Transformed a multi-day manual transfer process into a guided workflow completed in minutes — eliminating external spreadsheet dependency and reducing error risk across high-value client accounts.
Role
Senior Product Designer
Users
Financial Advisors, Client Services
Scope
User Research, Digital Submission Flows, Paper-to-Digital, Usability Testing
Outcome
30% Time Reduction
The Problem
High Time Cost
Multi-day transfers driven by disconnected steps, external spreadsheets, and manual calculations.
Manual Risk
Error-prone Excel calculations outside the system.
Repetitive Entry
Redundant transaction data entry across steps.
Inconsistency
Personal workarounds led to execution gaps.
Low Learnability
Steep learning curve for new advisors.
Client Risk
Potential dissatisfaction due to delays or errors.
My Approach
Contextual Inquiry
Shadowed 4 financial advisors through complete end-to-end transfer workflows — not the documented process, but what advisors actually did, including their spreadsheet workarounds.
As-Is Journey Mapping
Mapped the full workflow: 10 discrete steps, 5 handoff points, 3 external tools. Found that 60%+ of errors occurred specifically during the manual allocation phase.
Co-Design Workshops
Ran collaborative sessions with power users and compliance leads to validate the consolidated flow before committing to high-fidelity design — reducing costly late-stage pivots.
Prototype
The redesigned flow collapses 10 manual steps into a single guided event — with inline allocation, automated transaction preview, and real-time validation before anything is committed.
Outcome
What took days now takes minutes. That's not a UX improvement — it's an operational transformation that directly reduced client risk and contributed to a major retention win.
Days to Minutes
Transfer completion time
Tools consolidated
Manual spreadsheets eliminated
Weeks to days
Advisor onboarding time
1 client retained
At risk of churn
Wireframes, research artifacts, and prototype available upon request.