Aruba Sign is a powerful desktop application that facilitates the creation of millions of legally
binding digital signatures every single year. The primary design challenge was taking a highly
technical, security-driven process and transforming it into a seamless, accessible user experience.
By prioritizing visual clarity and trust, the interface empowers professionals to sign, verify, and
manage critical documents with complete confidence.
My role: Lead UX Designer — sole designer on a cross-functional team working on a complete redesign
of the app over 4 years, from research through to release and continuous iteration.
The Challenge
The old version of Aruba Sign — software for certified digital signatures — had high support
costs and could no longer scale to accommodate new features required by eIDAS, the European
regulator in this field.
A complete redesign was needed: one that could handle regulatory complexity without burdening
users with it, and that could grow with future requirements without accumulating technical and
UX debt.
Research & Discovery
I created a survey to understand user needs, how often they use the software, and which of
the 5 main features they use the most: signing, verification, timestamping, encryption, and
decryption. I also ran a competitor analysis in Italy and other countries, examining the most
common desktop patterns across various applications.
Insights
Signing dominates usage
Users primarily use the signing feature, with some also using verification, while the other features — timestamping, encryption, decryption — are rarely used.
Two conflicting user patterns
Two main personas emerged: users who sign one document at a time, and those who perform batch signatures. The existing drag-and-drop pattern served neither well, creating friction for both.
Broken previews & hidden settings
The graphical signature feature did not display previews correctly, making selection difficult. Application preferences were buried and hard to discover, causing repeated support requests.
The Idea & Flow
I produced sketches and wireframes tested with internal stakeholders using Adobe XD. I
created two different types of homepages and two distinct methods for applying graphical
signatures, allowing us to test which approach better matched user expectations before
committing to high-fidelity work.
Testing & Iteration
I tested the proposed solutions with real users on prototypes. By iterating the process, I
conducted further user testing with the main beta version of the app, refining each flow
before release.
Testing Insights
New UI immediately clear
Users found the new UI extremely clear and easily located everything they needed without guidance, confirming the IA restructure had worked.
Secondary features now discoverable
Secondary features successfully became easily discoverable, and tab-based navigation felt natural — eliminating the confusion that had previously driven support calls about preferences.
Graphical signature experience resolved
The new graphical signature experience proved easy to use — accurate preview rendering removed all ambiguity, and users could confidently select and apply their signature on the first attempt.
Results & Impact
Six months after the release of the new software version, support costs decreased significantly.
Ongoing surveys continue to track user satisfaction, needs, and pain points, feeding directly
into the product roadmap.
-80%
Decrease in support costs after 6 months of the new release
1M+
Overall app downloads
3.1
Internal MOOD rating, making it the second highest-rated product in the company
Signing dominates usage
Two conflicting user patterns
Broken previews & hidden settings