IBM z/OS Connect - 2019–Present

API enablement of Mainframe Applications

Overview

This case study explores the product evolution of IBM z/OS Connect, a product for creating Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for applications on IBM z/OS, aka. the Mainframe. While some say that 'the Mainframe is dead', this is a far cry from the truth. Still today the largest banks, insurance companies, retailers, and airlines rely on the mainframe to run their core applications. The challenge faced by these companies is how to quickly modernise these applications, and extend them to bring new solutions to market. This is where IBM z/OS Connect plays a vital role. It allows companies to create APIs for their legacy applications in minutes, and unleash the uncharted potential of the mainframe to the market. This case study takes a deep dive into the re-design of IBM z/OS Connect over a period of three years (2019 – 2022). The changes discussed in this case study were aimed to ensure the longevity of the product in a rapidly changing market, while also giving our users greater flexibility, power, and agility when creating APIs for mainframe applications and data.

My role

I work on IBM z/OS Connect as a product designer, in small team of two designers. The team is internationally based with team members in the UK, USA, and India. Through the course of this project my colleague, Andy Lyell, and I have lead the design effort and played an integral role undertaking customer research, synthesising research findings, wire-framing solutions, user testing, producing hi-fidelity screens, and following the proposed designs to delivery. The project has been strongly design led with incredibly close working relationships with product management, content strategy, and development throughout.

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