duplicate
Duplicate existing category
Duplicate + rename in existing category
I want a category with only syslog events
Delete irrelevant event types and add Syslog Event Rules
What info identifies the rules I need? Rule ID Name
Select [Syslog Event] and add [Event Rule(s)]
→ Create new
Create new category
I want a list of syslog events and a new event with only critical events
What info identifies the rules I need? Rule ID Name + Rule Severity
Select [Event Type] and add [Event Rule(s)]
Select [Syslog Event] and add [Event Rule(s)]
User intent System action Decision point
06 · Information architecture
A simple structured 3 column grid
We proposed a three-column grid layout early and stuck with it to stay
consistent with similar workflows across the product. The flow itself
was relatively straightforward, so most of our effort went into refining
the information architecture.
Most of the iteration came down to one question: what's essential to
show, and what can be cut to reduce cognitive load? A summary of
severities in the center column was a good example. It made it into
early drafts, but user research showed it added complexity without
helping anyone make a decision when creating categories, so we cut it.
07 · Final deliverables
The mockups
Mockups below have been edited to show only the work I created.
Sensitive information and interactions related to other parts of the
product have been removed.
‹›
+⧉
Creation Workflow
‹›
+⧉
Drag and Drop Interaction
‹›
+⧉
Empty State
08 · Status
Shipped and awaiting feedback
Event Categorization launched as part of CloudVision in the beginning of 2026. Unfortunately I was not present for any conclusive customer feedback regarding success metrics and usage. However, given the goals of the project and the research done during the design process, I am confident that the introduction of this workflow will provide immense benefits to users once they begin adopting it into their daily workflow.
