Sean Ren Product Designer, AI Experiences

Enter passcode

This portfolio is shared by invitation.

Skip to the case study
Sean RenMerlinWatch the tour

Case studyAI enterprise tool2026

Merlin

Release one report in five classification tiers.Review only where the meaning moved.

MerlinQueueZendian conflictSearch reports or ask Merlin⌘KMon, Jul 609:16AK

Queue

10 reports
Talks now open Tue 09:00, a day earlier

A State Department cable at 07:58 moved them up. Merlin suggests 4 moves so the reports diplomats need come first. Your pinned report stays first.

Needs you 5
1
Anticipated Discussions at Behrainabad–Zendia Peace Talks Pinned by you
High priorityRPT-00001Diplomacy
Equity check drafted4 h 44 minMon 14:00
2
Structure of the Zendian Satellite Communications Network
RPT-00005Space
Coordination drafted5 h 44 minMon 15:00
3
Challenges in Maintaining Control of Tarla Bay Post-Victory
RPT-00011Military
2 meaning calls2 d 10 hWed 20:00
4
Zendia’s Acquisition of Illegal Weapons from a Rogue Nation State
RPT-00007Weapons
1 meaning call3 d 3 hThu 12:00
5
Status of Trade Negotiations between Zendia and Neighbors
RPT-00004Economy
Summary ready4 dFri 12:00
Waiting on others 3
6
Strategic Assessment for Amphibious Operation Launch Points Against Zendia
RPT-00010Tactics
DoD reply, usually 3 h3 d 4 hThu 13:00
7
Encryption Technologies in Zendian Satellite Communications Networks
RPT-00008Tactics
Marcus is revising3 d 4 hThu 13:00
8
Coalition Roles in Securing Tarla Bay Post-Victory
RPT-00012Military
State reply, usually 1 h2 d 8 hWed 17:00
Ready to release 2

Queue. A cable moved the peace talks up a day. Merlin proposes a new order with a reason for each move, and nothing moves until the releaser applies it.

Merlin prepares each step of releasing one report to five audiences: the order of the day, a check of every analytic judgment across the tiers, the reports it depends on, and the release checks. The releaser sees only what needs her judgment, Merlin’s own edits included, and every decision stays hers.

See the decisionsRead the brief
Role
Product & UX Designer
Timeline
Feb – May 2026
Partner
Laboratory for Analytic Sciences (LAS)
Team
Mia B., Tushita K. / Co-designers
Tools
Figma, NotebookLM, After Effects, Claude

Brief

Each tier is rewritten for its audience.
One releaser signs off on all of them.

Research brief

“How might the design of an interface automate the tiered reporting process, so that reporters might more efficiently and knowledgeably team with AI to sanitize and deliver sensitive information across classified tiers?”

The question our studio project with the Laboratory for Analytic Sciences started from.

Users

Releasers, the last checkpoint before intelligence goes out. For every tier they confirm classification, source protection and distribution, coordinate the partner agencies a release needs, and answer for whether that version still serves its customer.

Problem

Priorities live in an inbox with color labels, coordination runs by email, and the only way to know a rewrite kept Tier 1’s judgment is to reread it. In our own scenario, the original Merlin flagged one of five shifts in meaning, and another came from its own suggested rewrite.

Design question

How might AI prepare each step of a tiered release, so the releaser reviews only what needs her judgment and every decision stays hers?

Scope

Key insight

Most differences between tiers are required by each tier’s rules. The few that change a judgment hide among them, so the check has to compare judgments, not text, and hold Merlin’s own edits to the same rule.

Success looks like

A releaser catches a planted meaning shift and a wrong priority before the deadline, and can say why each tier is ready to go.

Research

We asked releasers how they check a report.
Then we mapped their morning.

The Laboratory for Analytic Sciences hosted a launch workshop with intelligence analysts. From there, Mia Biehler, Tushita Kaul and I ran two rounds of semi-structured interviews, mapped the releaser’s morning, and took Merlin to stakeholders for feedback. These are our working materials; open any of them.

