BYU-Idaho
Switching authentication for 30,000 users in one day
Quick overview
I helped save more than $400,000 dollars in yearly security costs by leading out UX efforts to switch authentication systems. I streamlined a complicated process by implementing a "connect accounts" flow that took no longer than 3 minutes per user.
$400,000
Dollars saved in yearly identity & security costs
30,000+ users
Connected their accounts before go-live saving student support thousands of support tickets
3 minutes
Over 17 prototypes created to cover all edge cases
The need for a new authentication system
The need for change came from a high-level initiative to align all sister schools with the same identity and access platforms. Currently, the schools all operate on their own independent systems.
Switching to a unified identity system would:
☝️ Create one login across all school platforms
🔐 Simplify access for students with a single, consistent identity
💾 Modernize outdated systems and technology
🚨 Strengthen digital security
🔏 Standardize authentication and security processes
Getting started with the users in mind
More than 13 different user personas
It was important in this project to detect all possible users and their specific experiences during this change. I identified more than 13 possible user flows that will be affected by this change. I mapped out this experience and shared it with the dev team for solutions.
Day
Students
Online Students
Pathway Students
Potential Students
Transfer Students
Pathway & Transfers
Graduated Alumni
Faculty / Staff Employees
Returning Employees
Student Employees
Guest Account Holders
Potential Employees
This isn't just a digital change
On-campus printers, computers and faculty tools will be effected
Because of some technical limitations, on-campus experiences like the library computers and wifi will still use the BYU-Idaho username and password. This would require a physical solution to aid in user confusion.
Developing a process to connect accounts
My solution: A pre-go-live connection process
I designed a step-by-step process that required all current users to manually connect their accounts before go-live. This ensured a seamless transition on launch day and prevented thousands of users from calling in for help during the switch.
Benefits of a step-by-step connection flow:
🧭 Guides users through change, helping them understand and adapt to the transition.
✅ Reduces user error and confusion by breaking the process into clear, manageable steps.
💪 Builds user confidence and readiness before go-live.
🛠️ Helps support teams identify and resolve issues ahead of launch.
User testing our core personas
We user tested faculty first, our biggest concern
We ran over ten rounds of user testing with diverse personas. Faculty participants gave us our biggest “aha” moments—they’re experts in their fields, but technology isn’t always their comfort zone. Moderated testing helped uncover usability pain points and critical gaps in our rollout strategy.
What we learned from faculty
✅ Users completed the process easily, but most didn’t read the instructions
🤔 Many questioned the purpose, asking, “Why do we need to do this? What’s the benefit?”
⏰ Several planned to wait until the last minute to connect their accounts
📧 Most preferred email reminders or countdown updates instead of a forced connection process
Improvements made after user testing
🗓️ “Switch Day” Branding: We created a clear, simplified message and branded the transition as Switch Day to highlight the significance of the change.
📣 Cross-Department Launch: Each department appointed a representative to guide users through the change, communicate its benefits, and explain the purpose behind it.
🌐 Collaborative Communication Tools: Partnered with University Relations to develop a web portal featuring a countdown view, online login access, and email notifications leading up to launch.
🛠️ Technical Readiness: Worked with the technical team to identify and resolve bugs and identity connection issues before go-live.
"Switch-Day" banding and communication plan
We needed something catchy, clear, and easy to communicate. Our team developed a communication plan to campaign the change across faculty, staff, and departments. To minimize student disruption, we carefully chose the change date and shared campus-wide announcements and targeted emails to prepare everyone.
Switch-day was announced to over 7,000 students during our weekly devotional.
Connecting 30,000 Users Before “Switch Day”.
Implementing the step-by-step process account connecting process
With a strong team of developers I led the efforts for the account connecting process. This process required the following:
Integration with the Bootstrap design system
Connection to the authentication system
Implementation of two-factor authentication (2FA)
Before "Switch-Day": Connecting accounts flow
Before "Switch-Day": A user has connected their accounts already
After "Switch Day" and student has not connected their accounts
A prototype for every edge case
In a large technology like this, it's important to have a prototype for every situation. I developed more than 17 prototypes to cover every edge case. These covered situations like a user failing to connect, trying to connect twice, or a device already being connected, etc.
The results
We saved the campus thousands of dollars and lot's of headache
Connecting accounts ahead of time prevented thousands of users from being locked out of essential systems on switch day. Early connections meant fewer help desk tickets, less downtime, and a smoother campus-wide transition.
Authentication & identity platform fully implemented by week 3
$400,000 saved
In yearly security costs from outdated systems
5 days before go-live
30,000 accounts connected
1 week after go-live
40,000 accounts connected
Total accounts connected
62,000 accounts
✅ Success!
Final results, a strong relationship with our sister schools
This year-long project built strong connections among developers and teams between the two schools, paving the way for future technical problem-solving and planning.
UX Design team with BYU and BYU-Idaho (That's me on the right)
