Open Source Database
in the cloud
UX Case Study
Problem Statement
I am curious to test drive Postgres in the cloud,
but it’s new to me and I’m not sure how to get started
Objectives & Goals
I need to immediately create a cluster quickly
I want to enable advanced features, but I’m not sure how to find them
Business Challenges
Database professionals (DP) have data estates across multiple database vendors
DPs are seeking ways to reduce costs for their data warehouses
DPs are moving towards more unified governance over their data estates
DPs are often seeking an off ramp from Oracle
DPs are a bit hesitant to migrate to open-source solutions like Postgres
Product Users
Data Professionals seeking open-source fully managed Postgres in the cloud.
User Research
Observations
90%
Are “highly motivated” to migrate from Oracle
Cite “cost savings” as the primary factor in exploring BigAnimal
50%
Have their data estates spread out over 5+ vendors
10%
Enabled advanced features after creating a new cluster in the free trial
60%
Anticipate making a decision within 3 days of starting the free trial
20%
Created a cluster within 5 minutes of starting the free trial
We conducted qualitative user sessions with 10 existing free trial users and surveyed 30 users
80%
User Needs
DPs have very short windows to dedicate to evaluating new SaaS offerings in an increasingly crowded cloud Database space
DPs need to be able to create a new cluster on entry into free trial so they can test drive more advanced features
DPs are often coming from Oracle and/or AWS, so they prefer a user experience that is familiar and comfortable
Features & Functionalities
To resolve user needs
Next-level
PG functions
⚙️
Five Nines
High Availability
🔋
Manage all DBs
in one place
🧑🏽💻
Product User Challenges
DPs allocate very little time to evaluate new tools
DPs come from on-premise DB world and are much less familiar with cloud infrastructure, security, and management
DPs have operated in Oracle for decades, but are now being urged by CFOs to seek more affordable alternatives
DPs and CSOs are highly concerned with security of cloud products
Competitor Analysis
Undergoing major strategic shift to infuse AI, expand data warehouses/lakes
Own 45% of nosql-database market share
Features :
Developer-focused tools that scale up for midsize and large enterprises
MongoDB
Focus on managing open source cloud data infrastructure
Achieved $3B valuation
Features :
Niche platform credited with democratizing open source DBs
Aiven
Unique Features
Next-generation, AI-driven governance, estate, warehouse features that are well ahead of the market
Hyper responsive to customer feature build requests
Industry-leading open-source contributors trusted by the Postgres community
Neel Patel
DB Admin
About
age 42
London
20 years
AWS Certified
User Persona
Description
Database Administrator for fortune 1000 company seeking an alternative to Oracle
A day in their life
On call for database emergencies 24/7
Dedicates less than 2 hours/week to trying new tools
Manually performs low-level admin tasks on databases spread out across 5+ vendors
Pain points
Feels stuck with Oracle and other legacy solutions
Strongly prefers to move to the cloud and automate basic tasks to win back some time
We desperately want to migrate away from legacy on-premise databases, but the open source cloud space is unclear to me
Taskflows
I want to explore the advanced features of BigAnimal in a real-world free trial
Scenario 1 :
Create Account
Explore Features
🥵 Set up CSP
🤬 Activate Region
😡 Multiple Tabs
✅ Create Cluster
I want to create a cluster quickly and go!
Scenario 2 :
Enter Dashboard
Create Cluster
✅ Approve Presets
☎️ Onboard Call
🤬 Setup Steps
😡 Multiple Tabs
Landing
Before
After
Cluster Creation
Before
After
Thank You