Research and reviews

MethodParticipants and materialBy
Launch workshopIntelligence analysts on how a report is sanitized, reviewed, coordinated and released across tiersLAS
Semi-structured interviews, two roundsAnalysts, including a senior reporting authority with eight years in the roleTeam
Journey mappingThe releaser’s morning, built from the interviewsTeam
Stakeholder reviewMerlin presented to stakeholders, including a releaser from the NSA, for feedbackTeam
Final presentationMerlin presented to LAS; the team received a signed LAS thank-you letter and an NSA coinTeam
Expert review of the original MerlinOur team’s scenario, Tier 1 against Tiers 2 and 3, one judgment at a timeSolo
Standards reviewClassification marking under 32 CFR 2001Solo

Four moments kept coming back

Choose one to find it on the journey map, then read what we heard and what Merlin does about it.

The journey map: nine scenarios from the morning meeting to release, with the releaser’s actions, touchpoints, pains, gains and emotional curve.Start of day
The journey map we built from the interviews, colored by the kind of work each step asks for. Highlighted: Morning meeting, a high-priority report arrives. Point at the map to read it up close.Swipe along the map to read it.

What we heard

Runs the day from an inbox queue with arrows and color labels for priority, and asked for manual labels like “release me first”.

Senior reporting authority, team interview

Starts each morning checking what is in progress, and balances the queue against work from outside it.

Intelligence analyst, team interview

Pain point

Priority lives in an inbox and a set of labels. When plans change overnight, the order is rebuilt by hand.

In Merlin

Merlin proposes the order, and the releaser applies it.

Try the queue

Design decisions

Merlin points at the drift.
The releaser decides what the words mean.

Each decision below plays in the coded prototype. Switch to the original Merlin and to my wireframe to see what it replaced.

1Decision

Check judgments, not documents.

Merlin lines up each Tier 1 judgment across the lower tiers. Changes a tier’s rules require, like removing sources or names, clear on their own. Only a change in strength, scope, certainty or who becomes a call, outlined in ink. Review takes one call at a time, with the fix shown in place, and Merlin’s own past edits come back as calls like anyone’s.

Why

A redline marks every required removal the same way as a change in meaning, so releasers would still be rereading.

Senior reporting authority, team interviewWanted versions side by side with the differences highlighted, and a way to check that recommended changes were made without rereading.See it in the research
MerlinReportsRPT-00001Search reports or ask Merlin⌘KMon, Jul 609:18AK

Anticipated Discussions at Behrainabad–Zendia Peace Talks

RPT-00001Diplomacy Due Mon 14:00, in 4 h 44 min 5 tiers drafted

ReadMeaning check 0HistoryConnections 6
Tier 3 changed at 09:17. Merlin is checking 7 judgments across 5 tiers.Reading Tier 2 of 5. Calls appear on the right as it finds them.
Judgment in Tier 1 TSSource narrative
Tier 2 CReading
Tier 3 CQueued
Tier 4 CUIQueued
Tier 5 UQueued
Talks agenda“will center on four primary areas”
Stance on transition“will resist full democratic transition”
Aid talks as leverage“will attempt to use negotiations as leverage”
Hidden preconditions“intelligence collected via SIGINT and HUMINT confirms”
Relationship has deteriorated“across all dimensions”
Preparing for isolation“these developments suggest”
Opposition on the talks“cautious optimism”

Merlin reads each tier against Tier 1 and outlines where a judgment’s meaning moved. Aisha then takes the calls one at a time; the second is Merlin’s own earlier edit, flagged like anyone’s.

2Decision

Propose a new order instead of applying one.

When a cable moves the talks up a day, Merlin proposes a new order in a banner that says what changed. Previewing it shows every move with its reason and source. Nothing moves until the releaser applies it, her pinned report stays first, and Undo is one key away.

Why

Releasers already run their day from a queue they arranged themselves. A proposal keeps that order hers until a reason changes her mind.

Senior reporting authority, team interviewRuns the day from an inbox queue with arrows and color labels for priority, and asked for manual labels like “release me first”.See it in the research
MerlinQueueZendian conflictSearch reports or ask Merlin⌘KMon, Jul 609:16AK

Queue

10 reports
Talks now open Tue 09:00, a day earlier

A State Department cable at 07:58 moved them up. Merlin suggests 4 moves so the reports diplomats need come first. Your pinned report stays first.

