MinIO: Designing Cloud Storage for a Faster World

MinIO: Designing Cloud Storage for a Faster World

MinIO: Designing Cloud Storage for a Faster World

Services

Services

Web App, Design System, Website

Web App, Design System, Website

Industry

Industry

Industry

Cloud Storage & Enterprise Solutions

Cloud Storage & Enterprise Solutions

Duration

Duration

Ongoing

Ongoing

Team

Team

Team

Omar, Steph, Migue, Jader

Omar, Steph, Migue, Jader

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✨ Listen to our AI-generated audio summary of the MinIO success story and discover how Shortcut delivered incredible results.

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Generated by AI based on user-provided sources and instructions.

MinIO’s object storage platform handles massive datasets in cloud-native environments. While the technology was robust, the user experience needed to match its capabilities. Our goal was to create designs that simplified complex workflows, enhanced usability, and supported MinIO’s growth with intuitive designs.


Shortcut partnered with MinIO to elevate their products through clear, efficient design. Over nine months, we delivered:

MinIO’s object storage platform handles massive datasets in cloud-native environments. While the technology was robust, the user experience needed to match its capabilities. Our goal was to create designs that simplified complex workflows, enhanced usability, and supported MinIO’s growth with intuitive designs.


Shortcut partnered with MinIO to elevate their products through clear, efficient design. Over nine months, we delivered:

March → June 2024

March → June 2024

1

1

Enterprise Object Store (AIStore)

Enterprise Object Store (AIStore)

AIStor offered enterprise-grade functionality but was complex to navigate. The task was to create a simpler, more accessible interface that maintained its advanced features.

AIStor offered enterprise-grade functionality but was complex to navigate. The task was to create a simpler, more accessible interface that maintained its advanced features.

AIStor offered enterprise-grade functionality but was complex to navigate. The task was to create a simpler, more accessible interface that maintained its advanced features.

The Shortcut

The Shortcut

In a focused two-week sprint, Shortcut delivered a fresh visual style for AIStor – a Shortcut to a more intuitive experience. We prioritized clarity by establishing a clear visual hierarchy with thoughtful font choices to guide the eye and highlight essential information. We aimed for a clean and modern aesthetic, transitioning to a refined palette of grays complemented by a fresh blue accent, reflecting MinIO’s cutting-edge position, all in record time.

In a focused two-week sprint, Shortcut delivered a fresh visual style for AIStor – a Shortcut to a more intuitive experience. We prioritized clarity by establishing a clear visual hierarchy with thoughtful font choices to guide the eye and highlight essential information. We aimed for a clean and modern aesthetic, transitioning to a refined palette of grays complemented by a fresh blue accent, reflecting MinIO’s cutting-edge position, all in record time.

April → August 2024

April → August 2024

2

2

 UI Toolkit: Scaling Design Across Products

 UI Toolkit: Scaling Design Across Products

We established a modular foundation using 'Tokens' to define typography, colors, and spacing, which formed the core visual language. Our process was iterative and agile, with weekly syncs with the MinIO team to ensure we were consistently aligned with their evolving needs. Efficiency was a key consideration, focusing initially on restructuring existing components before introducing new ones based on user feedback and MinIO’s product roadmap.

We established a modular foundation using 'Tokens' to define typography, colors, and spacing, which formed the core visual language. Our process was iterative and agile, with weekly syncs with the MinIO team to ensure we were consistently aligned with their evolving needs. Efficiency was a key consideration, focusing initially on restructuring existing components before introducing new ones based on user feedback and MinIO’s product roadmap.

We established a modular foundation using 'Tokens' to define typography, colors, and spacing, which formed the core visual language. Our process was iterative and agile, with weekly syncs with the MinIO team to ensure we were consistently aligned with their evolving needs. Efficiency was a key consideration, focusing initially on restructuring existing components before introducing new ones based on user feedback and MinIO’s product roadmap.

The Shortcut

The Shortcut

After building and rigorously testing every necessary component, we meticulously documented them, ensuring developers could implement the toolkit seamlessly. This comprehensive effort culminated in the first version of the MinIO Design System, successfully applied to their flagship product, AIStor.

To this day, we continue to add to and expand the system, reflecting the growing needs for other MinIO products over time.

September → December 2024

September → December 2024

3

3

Open Source Console UI

AIStor offered enterprise-grade functionality but was complex to navigate. The task was to create a simpler, more accessible interface that maintained its advanced features.

AIStor offered enterprise-grade functionality but was complex to navigate. The task was to create a simpler, more accessible interface that maintained its advanced features.

AIStor offered enterprise-grade functionality but was complex to navigate. The task was to create a simpler, more accessible interface that maintained its advanced features.

September → December 2024

September → December 2024

4

4

Website Redesign for AIStor Launch

Website Redesign for AIStor Launch

MinIO’s website needed an upgrade to resonate beyond their technical audience, to resonate with enterprise IT audiences and effectively showcase the AIStor launch.

MinIO’s website needed an upgrade to resonate beyond their technical audience, to resonate with enterprise IT audiences and effectively showcase the AIStor launch.

MinIO’s website needed an upgrade to resonate beyond their technical audience, to resonate with enterprise IT audiences and effectively showcase the AIStor launch.

The Shortcut

The Shortcut

We embraced fast exploration, initially considering a wide range of visual directions before focusing on a "favorite" solution, moving from a "messy kitchen" of ideas to a polished "diamond".

To avoid sacrificing quality, we developed a scalable section toolkit, using reusable sections to rapidly expand the design across all sixty-eight pages of the website.

Shortcut has provided immense value to our company, not just through the quality of their work, but also through their rapid response to our ever-changing requirements, which is essential given the nature of our projects. They significantly impacted our way of working, introducing a fresh and modern creative approach”

Shortcut has provided immense value to our company, not just through the quality of their work, but also through their rapid response to our ever-changing requirements, which is essential given the nature of our projects. They significantly impacted our way of working, introducing a fresh and modern creative approach”

Shortcut has provided immense value to our company, not just through the quality of their work, but also through their rapid response to our ever-changing requirements, which is essential given the nature of our projects. They significantly impacted our way of working, introducing a fresh and modern creative approach”

Daniel Valdivia, MinIO Software Architect
Daniel Valdivia, MinIO Software Architect
Daniel Valdivia, MinIO Software Architect
Daniel Valdivia, MinIO Software Architect