Core Portfolio Builder

Build a diversified portfolio

How might we create an experience which not only provides enough information for an investor to make a financial decision, but also educates on the differences between portfolio compositions

... but a Core portfolio builder already exists at BlackRock

True. However the tool is very limited and the company has rebranded since then. It is not also device responsive, nor is it accessible- so we saw this as a great opportunity to improve the experience while fully rebranding at the same time.

To uncover potential improvement areas, we ran some usability testing on the previous tool.

What works

• Gamified: the users love the interactivity of the slider and the response from the tool.
• Has the right amount of data for an investor to explore more, ultimately leading to a decision.

Opportunities

• How might we arganize the data in a way that is not scattered through the tool?
• Reduce redundancy: The same tickers appear in multiple positions.
• Clear next steps: How might we strategically position the next steps the is more discoverable for the user?

Let's set some goals

What do we want to accomplish by redesigning this tool?

For the user

• Increase engagement within the tool.
• Meet the user where they are: Organize the data in a way that makes sense and is discoverable.
• Don't make the tool worse.

For the business

• Increase engagement to the All in One allocation.
• Increase clicks to the tool.
• Increase engagement with next steps.

For my team

• Improve worklow and delivery process.
• Improve accessibility spec, testing and delivery.
• Increase team visibility within the firm.

Learning the business perspective

How might we learn more about what the business needs are? In order to find out, we conducted some internal interviews. Here is what we found:

• The business would like to give equal attention to the "All in One Allocation" Products.
• We don't expect an end investor to invest in an entire portfolio.
• If we can get users to explore one ETF that is a win.
• We would like users to engage with the next steps.

It's not obvious there is more data than Expense Ratio
-Brad Zucker

"Core ETF Mix" means nothing to the end investor
-Sophia Maxstadt

How we envision the customer journey

How would a user get to this tool? We considered multiple entry points, from the pages within the site and social media.

There are many paths a user can take with lots of disclaimers along the way, so mapping out that journey would be helpful to inform designs.

Finding the user perspective

We put together a few strategies to learn more about how the users feel and behave with similar tools.

Strategy: talk to users directly

We asked users about their portfolio research and building habits as well as their expectations, and what resources they regularly use.

Key insights

• Users usually have multiple tabs or tools open when doing their research.
• Brand credibility plays a large role.
• Don't put information behind a paywall.
• They love data visualizations.

Strategy: Usability testing

We had a lot of ideas to put in front of users to put in front of users. Their feedback and insights really informed the next iterations and MVP

Prototype: Content organization

Hypothesis: We believe the content organization causes users to miss some key actions. How might we present all the data and content in a way that is easily discoverable and not redundant?

Business view: The data displayed is all required by L&C. How can we serve it to users in a way that is intentional and valuable to their research?

Prototype: Add context to the Slider

Hypothesis: We believe users need more information about what the slider represents. Since this is the main driver of the tool, how might we provide context to the slider so the user can recognize the differences between investment styles?

Business view: The slider represents the user investment style- from very conservative to very aggressive. How do we make sure users are aware of this?

Prototype: All in One allocation offering

Hypothesis: We believe users are not valuing the all in One allocation offering as much as the portfolio. How might we bring equal attention to the All in One offering?

Business view: The all in one allocation product is an alternative to the portfolio which requires less maintenance but higher in cost.

Contributing to the Design System

Our Design System was still in its early phases, and there was no documentation for a slider. Since the Core Builder relied heavily on a slider for its core functionality, this was a perfect oppurtunity to identify all other use cases and contribute to the Design System.