How we optimized client management for U.S Business Bankers.
DATE: 2022
ASSIGNMENT: FULL-TIME
TYPE: WEB APPLICATION
ROLE: PRODUCT DESIGNER
CASE JOURNEY:
PART 1:
PART 2:
PART 3:
PART 4:
PART 5:
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This project wasn’t possible without the support of my team. Even in times of doubt, they walked with me until the end.
Design a Dashboard that helps Business Bankers manage their client applications.
in 30 days...
Become a digital-first bank for speed, scale, and the elimination of complexity.
Improve Business Banker workflow, optimizing their time & efforts assisting clients.
Assist with incoming acquisition.
The dashboard aims to provide live data that is dynamically updated, which will help a banker consistently monitor client application data & know exactly where an application stands within an application review process.
BMO Bank was acquiring a bank called Bank of the West (BOTW) and they wanted to provide the incoming bankers with technology & features they were accustomed to. I’m talking TONS of development for BMO in a span of a year, and this included a Banker Dashboard. BMO Bankers were managing clients on an antiquated system, so the team decided to step up their game and develop their own platform.
The only problem...I was provided a wireframe concept that didn’t have any clear rationale and violated a bunch of UX standards from both a practice and design system level. I couldn’t tell you who even designed this wireframe, but I knew this concept needed to be grounded in banker-needs and connect to the overall business strategy.
"This came from the top...who am I to challenge this?"
DESIGN SYSTEM MISALIGNMENT
HEURISTIC VIOLATIONS
VISUAL DESIGN MISCUES
FEATURES THAT BEG THE QUESTION: "WHY"
After addressing the concerns & risks, we agreed that I would take the proposed design and reimagine it with all the correct design system elements & align with the current functionality of the BBX platform. Any additional UX treatment would result in delay and we couldn’t afford that.
Okay now look, I knew this dashboard needed serious UX treatment, but I had no clue how to approach it. Was it my place to challenge or question things? After all, I was just a designer surrounded by people who had far-more decision making power than I did.
But...I saw an opportunity and took it.
I was scheduled to virtually present the re-imagined dashboard to a group of 40+ stakeholders, including the Head of U.S Business Banking. Before I turned on my camera I thought, “All I need is buy-in”.
I presented the re-imagined dashboard to our stakeholder group and it turned into a full-blown design collaboration. Dozens of stakeholders started to question design-choices with me, we started to imagine other alternatives, and began to ask the most important question of all:
"Does this provide value to the bankers?"
An AI depiction of me surrounded by stakeholders lol!
That was the light-bulb moment for me. Start the conversation, spark collaboration, and maybe it’ll peak the interest of others to start solving the right problems.
I’ll show you exactly how our team simplified and justified each aspect of the dashboard.
We needed to communicate the specific application status according to where it stands in the application review process.
How do these statuses help the banker at this stage of their journey?
Overall, these statuses are too high-level. Statuses do not provide any clear insight on why an application sits in a certain stage.
Better depiction of the non-linear application review process.
Vague color representations.
These statuses don't always reflect the application review process.
We've simplified the general statuses, but it isn't clear "Why" an application may be in a certain stage. How do we get even more specific?
There are certain actions or details that are associated with larger/general statuses of an application. Getting this nuanced & communicating these details would provide a clear snapshot of where the application stands and "why".
We can't expect bankers to rely on "Updates" within the Business Banking Dashboard. This could lead to missed updates and information digging.
Rather than digging into the application to find key details, we wanted to present key information up-front.
When a banker is examining an application tile, they have questions. This information needs to answer most of their questions. "When does this expire?", "Who is it assigned to right now?", etc.
Although we might’ve had 6 or 7 days at this point, I decided to initiate testing by contacting business bankers & walking them through a usability test, asking them questions that related to the experience & banking process.
5 BANKERS
USABILITY TESTING
OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE
"I like the simplicity and the way it’s organized. Will definitely help us manage our pipeline better."
"I like knowing the status instead of going to Livelink which is too confusing. BBX will make it easier.”
“I like the tabs that breakdown the application"
Because UX research doesn't find its way into the schedule very often, it was crucial that we demonstrated how valuable these insights can be. And they were! Especially to our stakeholder group.
We narrowed it down to 3 main actions the bankers take when they enter the dashboard, which we prioritized intensely:
START APPLICATION
MANAGE APPLICATION
SEARCH FOR APPLICATION
STATUS FILTERS
The statuses are a true-representation of the lending review process, helping bankers understand exactly where the application stands in the review process.
APPLICATION KEY DETAILS
By using clear visual hierarchy, a banker can identify key details that will help them communicate with their client and other internal role players.
If you got this far, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read about an experience that was unbelievably challenging, yet career-defining.
Sometimes a full-fledged design process is unrealistic and that’s okay.
Taking action can be so much more effective than trying explain design process, rationale, etc.
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If I continue to refine how I communicate the design process and its value, people will recognize the power of design thinking to solve hard problems.
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