Macquarie University's Cyber Security Hub is home to the Cyber Range Training Centre (CRTC), a facility for hyper-realistic cyber-attack simulations. When I joined, the core physical asset existed, but a complete digital experience was needed to make it a viable educational program. My mission was to design this experience from end-to-end. This involved building the program's public website, designing/updating intuitive learning simulations for 16 micro-credentials, and streamlining the lab access journey for partner students from TAFE NSW.

As a UX Designer embedded within the MQ Cyber Security Hub, I balanced strategic UX work with broader design needs. While I contributed to design strategy and execution across various touchpoints, my role evolved to support the team's visual communication needs more holistically.

My responsibilities included:

• UX Strategy & Research: Collaborating with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and educators to understand learning objectives and user needs.
• Interface & Visual Design: Creating wireframes, user flows, and visual designs for learning simulations and interfaces.
• Web Design & Development: Designing and building the CRTC's public-facing website and documentation portals.
• Visual Communication: Creating presentations, posters, branding materials, and other visual assets to support the program's communication needs.

To be successful, the CRTC needed to solve three distinct user experience problems:

• No Public Discoverability: The program had no website or public presence, making it impossible to attract students, explain the offering, or promote state-funded scholarships.
  
• High Subject Matter Complexity: Abstract cybersecurity concepts like network intrusions are difficult for novices to grasp. The CRTC needed a digital interface to make these threats tangible and interactive for learners.
  
• High-Friction Lab Access: The process for TAFE NSW students to access the MQU-hosted labs was a cumbersome, multi-login journey that created confusion and served as a barrier to learning.

I tackled these challenges sequentially, building out the student journey from their first point of contact to their final hands-on lab work.

1. Solution: Designing and Launching the Public-Facing Website

I first addressed the lack of a public presence. On a tight timeline, I designed and developed the CRTC's website from scratch using HTML/CSS. This created a professional and informative "front door" for the program, clearly communicating its value, detailing the micro-credentials, and providing a direct path for students to apply for scholarships.

2. Solution: Translating Scenarios into Intuitive Simulations

Next, I focused on the core learning experience. I facilitated co-design workshops with cybersecurity SMEs, mapping attack and defense scenarios on a whiteboard. This process allowed me to translate their expert knowledge into guided, step-by-step user flows. I then designed the simulation interfaces, using clear visual hierarchy and data visualizations to make complex events understandable and interactive for learners.

3. Solution: Streamlining Cross-Institutional Lab Access with SSO

Finally, I addressed the critical access barrier for TAFE NSW students. I mapped their frustrating, multi-login journey and identified the manual VPN authentication as the primary friction point. I used this evidence to advocate for a Single Sign-On (SSO) solution. The new design replaced the fractured process with a single-click launch, making the technical handoff between the two institutions invisible to the student.

My work established the foundational user experience for the entire CRTC initiative, leading to key outcomes:

• A Complete User Journey: Students now have a clear, cohesive path from first discovering the program on the website, to engaging with the simulations, to seamlessly accessing their labs via SSO.
  
• A Scalable Design Framework: The design patterns and components I created were used to successfully launch all 16 cybersecurity micro-credentials.
  
• A Proven Partnership Model: The frictionless SSO journey set a new standard for TAFE NSW and MQU, creating a successful and scalable template for future cross-institutional collaborations.
  
• A Gateway for New Students: The website I built single-handedly launched the CRTC's public presence, directly supporting marketing efforts and driving awareness of scholarships.

My biggest takeaway was the power of UX to act as the "glue" in a complex project. My role was to be a translator: translating expert knowledge into simple learning experiences, the program's value into a public website, and the needs of two institutions into a single, seamless journey for the student. It proved that a holistic approach to UX—addressing every barrier from discovery to final access—is essential for creating a truly successful product.