Problems to Solve
Redesigned Chase’s mobile app navigation by replacing the hamburger menu, improving usability, and addressing account management and user experience challenges.
Pain Points
Hierarchical hamburger menu required users to think in terms of task, entity, and value, while they naturally think in terms of entity, task, and value, which made it difficult to access features and complete tasks
DESIGN EXPLORATION
Wireframing and Redefining Card Design for Enhanced Usability
After ideation, we transitioned to wireframing, translating concepts into visual representations. Focused on alternative card designs, we assessed their potential functionalities while aligning with Chase’s preference for leveraging existing assets. This approach refined features to meet user needs, ensuring any new designs adhered to Chase’s design ethos and user experience standards.
design refinements through whiteboarding
Identified 32 different Edge Cases
• Itemized Features: Listed and categorized every feature on a whiteboard to clarify scope and prioritize functionalities.
• User Journey Mapping: Sketched a preliminary flow to define and validate the user’s navigation path.
• Scope Definition: Documented visual representations to determine whether features needed to be created, modified, combined, or removed.
• Edge Case Identification: Highlighted potential edge cases early in the process for proactive resolution.
• Collaboration with Development: Engaged with the development team promptly to assess feasibility and refine solutions.
User Testing
Task-Based Analysis
I collaborated with a user researcher to rigorously test designs, using Principle for Mac to create interactive prototypes. Our discussions focused on identifying user flow blockers and ensuring correct button placement. The researcher organized task-based user testing with participants representing "starter" or "switcher" personas, with net worths from $100K to $5 million, to determine if prototypes worked, rather than simply gathering preferences. Testing used tasks designed to yield pass/fail results, and card sorting tasks to understand information hierarchy. This iterative process ensured designs met performance targets. I handed off prototypes to the research team about a month before research sessions, or
2-3 weeks before, and the team operated on a 3-week cycle.
Identifying & Addressing User Needs
Challenge Identified
In the course of our user testing sessions, which included participants with net worths ranging from $1 million to $100 million, a consistent issue emerged: the dashboard's design. Users unanimously pointed out that features displayed above the fold did not align with their individual needs and preferences. This feedback became particularly pertinent following the redesign that eliminated the hamburger menu, introducing nuanced challenges that required attention. For instance, opinions varied significantly regarding the placement of the watchlist, with some users prioritizing its visibility while others found it irrelevant.
Approach to Solution Discovery
Motivated by the recurring feedback, I adopted a hands-on approach to explore potential solutions. I printed out the design layouts and physically cut out the various feature cards, inviting users to reorder them according to their personal priorities during the research sessions. The diversity in users' arrangements highlighted a fundamental insight: the necessity for dashboard customization.
Solution Implementation
Leveraging this insight, I conceptualized and developed a new feature card dedicated to dashboard customization. This innovative solution empowered users to selectively display or hide features, as well as reorder them to suit their specific needs and preferences. This straightforward yet effective approach addressed the complex challenge identified through user testing, offering users a tailored experience that resonated with their individual requirements. The user-driven design process unequivocally demonstrated that the best solutions often emerge directly from user feedback and interaction.
Navigating Uncharted Design Challenges
Emerging Challenge:
In the journey of introducing innovative solutions at Chase, we encountered a particularly ambitious endeavor with the "Chart Over Time" feature. This concept, despite its apparent simplicity and significant data-driven foundation, was estimated to require an extensive development effort—over 40,000 man-hours. The complexity of integrating this feature underscored the need for strategic collaboration and alignment across different functional teams within Chase, each with its unique focus and priorities.
Strategic Collaboration for Solution Exploration:
To navigate this challenge, it became essential for our team to engage in cross-vertical collaboration, sharing our design vision and objectives with other teams to garner support and buy-in. This multidisciplinary approach was vital, as the integration of the "Chart Over Time" feature not only required technical feasibility but also alignment with the broader organizational goals and resources.
Presenting Solutions and Gaining Consensus:
We approached this challenge by formulating and presenting three strategic options: our ideal scenario ("Top Want"), a balanced proposal ("Our Ask"), and the minimal viable product (MVP) as the baseline. This structured presentation allowed us to articulate the value and impact of the "Chart Over Time" feature comprehensively, facilitating informed decision-making and prioritization among stakeholders.
By making a compelling case for the feature, we aimed to bridge the gap between innovative UX design and the technical constraints, demonstrating the potential of the "Chart Over Time" feature to enhance user engagement and satisfaction through dynamic, data-rich interactions. This endeavor exemplified the importance of cross-functional teamwork, clear communication, and strategic compromise in advancing UX innovation within large organizations.
Leadership
NATIVE INVESTMENT MVP ASK
INTERM
MVP ASK
Simple Card
Simple card showing
No Value Over Time
Value over time
Simple card with CTA
to Value over time
Aggregated Brokerage
Brokerage showing
Value over time
Retirement Aggregated TYCD
card extending
Things you can do
Retirement Aggregated
Retirement showing
Value over time
Single Account
Brokerage
card showing
Value over time
Overview
To design best-in-class mobile experiences for Chase Private Client users, I focused on redefining navigation and creating intuitive solutions for managing multiple accounts and complex financial data. As a key contributor to the UX team, I collaborated closely with product managers, researchers, engineers, and design leads to address 32 distinct user scenarios, ensuring seamless navigation and accessibility. By eliminating the hamburger menu, reimagining key workflows, and advocating for user-centric design, I delivered innovative solutions tailored to the elite 1%, aligning with Chase’s consumer-focused philosophy and commitment to excellence.
Role
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Senior UX Designer
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Design Systems Expert
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Web, iOS, Domain Expert
Responsibilities
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Responsible for a lot of prototyping using Principle.
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Hand off prototypes to the research team, who would then test them with users to determine if the design was effective
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Redesigning elements coming out of the hamburger menu, which was being removed due to user feedback about access to features and functions
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Utilized components from Chase's pattern library (Blue UI, now called Manhattan Design System) to ensure consistency and speed up development
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Worked within constraints related to development, and sometimes had to adjust designs based on the time and resources required to build new components
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Collaborate with multiple teams and make a case for why your design was needed
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involved in the full design process from prototyping to working with the research team and implementing designs, while also having to collaborate with other teams and work within existing design and development constraints.
The Imact
Increased app engagement
by 30%
Minor conversion pain point
Self Directing
Portfolio Summary
Self Direction- Account Summary