Needs you 5
1
Anticipated Discussions at Behrainabad–Zendia Peace Talks Pinned by you
High priorityRPT-00001Diplomacy
Equity check drafted4 h 44 minMon 14:00
2
Structure of the Zendian Satellite Communications Network
RPT-00005Space
Coordination drafted5 h 44 minMon 15:00
3
Challenges in Maintaining Control of Tarla Bay Post-Victory
RPT-00011Military
2 meaning calls2 d 10 hWed 20:00
4
Zendia’s Acquisition of Illegal Weapons from a Rogue Nation State
RPT-00007Weapons
1 meaning call3 d 3 hThu 12:00
5
Status of Trade Negotiations between Zendia and Neighbors
RPT-00004Economy
Summary ready4 dFri 12:00
Waiting on others 3
6
Strategic Assessment for Amphibious Operation Launch Points Against Zendia
RPT-00010Tactics
DoD reply, usually 3 h3 d 4 hThu 13:00
7
Encryption Technologies in Zendian Satellite Communications Networks
RPT-00008Tactics
Marcus is revising3 d 4 hThu 13:00
8
Coalition Roles in Securing Tarla Bay Post-Victory
RPT-00012Military
State reply, usually 1 h2 d 8 hWed 17:00
Ready to release 2

A cable moves the talks up a day. Merlin proposes a new order, Aisha checks why a report moved up, then applies it; Undo stays one key away.

3Decision

Every link on the map says why.

The map grew out of my local node view in the original Merlin. Each link carries its reason: a cited report, a shared topic, or a link Merlin found. Merlin’s links stay dotted and blue until someone confirms one; then it turns solid, counts as a dependency, and Merlin rechecks both reports when their source changes.

Why

A connection only helps if the releaser can tell who made it, and why.

Intelligence analyst, team interviewWanted to see how a report connects to past reporting and to its other tiers, drawn so the connections are visible.See it in the research
MerlinMapZendian conflictSearch reports or ask Merlin⌘KMon, Jul 609:22AK
100%
Same 07:58 cableTradeTransitionSame delegationTarla Bay
Same case, not linked to RPT-00001
RPT-00005 Satellite networkRPT-00008 Encryption technologies

Pointing at a report lights up its links. The dotted link Merlin found names its evidence, and turns solid once Aisha confirms it.

4Decision

Make the one irreversible step slow.

Release opens a sheet where six checks run in front of the releaser. One that fails stops the release with its fix in place: here, two Tier 1 paragraphs left in a CONFIDENTIAL tier. Sending takes a one-second hold, and the receipt says who got which tier.

Why

Everything before release can be undone. A release can’t, so it’s the one place the interface asks for a deliberate act.

Intelligence analyst, team interviewWould rather add hours to the timeline than release an incorrect report.See it in the research
MerlinReportsRPT-00001Search reports or ask Merlin⌘KMon, Jul 611:48AK

Anticipated Discussions at Behrainabad–Zendia Peace Talks

RPT-00001Diplomacy Due Mon 14:00, in 4 h 44 min 5 tiers drafted

ReadMeaning check 0HistoryConnections 6
5 calls decided, notes logged1 confirmed out of scope Checked against Tier 1 at 10:34
Runs again after every edit
Judgment in Tier 1 TSSource narrative
Tier 2 CControlled narrative
Tier 3 COperational summary
Tier 4 CUIOrientation brief
Tier 5 UPublic statement
Talks agenda“will center on four primary areas”
Kept

same four areas

To confirm

three areas, monitoring missing

Kept

four areas, in plain words

Kept, public wording

named in public terms

Stance on transition“will resist full democratic transition”
Aligned

will resist full democratic transition

Kept

operationally resistant

Aligned

will resist full democratic transition

Withheld by tier rule
Aid talks as leverage“will attempt to use negotiations as leverage”
Aligned

will attempt to use negotiations as leverage

Kept

entering talks with delay tactics

Aligned

will attempt to use negotiations as leverage

Withheld by tier rule
Hidden preconditions“intelligence collected via SIGINT and HUMINT confirms”
Sources removed

