This project was commissioned by a wealth management company looking to update their designs. They wanted to encourage employees' usage of the company’s internal system when identifying potential clients. Our goal is to get users to complete a full profile multiple times a day.
Using AI to automate a large portion of the data entry process for agents and Leads. Enhancing the user interface by making it more presentable and clean with simpler pages to reduce cognitive load, and incorporating micro animations to mask loading times.
The tool for client logging is not being used by the employees of the agency, resulting in incomplete client information being recorded all over the system. The tool is outdated, requires full manual inputs for information to be logged, and users have to type while on the phone with potential clients. Redundant information is often required. As a result, agents were barely using the tool; an ecosystem where records are poorly kept was created.
"Tackle the issue of agent retention to the system and ensure that proper records are logged of potential clients."
"Providing completion status and asking simpler questions to help level set expectations, boost transparency, and reduce cognitive burden."
"A clean and simple interface makes this otherwise overwhelming process much more manageable."
"Allowing agents to pause and resume progress so that users input the most critical information."
Our goal is to encourage users to complete a full profile multiple times a day. To achieve this, I first needed to understand the agents' perspectives—how they felt about the current tools and what they needed them to become.
The data shown demonstrated that agents 1 to 7 years into their careers only logged about 20% of the Leads they talked with. This statistic only barely rose with the expansions of their client base.
Primarily, the low adoption rates come from the outdated design of the Lead system. The original design was only a list of text boxes that had to be filled manually. Most of the information served no purpose other than to take up agents' time. I needed to transform the tool so that it is more effective for both the agency and the agents.
The client developed Efact Finder, a tool that scrapes the web to streamline recording client data. By entering basic information like name, phone number, and address, users can quickly gather all relevant data from public sources such as social media, significantly boosting agents’ productivity.
Then, I needed to get to know our users. I observed the user feedback to understand where the pain points were.
“The CRM tool asks too many questions that don’t seem important, or I don't know the answer to.”
“I feel overwhelmed when using the CRM. I just don't know where to start.”
“Manually entering information from Efact finder in CRM is duplicative and frustrating.”
“Sometimes people say that they're already a NM client and wonder why we are calling.”
“Entering information is time consuming so I prefer to manage my Leads offline until I’m confident they will move forward.”
“Joint work is difficult – sharing and merging contacts doesn't always work leading to duplicate records.”
To help with the user flow, I created 2 user personas based on our research, a Financial Representative and a Client Services Associate. These two positions represent the primary occupations that would be interacting with our solution. Both have familiarity with backend tech products, yet they have different years of experience in the financial world.
With knowledge of the users’ and clients’ needs, I had a clear idea of what was desired from both. This allowed us to push forward into the creation of the new Lead Suspect Management system.
Kim needed a system to track Leads, and Efact Finder could automate much of the process. I designed a streamlined workflow, leveraging Efact Finder's ability to gather Lead data from public sources like LinkedIn and Glassdoor using just a name, phone number, and address. My focus was on creating an efficient input flow for agents.
I aimed to streamline the complicated old user interface, drawing inspiration from TurboTax's design, which simplifies complex tasks and guides users smoothly through each step. A design audit of TurboTax highlighted key themes I wanted to incorporate.
1. Large Type
TurboTax had excellent typography that condensed what the task was on each page into a few words.
2. Simple Tasks
To help with agents’ process of filling out complicated information, I learned from TurboTax and limited the tasks on screen to 1 or 2 at a time.
3. Progress Tracking
Making users’ progression clear is a big part of making sure that users know where they are in a flow and that they are approaching a finished state.
With this inspiration, I went in and made a sketch to communicate what our user interface might look like with simple CTAs and a bold approach to typography.
I also sketched a view of the duplicate contact page that helped agents avoid entering duplicate entries by directly comparing the profiles.
Once the profile is complete, there will be a page where agents can fill in any information that Efact Finder could not.
Next, I built wireframes with our users' needs in mind. I began by wireframing a simple name entry page, which would serve as a starting point for building the rest of the product.
Displays the name of the agent filling out the Lead.
Shows completion status of the logging of the Lead.
Questions are kept bolded and concise to keep the agent moving, preventing them from getting overwhelmed.
Text boxes are larger to make scanning simple.
Calls To Action (CTA) are in a consistent location at the bottom so that quick muscle memory takes over and speeds up the Lead logging process.
I minimized input fields per page in the contact-filling flow to reduce cognitive load and address back-end processing challenges. This adjustment, informed by discussions with the development team, helped distribute data more evenly, resulting in a smoother experience for clients, agents, and the system.
Displays the profiles that have already been created and can be added to.
If the Lead profile does not exist, agents can create a new one.
Blocks display the information the agents still need to fill in to complete the profile.
For the Client Services Associate, they would start by selecting the “Create New Contact.” This adds a new profile in the Leads Suspect Management system and moves Kim onto the flow to fill out basic information.
Adding the Lead’s basic information, i.e., name, contact information, and address, into the Leads Suspect Management system allows the system to search the web for the Lead’s complete profile.
Autofill was added to speed up the process of entering basic information.
If an associate enters the information of someone who is already in the Leads Suspect Management system, they can see if that Lead already exists. If that is the case, then the associate hands their profile over to the Financial Representative.
If an associate enters the information of someone who is already in the Leads Suspect Management system, they can see if that Lead already exists. If that is the case, then the associate hands their profile over to the Financial Representative.
If the Lead is not in the system, then the associate will create a profile for them.
If the Lead is not in the system, then the associate will create a profile for them. With the power of Efact finder the Leads Suspect Management system will add as much information that it can find on the web. Afterwards, it is up to the Financial Representative to cold-call the Lead and make the sale.
With the power of Efact finder the Leads Suspect Management system will add as much information that it can find on the web.
After the initial profile is completed by the Client Services Associate, it is sent to the Financial Representative, who cold-calls the Lead to make the sale.
James, the Financial Representative, starts by picking up where the Client Services Associate left off with the profile creation. He clicks on the “Update Existing Contacts” link from the dashboard.
Once James clicks on “Update Existing Contacts,” he looks through the list of Leads in the contacts list. James scrolls though the list and picks the one he was instructed to update by the Client Services Associate.
James cold-calls the Lead in the hopes of asking them to help him complete their profile.
Filling out the additional data brings the user back to the TurboTax-inspired design where James enters in the additional information.
Once a new section is completed, the Lead score is updated. Users can keep working on the updating process until the score reaches 100, at which point, all fields are completed.
I went on YouTube to learn to make a progression bar animation so that the user can get a stronger sense of achievement when they clear each step.
Next, I wanted to give the user a dopamine rush when they finish filling in a section. I added confetti to create a sense of celebration.
Icons were animated to spark up flat designs, making them friendlier to users.
This project taught me how to use and conduct user research with actual users while communicating with the client. It was an excellent opportunity to analyze who was using a product and how to tailor the experience for them.
Through this project, I learned about both the backend technical details of financial management systems and how to empathize with users in the wealth management industry who have their unique needs and feelings.
I also learned to use the Figma prototyping tool better, adding more clarity to any future prototypes I make. As a former animator, I enjoyed applying my animation skills in completely new contexts.
Chadwick Shao: Creative Director at EY
Jakob Gorgens: Manager at EY