Envestnet, Director
Berwyn, PA
Oct 2016 - April 2021
Digital Product (UX) Design Director
When I joined Envestnet there were no UX practitioners within the advisor product division. I was tasked to build out a UX practice and start delivering on in-progress product initiatives. In the 4 years since, I have established a mature UX practice with a working Design System. The team has delivered on several strategic initiatives while also maintaining the legacy Wealth Platform. I focused the practice on the adage: Useful and Usable. We needed to create products that met users’ needs but were also easy to use despite the complexity of financial systems.
My annual team goals were 3-fold: Our first priority was to complete all project work on time. We also had to work toward a new future of digital solutions for the Financial Advisor.
Secondly, it was important to mature the UX practice at Envestnet. This involved hiring staff that could be flexible and had a background suited to the complexities of FinTech.
And lastly, we needed to evangelize UX and design principles within the larger organization. The lack of a design team at the company meant that evangelization needed to go beyond the product team. The engineering organization were the de facto designers on the legacy system and needed to be converted to proper UX process first. After that I spent months presenting our process to the sales and leadership organization. We marked World Usability Day every year with a company-wide event.
Building a Design Practice
I focused my hiring on UX practitioners with a well-rounded portfolio, individuals that could pick up tasks outside their comfort zone without being overwhelmed.
It is important for me to keep a balance between research and design in staffing the team.
I was also responsibility to manage the day-to-day activities of an offshore (India) design team. We created a highly collaborative and effective relationship.
Creating a Design System
Creating modern software benefits from a design system. I led the effort to create a new design system that would enable the team to create complex FinTech software.
Since we started off with a small crew, we needed to balance the need for a complete system with something that would be nimble enough that we could bring into in the design process quickly and then grow it over time.
Accessibility Matters
I led the initiative to ensure that all future Envestnet products would conform to AA level of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative standard. All components in the design system conformed and I coordinated with the content and engineering teams to direct them towards the same goal.
My team undertook a significant audit on an existing platform to assess and document a remedial plan to bring it up to the required standard.
As a member of the corporate branding committee responsible for a brand refresh for Envestnet, I ensure that accessibility concerns were address at core of the new brand standards. We created a corporate color palette and usage rules that was compliant, and the selected typefaces was easy to read and optimal for use within our suite of digital products.
Envisioning a Future
Envestnet had been in the FinTech space for about 20 years and was only on its second major version of their wealth platform. Working with a colleague, we imagined what the next generation wealth platform could look like. We focused on an advisor's journey to imagine what a single platform with a holistic approach with ubiquitous access would look like.
This vision laid the groundwork for several of the strategic product initiatives that my team delivered.
