Showcase : Product Strategy & Design

Platform Agnostic Financial Hub

Problem Statement

An established investment services firm, known for providing reliable custodian and retirement solutions, faced a significant technical challenge: their aging third-party platform was limiting their ability to serve their core client base of investors, financial advisors, and plan administrators. As a focused player in the institutional investment space, they needed to modernize their digital infrastructure while maintaining the trust and stability their clients expect.

The challenge included several key elements:

The existing platform constrained their ability to enhance core services
Market evolution demanded more efficient digital tools
The system needed to support multiple user types across devices
White-label capabilities were required for employee-benefits firm partnerships

I led a UX transformation initiative that would:

Design an intuitive, platform-agnostic user experience
Create a scalable design system adaptable to various technical solutions
Streamline their alternative-investment marketplace experience
Enhance service delivery through improved digital tools

Our user research findings and experience design recommendations ultimately helped the company confidently decide to build a custom solution on top of Salesforce. The final product, shaped significantly by our design work, successfully merged the robustness of Salesforce's infrastructure with a tailored user experience that precisely met their clients' needs.

The work required balancing institutional-grade functionality with modern usability standards - creating an experience that would serve their diverse user base while maintaining the flexibility to white-label for strategic partnerships.

Key Activities

Strategic Vision Led the development of a comprehensive experience strategy focused on:

Creating a highly configurable, scalable white-label design system
Supporting business growth through B2B partnerships with plan administrators and advisors
Enabling new B2C service offerings to diverse investor segments
Delivering contextual experiences tailored to varying levels of investment sophistication
Establishing a future-proof foundation for digital service delivery

Research & Discovery

Conducted extensive stakeholder alignment through:
- C-Suite and key stakeholder interviews to identify strategic priorities
- Gap analysis between current state and future vision
- SME deep-dives into technical and business constraints
Executed comprehensive user research program:
- Developed targeted interview guides for multiple user segments
- Conducted in-depth interviews with current/former customers, financial advisors, and administrators
- Synthesized findings into actionable insights
Performed thorough domain analysis:
- Mapped regulatory and legal requirements for retirement planning and custodial accounts
- Documented critical business processes and workflows
- Identified optimization opportunities within existing systems

Strategic Planning & Alignment

Developed detailed user segmentation and personas based on quantitative and qualitative data
Orchestrated and facilitated week-long design thinking workshops:
- Unified diverse business units around common vision
- Aligned product definitions across stakeholder groups
- Created prioritized roadmap for implementation
Identified and mapped:
- B2B partnership opportunities and friction points
- B2C user pain points and experience enhancement opportunities
Delivered comprehensive strategy recommendations with clear implementation path

Design & Implementation

Created high-fidelity interactive prototype enabling:
- Stakeholder alignment and buy-in
- User validation testing
- Development team guidance
Developed responsive design system supporting:
- Branded and white-label implementations
- WCAG accessibility compliance
- Cross-device compatibility
Optimized for Salesforce implementation:
- Strategically leveraged out-of-box components to minimize maintenance
- Developed custom patterns for competitive differentiation
- Created distinct visual identity while maintaining platform efficiency
Conducted validation testing to ensure design effectiveness
Presented recommendations through executive-ready deliverables:
- Strategic vision videos
- C-Suite presentations
- Implementation roadmaps

Outcomes

The successful implementation of our agnostic design ported well to the Salesforce platform and delivered significant business value:

Strategic Impact

Enabled the firm to successfully transition from a weak third-party platform to a customized Salesforce solution while maintaining business continuity
Established a scalable foundation that supports both direct-branded and white-label partnership opportunities
Created a distinctive user experience that sets the firm apart in the institutional investment space

Business Results

Smooth platform migration with high user adoption rates
Increased operational efficiency through streamlined workflows
Enhanced ability to onboard new B2B partnerships through white-label capabilities
Improved client satisfaction through intuitive, role-specific interfaces
Strengthened competitive position through modern digital service delivery

The portal continues to serve as a cornerstone of the firm's digital infrastructure, supporting their growth objectives and enabling them to deliver exceptional service to investors, advisors, and administrators.

SAMPLES

Video

Persona Segmentation & Definition

Through comprehensive research, we identified distinct customer segments and their progression patterns. This insight led us to design an intelligent, tiered experience that dynamically adapts to each customer's investment sophistication and portfolio value. The interface presents contextual information, personalized insights, and targeted actions that guide investors toward higher net-worth tiers while increasing assets under management.