available intelligence confirms

Sources removed

not yet publicly disclosed

Sources removed

expected to set conditions

Withheld by tier rule
Relationship has deteriorated“across all dimensions”
Kept

across all dimensions

Kept, with your note

across multiple dimensions

Kept

worse on every front

Withheld by tier rule
Preparing for isolation“these developments suggest”
Kept

developments suggest

Kept, with your note

developments indicate

Kept

signs point to isolation

Withheld by tier rule
Opposition on the talks“cautious optimism”
Kept

cautious optimism

Kept, with your note

cautious support

Kept

hopeful but wary

Withheld by tier rule

Six checks run in front of Aisha. One finds two Tier 1 paragraphs left in a CONFIDENTIAL tier; Merlin fixes them, and a one-second hold sends four tiers.

Design system

At a glance, the releaser can tell what Merlin suggested from what a person decided.

One library, grown from the original Merlin’s palette: its navy header and its three status colors carry over, and each marking keeps its banner color. Blue always marks what Merlin proposed, ink what a person decided, and gray what a tier’s rules required. Everything here is live.

Blue until a person decides

A link Merlin found is dotted, a rewrite it proposes is blue and underlined, and its drafts carry the spark. Once someone decides, each turns to ink.

A link Merlin found Same cable
A rewrite Merlin proposeswill resist a full transition
A draft Drafted by Merlin

Designed for when Merlin is unsure, wrong or slow

Every surface Merlin touches has a state for working, unsure, failed and overridden, so the releaser can tell what Merlin knows from what it’s guessing.

Checking Tier 4 against Tier 1

Tiles fill in as each tier finishes. Nothing is hidden while it runs.

Every token carries its reason

Four control heights, two panel widths and one spacing scale, each named with why it is that size. Contrast is computed here from the token values.

  • TS Jsize/control-xs20Markings and keycaps: 11 px text in a 20 px box.
  • Needs your callsize/control-sm24Chips and small buttons: 12 px text with 4 px padding.
  • Applysize/control-md32Buttons and fields: 13 px text with 7 px padding.
  • Meaning check 5size/control-lg40Tabs and toasts.
  • size/row64Queue row: two lines of text and a 24 px chip with 12 px of air; rows never get shorter than this.
  • size/navigator320Left lists and review side panels: a 288 px column inside 16 px gutters.
  • size/inspector400Right inspectors: 352 px of text inside 24 px gutters, about 55 characters at 13 px.

Every step has a key

Releasers review for hours, so the whole morning runs from the keyboard. Press a key to see it here; the same keys work in the prototypes above.

JK
Next or previous call
123
Decide
↵
Apply
E
Edit first
C
Confirm a link
X
Dismiss
⌘Z
Undo
Esc
Back out

Results

Featured by LAS,
and recognized by the intelligence community.

June 2026

Featured by LAS

The Laboratory for Analytic Sciences featured Merlin in its story on MGXD students taking on AI-assisted reporting.

Read the feature

Final review

Recognized by LAS and the NSA

Intelligence-community stakeholders reviewed four concepts. Our team received a signed LAS thank-you letter and an NSA coin.

Stakeholder review

Walked through with a releaser

We took Merlin to a releaser from the NSA and walked through the scenario together, from the queue to the release decision.

Feedback

Valued for its connections

A reviewer singled out finding related reports, tiers and policy without searching again and again. The map on this page grew from it.

Visitors at the team’s Merlin poster, which shows the tier comparison, the node view and a report card with its status tags.

Where it started

The original Merlin, designed with the team

Mia Biehler, Tushita Kaul and I designed Merlin in an 11-week studio project with the Laboratory for Analytic Sciences. I designed its dashboard, prioritization, coordination status and local node view, and the research here is the team’s. The version this page plays is my solo iteration on that work.

Sources

Judgment phrases in Tiers 1 to 3 come from the team’s scenario. The rest of the prototype’s content was written for this concept: Tier 4 and Tier 5 wording, times and people, the 07:58 cable, the RPT-00010 quote, the release checks and some report titles. Portion marks follow 32 CFR 2001.