UX Research Case Study:
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Modernizing an Enterprise-Scale Financial Servicing Portal
Client: Legacy Enterprise Financial Services Company
Role: Dayton D. Starnes II, PhD — Senior UX Researcher
Timeline: Multi-phase engagement (30-day foundational study + ongoing evaluation)
Overview / Context:
The client, a Fortune 100 financial services firm, had launched a multi-year initiative to modernize its legacy customer financial servicing portal — a mission-critical internal platform used by thousands of employees to manage client interactions, process payments, and resolve financial concerns.
As the lead UX researcher, I was embedded with cross-functional teams including design, strategy, architecture, and executive leadership. I was responsible for establishing a strategically integrated research program from the ground up to inform a rapid timeline toward MVP delivery.
Challenges:
Research Roadmap & Phases:
The research roadmap was structured to mirror product development milestones, moving from exploratory to evaluative in four core phases:
Research Objectives:
Methods:
Key Findings:
1. Use Context and Environmental Factors
Recommendations & Design Opportunities:
Next Steps:
Impact & Reflection:
This foundational research effort not only surfaced critical usability barriers but also laid the groundwork for a user-centered modernization strategy. By prioritizing real-world workflows and amplifying employee voices, we empowered design and product teams to build a system tailored to actual user needs — while meeting ambitious delivery timelines.
Client: Legacy Enterprise Financial Services Company
Role: Dayton D. Starnes II, PhD — Senior UX Researcher
Timeline: Multi-phase engagement (30-day foundational study + ongoing evaluation)
Overview / Context:
The client, a Fortune 100 financial services firm, had launched a multi-year initiative to modernize its legacy customer financial servicing portal — a mission-critical internal platform used by thousands of employees to manage client interactions, process payments, and resolve financial concerns.
As the lead UX researcher, I was embedded with cross-functional teams including design, strategy, architecture, and executive leadership. I was responsible for establishing a strategically integrated research program from the ground up to inform a rapid timeline toward MVP delivery.
Challenges:
- Aggressive MVP delivery timeline
- Complex and technical workflows across dozens of distinct user segments
- Vulnerable user population (internal employees with constrained roles and support)
- A heavily matrixed product organization with fragmented decision-making
Research Roadmap & Phases:
The research roadmap was structured to mirror product development milestones, moving from exploratory to evaluative in four core phases:
- Phase 1 – Ethnography (In-Person):
Observational sessions with 16 participants across two office locations, focusing on real-time portal usage and workflow immersion. - Phase 2 – Contextual Inquiry (Remote):
In-depth interviews and CUJ (Critical User Journey) mapping with 16 additional participants from 4 distinct segments. - Phase 3 – Proof-of-Concept Design Evaluation (Planned):
Usability testing and concept validation of proposed redesigns. - Phase 4 – Rapid Research Program (Planned):
A rolling 2-week sprint-based cadence to evaluate 30+ CUJs pre-MVP launch.
Research Objectives:
- Understand the broader work context influencing portal usage
- Uncover systemic usability challenges across workflows
- Identify and analyze CUJ-specific pain points and needs
- Inform actionable design decisions for MVP and beyond
Methods:
- Ethnographic Observation: 2-hour in-person sessions observing live call handling and tool usage
- Remote Contextual Inquiry: 1-hour interviews with screen sharing, workflow walkthroughs, and pain point discussion
- CUJ Mapping: Analysis of high-priority journeys to reveal friction points and decision-making moments
Key Findings:
1. Use Context and Environmental Factors
- Performance Metrics Shape Behavior: Call center metrics (e.g., time-on-call, customer satisfaction) drove workarounds and shortcuts.
- Hardware Limitations: Users with single screens were at a major disadvantage, unable to maintain visibility of essential information.
- Ecosystem Dependency: Reliance on external tools (chat, help center, dialer) introduced context-switching inefficiencies.
- Peer Networks as Support: Inadequate system guidance led users to rely heavily on informal, peer-driven troubleshooting.
- Pop-ups & Step-Out Windows: Overuse disrupted task flow and obscured key information.
- Authentication Friction: Re-authentication mid-call broke conversational momentum and created frustration.
- Information Architecture (IA): Poor content grouping and non-intuitive navigation deepened cognitive load.
- UI Inconsistency & Learning Curve: Inconsistent labels, layouts, and acronym usage hindered training and long-term adoption.
- Account Review & Credit Concerns: Required switching between multiple disjointed views — users desired a consolidated information hub.
- Payments Workflow: Locked navigation during transactions created bottlenecks.
- Help Center Dysfunction: Ineffective search led to reliance on saved guides and offline notes.
- Documentation Limits: Short note fields and confusing categorization undercut quality recordkeeping.
Recommendations & Design Opportunities:
- Redesign Pop-Ups and Step-Outs: Replace with contextual overlays or inline support to maintain workflow continuity.
- Streamline Authentication: Introduce background or session-based verification options.
- Revamp IA and UI Patterns: Align with users’ mental models using card sorting insights and journey maps.
- Consolidate Payment Management: Create a central hub for all payment-related actions.
- Improve Documentation Tools: Expand character limits, simplify categories, and support real-time note-taking.
- Embed Support Resources: Integrate contextual help within the portal to reduce switching and support desk dependence.
Next Steps:
- Phase 3: Design Evaluation (n=16):
Test proposed redesigns and gather directional feedback before MVP implementation. - Phase 4: Rolling Research (MVR):
Establish a repeatable 2-week research cadence to validate over 30 CUJs pre-launch.
Each sprint includes kickoff, live sessions, and a debrief within 10 business days.
Impact & Reflection:
This foundational research effort not only surfaced critical usability barriers but also laid the groundwork for a user-centered modernization strategy. By prioritizing real-world workflows and amplifying employee voices, we empowered design and product teams to build a system tailored to actual user needs — while meeting ambitious delivery timelines.
Artifact Sample:
