Overview
Project: Financial Services Servicing Portal Research
Researcher: Dayton D. Starnes II, PhD
Client: An enterprise financial services company
Sample Size:
Research Objectives
Research Methodologies
Synthesized Key Findings
Objective 1: Understanding End-Users’ Wider Use-Context
Objective 2: Usability Challenges & Frustrations
Objective 3: CUJ-Specific Challenges & End-User Priorities
Recommendations & Opportunities
Conclusion
This UX research provided actionable insights to improve the enterprise client's financial servicing portal, addressing both usability pain points and workflow inefficiencies. By implementing these recommendations, the company was able to enhance end-user productivity, reduce user frustration, and ultimately improve customer service outcomes metrics.
Project: Financial Services Servicing Portal Research
Researcher: Dayton D. Starnes II, PhD
Client: An enterprise financial services company
Sample Size:
- Phase 1: n=16 (120 min in-person sessions)
- Phase 2: n=16 (60 min remote sessions)
- 60 Slide Final Report Deck
Research Objectives
- Better understand the wider use context that influences end-users and their experience with the Servicing Portal.
- Identify broad usability challenges, frustrations, and pain points within the portal and wider use context.
- Map and analyze specific Critical User Journeys to contextualize usability challenges, and ascertain end-user priorities.
Research Methodologies
- Phase 1:
- In-Person Ethnographic Inquiry & Observational Research: Direct observation of end-users using the portal.
- Phase 2:
- Remote In-Depth Interviews: Gathering qualitative feedback on experiences, frustrations, and workflow challenges.
- Critical User Journey Analysis: Mapping end-user workflows and pain points while navigating the system during real-world use case.
Synthesized Key Findings
Objective 1: Understanding End-Users’ Wider Use-Context
- Performance Metrics Influence Behavior: End-users shape their workflow based on assessment metrics like call efficiency and customer satisfaction.
- Hardware Limitations: The number of monitors significantly impacts portal usability—single-screen users face greater frustration.
- Non-Portal Software Dependencies: End-users rely on multiple external platforms (Chat, Phone Dialer, Help Center), which affects efficiency and experience.
- Support Ecosystem: End-users depend on digital notes and informal colleague networks to troubleshoot system inefficiencies.
- Workflow Misalignment: Unclear role responsibilities lead to inefficiencies across teams.
Objective 2: Usability Challenges & Frustrations
- Pop-Ups & Step-Out Windows: Frequent pop-ups obscure critical information, disrupting call flow.
- Slow Load Times: Extended wait times for step-out windows (e.g., transactions, future usage) create inefficiencies.
- Card Member ID Verification: Re-authentication requirements mid-call lead to frustration and negatively impact customer interactions.
- Information Architecture (IA) Issues: Lack of intuitive organization forces end-users to navigate multiple layers to find related information.
- Inconsistent User Interface (UI): End-users must memorize complex navigation flows due to inconsistent UI design.
- Abbreviations & Acronyms: Mixed abbreviations across key access points increase cognitive load and learning curve.
Objective 3: CUJ-Specific Challenges & End-User Priorities
- Account Assessment Workflows: End-users want consolidated information displays to streamline credit concern resolution.
- Payment Processes: Users desire a more unified payment management experience, reducing the need to switch between multiple windows.
- Payment Tool Limitations: Restrictions on documentation and navigation lock end-users out of other portal functions mid-task.
- Call Documentation Constraints: A limited character count and fragmented note categories hinder accurate record-keeping.
- Help Center Inefficiencies: Search functionality is ineffective, leading end-users to create workarounds like bookmarking external guides.
Recommendations & Opportunities
- Redesign Pop-Ups & Windows: Reduce unnecessary pop-ups and introduce in-line, context-aware information displays.
- Optimize Load Times: Improve system responsiveness to minimize step-out window delays.
- Streamline Card Member Authentication: Implement a more seamless verification process to enhance user and customer experience.
- Revamp Information Architecture & UI: Align interface design with end-user mental models for more intuitive navigation.
- Enhance Payment Processing Features: Create a single payment management hub for greater efficiency.
- Improve Documentation & Notes Handling: Introduce a unified notes interface with increased character limits and category consolidation.
- Integrate HC with the Servicing Portal: Provide direct links to relevant help articles within the system.
Conclusion
This UX research provided actionable insights to improve the enterprise client's financial servicing portal, addressing both usability pain points and workflow inefficiencies. By implementing these recommendations, the company was able to enhance end-user productivity, reduce user frustration, and ultimately improve customer service outcomes metrics.