Databricks wants to redesign core navigation across the Databricks Workspace to make it easier for data engineers, analysts, and ML practitioners to move between Catalog Explorer, SQL Editor, Jobs & Pipelines, notebooks, and dashboards. You are the UX/UI Designer leading execution for the design workstream on a high-visibility platform initiative with 1 product manager, 6 engineers, 1 user researcher, and executive review from the VP of Product. Leadership wants a launch-ready design direction in 12 weeks so engineering can begin implementation next quarter.
The PM wants a clear MVP that improves discoverability and reduces navigation friction without delaying roadmap commitments. Engineering wants to minimize front-end rework because the team is already committed to a Unity Catalog permissions update and a Databricks SQL performance release. Leadership wants a cohesive platform direction that can scale across multiple surfaces, while Customer Success is pushing for quick wins for enterprise users who report confusion switching between products.
You have a design research and prototyping budget of $45,000, no additional headcount, and 12 weeks to deliver an approved plan. Engineering can support only 2 major navigation changes and 3 minor UI updates in the first release. The redesign must work across desktop web first, with mobile deferred. It must not break existing workflows for top enterprise accounts, and any launch must align with the quarterly release train in Week 14.