EXPLORE BY GOALS

Not everyone is an expert in finance

Some people can navigate investment products by looking only at specific data. Many others don't know where to start. How might we provide a tool which leads users to ETFs using financial goals rather than hard data as a vehicle, and in the process learn the benefits of ETF investing and taking the next steps to making a decision?

Let's understand our users

• How do we learn more about our user's financial decision making process?
• What are their expectations and behaviors?
• Most importantly, what are their goals?

Undertsanding our users: Key takeaways

Key insights which helped us better understand user behaviors and expectations, and establish a base for design decisions as well as discovering problems.

Discovery: Competitive analysis

We looked at other services which directly or indirectly provided users a product based on specific goals or outcomes.

Understanding user and business needs

The business had their own idea of the definition of "outcome," as did the users we tested. In order to solidify what outcomes are, we put together card sorting exercises in front of users. We had the users sort the outcomes by personal relevance, and noting the outcomes users found confusing. We started off with 13 outcomes and were able to slim it down to five based on insights from the card sorting.

Discovery: Design sprint

We went through a Design Sprint to explore and discover how this tool can live in the real world. We were creating a brand new tool initially based off assumptions from feedback, so we needed to materialize and validate solutions. To accomplish this, we took four Designers, two project managers, one developer, and two fund managers, and locked them in a room for a week to figure it out.

Deciding on "Outcomes"

We conducted multiple tests, including interviews and card sort exercises to narrow down and define what outcomes are and how users perceive them. These tests helped us find solutions for language, messaging, perceived value, and expected behavior.

MVP

The minimum features needed to be usable enough to receive valuable user feedback and gain insight through analytics.

Defined goals or outcomes

• Understandable for novice investors
• Just enough to not overwhelm the user

Display relevant ETFs

• Show four most relevant ETFs
• Only show most important data, not all

Provide context

• Provide contextual information to keep users on track
• Context should help user tell a story

Next steps

• Give user ability to explore further
• Connect to Product Pages or Comparison tool

End to end user flow

Based on interviews and testing, we found that a landing page was helpful in creating a first impression and providing context to the tool. This tool may not be for everybody, so we set up an exit point to access our entire product screener. Sub-outcomes also added context to the journey and reduces cognitive load. We also discovered that the user's next step would be either to select and compare funds, or select a single fund to explore further.

Design iterations & Usability testing

It seemed like there were a million ways to approach the UI, so the design team grabbed a white board and went to work every step of the way. We sketched out a few ideas and created lo/mid fidelity prototypes to test. We repeated this cycle for every major interaction within the journey.

Process

Our process from the initial design sprint to launch, with demos to key stakeholders and leadership every two weeks.

Assitive tech compatible

This was the first tool within our digital ecosystem where we really wanted to focus on being inclusive to all users, regardless of temporary or permanent disability.