Skills
Interactive design,
Rebranding,
Design strategy,
User research
Launch Date
Dec 2023
Overview
I designed Customize Connect, a no-code tool that lets clients easily personalize their Open Banking Connect experience. I integrated it into the Client Hub using an iframe for smooth, in-platform access. Clients can now update branding, choose financial institutions, and test changes without needing engineering help.
The problem
As is:
Problem:
Clients needed more control over branding and user experience, but customization required manual work from the Finicity Sales Engineering team
This dependency caused integration delays of 2–4 weeks, leading to higher costs and inefficiencies that prevented Finicity from scaling and staying competitive.
As is:
Problem:
Clients needed more control over branding and user experience, but customization required manual work from the Finicity Sales Engineering team
This dependency caused integration
delays of 2–4 weeks, leading to higher
costs and inefficiencies that prevented
Finicity from scaling and staying
competitive.
As is:
Problem:
Clients needed more control over branding and user experience, but customization required manual work from the Finicity Sales Engineering team
This dependency caused integration delays of 2–4 weeks, leading to higher costs and inefficiencies that prevented Finicity from scaling and staying competitive.
Design Goal
How might we create a self-serve customization tool that reduces reliance on third-party solutions, minimizes internal workload, and remains competitive by offering a customizable and cost-effective experience?
Research & Discovery
The UX researcher and I reviewed documentation related to Customize Connect tickets and met with the Sales Engineering team to understand common client requests and their current customization process. Based on these insights, I created a persona and user journey map to define the core problem.
Clients struggled with the first step of customization—Control and Awareness. They faced challenges aligning the Connect experience with their branding and user journey due to limited control and lack of clarity.
User Persona
User Journey Map
The Key Design Decisions:
Key Findings
Tooltips help users
navigate the customization
process effortlessly.
Clients can review,
test, and publish updates
seamlessly.
Easy Customization
Controls
Clients can adjust branding
elements like logos, colors,
and button styles without
coding.
Changes are instantly
reflected, ensuring
a smooth and intuitive
user experience.
User Journey Map
User Journey Map
Clients struggled with the first step of customization—Control and Awareness. They faced challenges aligning the Connect experience with their branding and user journey due to limited control and lack of clarity.
Tooltips help users navigate the customization
process effortlessly.
Clients can review, test, and publish updates
seamlessly.
Wireframing
To simplify the customization process, I created wireframes that provide a clear, step-by-step interface for clients to tailor the Connect experience.
The Key Design Decisions:
Clients can adjust branding elements like logos,
colors, and button styles without coding.
Easy Customization Controls
Changes are instantly reflected, ensuring
a smooth and intuitive user experience.
Tooltips help users navigate the customization
process effortlessly.
Clients can review, test, and publish updates
seamlessly.
User Testing
To validate the dual-track design and ensure it addressed both developer and stakeholder needs, I conducted multiple rounds of usability testing and iterative refinement.
To validate the dual-track design and ensure it addressed both developer and stakeholder needs, I conducted multiple rounds of usability testing and iterative refinement.
Phase 1: Research & Discovery
We analyzed competitors like Plaid’s Curator, Canva,
and Squarespace to understand best practices.
This helped define the user journey before usability testing.
Phase 1: Research & Discovery
We analyzed competitors like Plaid’s Curator, Canva,
and Squarespace to understand best practices.
This helped define the user journey before usability testing.
Phase 2: Usability Testing
We tested V1 of Customize Connect with 12 participants
from Client Success and Sales Engineering. Sessions were
held via Zoom, with product managers and designers observing.
Phase 2: Usability Testing
We tested V1 of Customize Connect with 12 participants
from Client Success and Sales Engineering. Sessions were
held via Zoom, with product managers and designers
observing.
User Testing
To validate the dual-track design and ensure it addressed both developer and stakeholder needs, I conducted multiple rounds of usability testing and iterative refinement.
To validate the dual-track design and ensure it addressed both developer and stakeholder needs, I conducted multiple rounds of usability testing and iterative refinement.
The Key Design Decisions:
Key Findings
Design improvements
Clients can adjust branding elements like logos,
colors, and button styles without coding.
Easy Customization Controls
Changes are instantly reflected, ensuring
a smooth and intuitive user experience.
Users struggled to find
the entry point in
Client Hub.
Finding 1.
Terminology confusion—“Connect” wasn’t
intuitive.
Users struggled to find the entry point in
Client Hub.
Terminology confusion—“Connect” wasn’t
intuitive.
Finding 2.
Navigation issues
—Users didn’t realize
they needed to scroll.
Navigation issues— Users didn’t realize
they needed to scroll.
Finding 3.
No publishing flow
—Users lacked clarity on
finalizing changes.
No publishing flow—Users lacked clarity on
finalizing changes.
No publishing flow
—Users lacked clarity
on finalizing changes.
Finding 4.
Design Improvements
Improved entry point visibility in Client Hub.
Renamed unclear labels for better understanding.
Improved entry point visibility in Client Hub.
Renamed unclear labels for better understanding.
Renamed unclear labels for better understanding.
Highlighted editable screens for easier navigation.
Added guidance pop-ups and clear publishing flow.
Added guidance pop-ups and clear publishing flow.
Highlighted editable screens for easier navigation.
Final Design
The final solution empowers clients to own and tailor their Connect experience. Each feature was designed to reduce reliance on support teams while giving clients greater flexibility and control.
Clients can reorder financial institutions based on
their products and preferences. This ensures the
most relevant options appear first, streamlining
user journeys and improving discoverability.
By customizing the exit button, uploading logos,
and applying brand colors, clients create a consistent
branded experience. This reduces friction for
end users and strengthens brand trust.
Clients can instantly share demo or presentation
links, making it easier to align internal stakeholders
and showcase configurations without additional setup.
Clients can instantly share demo or presentation
links, making it easier to align internal
stakeholders and showcase configurations
without additional setup.
A centralized list view displays all active
configurations, giving clients full visibility and control
in one place. This transparency reduces errors
and simplifies ongoing management.
A centralized list view displays all active
configurations, giving clients full visibility and
control in one place. This transparency reduces
errors and simplifies ongoing management.
showing strong adoption and early
traction.
showing strong adoption and early
traction.
Clients can independently
configure and customize experiences,
reducing reliance on support teams.
Clients can independently
configure and customize
experiences, reducing
reliance on support teams.
Clients can independently
configure and customize
experiences, reducing reliance on
support teams.
Personalized FI search and
branded experience improve relevance,
satisfaction, and trust.
Personalized FI search and
branded experience
improve relevance,
satisfaction, and trust.
Personalized FI search and
branded experience improve
relevance, satisfaction, and trust.
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© 2022–2024
Projects by Colleen Park
