Role:
Product designer
Team
UX engineer
Timeline:
Q4 2025 - delivered
Problem
Large canvas interfaces were becoming common across multiple IBM products, but keyboard navigation patterns were inconsistent. Users could lose context, slow down workflows, or encounter accessibility issues without clear guidance.
Solution
Contributed to the Carbon Design System by defining keyboard interactions for mini-maps (pan, zoom, focus, selection).
Partnered with a cross-product canvas workgroup to ensure guidelines were reusable for designers and engineers across multiple products.
Designed focus states, tab order, shortcut keys, and visual cues to keep users oriented and improve accessibility
Impact
Provided a consistent, reusable pattern for keyboard navigation in canvas interfaces across IBM products.
Reduced friction and improved accessibility for users navigating large or complex canvases.
Strengthened the Carbon Design System with guidance that benefits future product teams.
Delivered guidelines:
