Cisco Meraki | Pauline Shay

Overview

I worked on Fabric Details, a new dashboard experience within Cisco Meraki. In collaboration with a senior product designer, I helped define the information structure, user flows, interface hierarchy, and high fidelity designs while working within Meraki's established design system.

I also independently owned selected updates to Modular Switch and Trial Licensing, translating product requirements into clearer administrative flows and implementation ready designs.

Across the work, I partnered with product, engineering, and the dashboard team to make sure new experiences were technically feasible and fit naturally into the larger Meraki platform.

About this case study

This page focuses on selected Cisco Meraki work across Fabric Details, Modular Switch, Trial Licensing, and enterprise dashboard patterns.

Because parts of the work are confidential, the case study highlights the design problems, iteration process, system thinking, and interface patterns I worked on without exposing sensitive product details.

The challenge

Fabric Details was a new dashboard experience inside an established enterprise platform, and it had to bring complex device and infrastructure information into a clearer view.

The challenge was not simply to design a new screen. It was to define how that information should be structured and prioritized while working within Meraki's established design system.

Modular Switch and Trial Licensing needed something different: selected updates that turned product requirements into clearer administrative flows. Across all three, the designs had to be technically feasible and fit naturally into the larger Meraki platform.

The work required ongoing iteration, cross-functional review, and close alignment with other teams so Fabric Details could support new infrastructure workflows without feeling disconnected from the rest of the product system.

Design goals

01Bring structure to complex informationGive Fabric Details a clear information structure and interface hierarchy.

02Make administrative flows clearerTranslate product requirements for Modular Switch and Trial Licensing into flows that were easier to follow.

03Fit within the Meraki platformWork within the established design system so new work felt like a natural part of the larger product.

04Keep designs technically feasiblePartner with product, engineering, and the dashboard team to make sure new experiences could be built.

05Deliver implementation ready workCarry designs through to the high fidelity detail needed for implementation.

06Support complex infrastructure workflowsDesign layouts that could handle dense network information, status states, configuration details, and troubleshooting needs.

What I designed

On Fabric Details, I worked with a senior product designer on the information structure, user flows, interface hierarchy, and high fidelity designs. On Modular Switch and Trial Licensing, I owned selected updates, turning product requirements into clearer administrative flows and implementation ready designs.

The main design challenge was giving complex technical information a clearer structure while keeping new work native to the larger Meraki platform.

Key product areas

01Fabric DetailsA new dashboard experience that brought complex device and infrastructure information into a clearer, more structured view.

02Modular SwitchRefined product flows and interface details for an existing networking capability.

03Trial LicensingDesigned clearer administrative flows for managing trial licensing updates.

04Enterprise information hierarchyOrganized dense technical information so IT teams could scan, understand, and act more quickly.

05System alignmentKept new work consistent with the established Meraki product language and component patterns.

06Cross-functional deliveryWorked with product, engineering, and design partners to refine flows and prepare implementation ready designs.

Design decisions

01New, but not separateFabric Details was a new experience, but it still needed to feel native to the broader Meraki platform.

02Hierarchy firstDense device and infrastructure information needs clear visual priority so users can quickly understand what matters.

03Design for scanningIT teams often need to move fast, so layouts, cards, labels, and status states had to support quick reading.

04Build on the existing systemExisting Meraki patterns helped new areas feel consistent with the broader platform.

05Alignment before polishA large part of the work was making sure the experience worked across teams, product areas, and system constraints before pushing visual polish.

06Clarity without oversimplifyingThe goal was to reduce friction while preserving the technical depth required by enterprise users.

What this project shows

Cisco Meraki shows how I approach enterprise product design inside a mature platform: structuring complex information, clarifying administrative flows, and working within an established design system.

It also reflects my ability to design within real product constraints, where the value is not only in the final UI, but in the iteration, system thinking, alignment, and decisions that help new work fit into a larger platform.