Product Design Leader
Unifying Desktop & Web for Seamless Security
Designing a consistent and intuitive security experience by integrating critical web-based identity and privacy tools into McAfee’s global desktop app.
Background & Problems
McAfee is one of the most recognized consumer cybersecurity brands, protecting over 600 million devices worldwide. While its reputation was built on antivirus and firewall tools, McAfee’s product strategy evolved to include cloud-based identity and privacy features.
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These newer features were only available through a web-based portal, while most users continued to rely on the legacy desktop app for everyday protection. This forced users to switch platforms mid-task, often during sensitive workflows like breach monitoring or account cleanup.
The experience felt disjointed and frustrating, and the fragmentation led to:
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Significant drop-off during key protection workflows
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Low visibility and adoption of newer web-based identity and privacy features
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Increased friction for OEM partners and internal stakeholders
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Our goal was to close this gap by integrating the company’s identity and privacy features into the modern desktop app, creating a more cohesive experience that built trust and increased engagement.
My Role
I led this initiative as Product Design Manager, partnering with engineering, product, and platform teams to define the strategy and guide execution. While I drove alignment and overall direction, this was a collaborative effort, and my lead designer played a pivotal role by taking on significant ownership in execution and demonstrating remarkable growth over the course of the project.
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Defined design strategy and success metrics in collaboration with product and engineering
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Partnered with a lead designer on flow development, design prep, and stakeholder alignment
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Facilitated coordination across desktop, web, and OEM-facing teams
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Collaborated with engineers to develop a modular architecture for embedded identity and privacy tools
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Advocated for clarity, accessibility, and consistency across the integrated experience
Strategy
To untangle the user experience, we mapped out the protection journey across platforms and surfaced misalignments. We then prototyped how identity tools could live inside the desktop shell without sacrificing clarity, speed, or trust.
We focused on:
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Consolidating redundant flows across platforms
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Creating modular entry points that adapted to account status
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Designing for edge cases like expired subscriptions or first-time logins
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Aligning stakeholders on what “unified experience” actually meant