Hewlett Packard Enterprise · Support Portal · Shipped 2021
- Role
- Product Designer — information architecture, content discovery patterns, phased framework design
- Users
- Enterprise support users troubleshooting hardware and software
- Team
- Product manager and developers
- Status
- Shipped — December 2021
MVP — product support page
01 The problem behind the problem
This could have been treated as a visual refresh of a dated support page. The deeper problem was discovery in context. Enterprise users arrive with a specific product or issue in mind, so they need to find relevant content quickly and trust that it applies to their situation. Documents, videos, and community knowledge were all valuable — but there was no coherent, product-led way to move between them.
Surface problem
How do we modernise the look of the support pages?
Deeper problem
How do we help users find trustworthy content fast while keeping product context across the journey?
The design challenge was to create an experience that could preserve product context across the journey, make dense technical content easier to scan, filter, and compare, and provide clear routes into documents, videos, and community resources.
02 Research: a refresh became an IA problem
I reviewed the existing support experience, worked with the product manager to understand the goals of the Knowledge Tile initiative, and collaborated with developers to understand implementation constraints. That work reframed the project from a visual refresh into an information architecture and content discovery challenge.
- Product context had to stay visible across the whole journey, not just on the landing page.
- Dense technical content needed stronger hierarchy and filtering so users could scan and compare resources.
- The framework had to scale across documents, videos, and community content without fragmenting the experience.
The discovery model · conceptual explanation
- 01 / Problem
Resources without a coherent route.
Documents, videos and community knowledge existed, but the journey did not consistently keep the product in view.
- 02 / Design response
Keep the product as the anchor.
Carry product context into each content area, with hierarchy and filtering suited to the resource.
- 03 / Reusable model
One context. Different ways to find an answer.
Product entry point → documents, videos or community → relevant support content.
03 A phased discovery system
I approached the Knowledge Tile Experience as a phased support discovery system. Each phase adapted the shared framework to the needs of a different content type, while keeping the overall experience consistent. I iterated with product managers, developers, and users as it moved from MVP to shipped product.
MVP product support page
Document listing experience
Video library experience
Community & forum content
04 The solution: one tile pattern, four content types
The final design connected four parts of the support experience around a single, reusable Knowledge Tile pattern — a way to surface different support resources while keeping users oriented within the product context.
View how each part of the experience worked ExpandCollapse
- Product-specific entry point. The MVP created a product-specific entry point into HPE support content, so users could start from the product they were troubleshooting or learning about.
- Document discovery. Structured lists, filtering, and clearer hierarchy helped users narrow down technical resources and compare relevant documents.
- Video library. A more visual discovery pattern — thumbnails, featured areas, and gallery-style browsing — made support and learning videos easier to recognise and access. Users could also share content from a specific timestamp or chapter.
- Community & forum access. Community content was brought into the product support journey, giving customers another route into answers alongside official HPE resources.
Beyond the MVP — the remaining experiences
Documents — listing, filtering & verified solutions ExpandCollapse
Video library — discovery, playback & sharing ExpandCollapse
Community & forum ExpandCollapse
05 / Delivered Shipped in December 2021.
The Knowledge Tile Experience moved from research and iteration into the live HPE Support Portal. I contributed the information architecture, content-discovery patterns and phased framework connecting product support, documents, videos and community knowledge.
Delivered, not impact-measured here. The project account records the December 2021 release. No adoption, task-completion time or satisfaction measurements are available in this case study.
06 Reflection
This was an early example of the enterprise UX work I have continued to specialise in: complex systems, dense information, multiple user goals, and the need to create clarity within an existing platform ecosystem. It helped me think more systematically about how different content types shape user behaviour, and reinforced the importance of designing around context, trust, and scanability. Whether designing support portals, operational tools, scheduling workflows, or payment experiences, the same principle applies: users need systems that reduce ambiguity, preserve context, and help them take the next right action with confidence.