🚧 Under Construction 🚧
Assetmark's Portfolio Construction and Dashboard Design
Project Overview
AssetMark is a leading provider of wealth management services, helping financial advisors optimize client engagement, business activities, and portfolio management through technology.
I was part of two of the pods of the eWM 3.0, the new version of AssetMark’s platform, specifically leading the portfolio creation and dashboard design. While I led the design for these specific projects, I collaborated with other design pods working on different areas of the platform to ensure consistency and alignment across the overall user experience.
The Problem
The main issue was that the existing platform was a monolith, and the client wanted to decouple it into modularized apps that could be interconnected. This shift aimed to address several user experience pain points, such as the need to go through an entire process from the beginning each time, instead of seamlessly calling modules to complete steps. Additionally, training was required due to the complexity of the portfolio construction process. As the lead for the UX of portfolio construction and the dashboard, the main challenges in both projects were improving the usability of the platform and addressing the lack of a way for financial advisors to track their business after completing their clients' asset allocations.
Team Collaboration
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Pods consisted of project managers, UX and visual designers, product managers, business analysts, front-end and back-end developers, and QA engineers
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Delivery Manager
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Technology Manager
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Client Partner involved
My Role
As the Lead UX Designer for the Portfolio Construction and Dashboard creation pods, my primary responsibility was to align with the other UX and visual designers, as well as all other team members, to ensure we were working towards key metrics.
I collaborated closely with the Product Manager, who was also part of both pods. We worked as a unified team, delivering exceptional outcomes. We led several discovery workshops, defining the optimal flows and features for the projects.
I focused on conducting discovery research, wireframing, and facilitating workshops, while allowing my visual design peers to focus on creating high-fidelity screens.
My main objective was to design a clear and intuitive concept. To achieve this, I mapped out the AS-IS process and addressed key issues in information architecture and interaction design, all while aligning with both business goals and user needs.
Tools and Software
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Figma
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Miro
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Jira
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Teams
Design Process
1. Research and Discovery
As we began all the projects simultaneously but in different pods, we started by defining the AS-IS state for the entire system. We conducted several interviews to understand the primary objectives for each pod and project. In addition, we decided to conduct contextual inquiries with users to gain insights into their behaviors, needs, and pain points while using the platform. This approach enabled us to evolve our proto-personas into validated personas and identify the key challenges that needed to be addressed.
We mapped out the AS-IS process, recognizing that while we were working in separate pods, we were ultimately creating different apps from the same monolithic system. It was essential to stay aligned and understand how the various parts of the system interacted.
As the UX lead for the Portfolio Construction and Dashboard pods, I guided the design process through research and collaboration.
To inform our design decisions, we conducted a competitive analysis of existing portfolio-building software and reviewed best practices for dashboard interactions. This allowed us to identify effective patterns and share insights with the client, ensuring we stayed aligned with market trends and standard interaction approaches.
2. Ideation and Testing Phase
As a team of designers working across different pods, we were each focused on our own apps, while also contributing to the development of the TO-BE information architecture.
We began brainstorming and creating low and mid-fidelity wireframes to test concepts and interactions.
For the Dashboard:
We developed a user research plan and tested a mid-fidelity prototype of the editing concept, as this was a completely new project. Testing the main interactions was crucial for shaping the next phase of development.
For Portfolio Construction:
We conducted interviews with financial advisors to identify their pain points and needs, which informed our design approach for the project.
3. Adjusting the Strategy and Testing
For the Dashboard, we shifted our approach based on feedback from the client, AssetMark. The new strategy focused on creating an editable dashboard with preexisting widgets. We began by designing the canvas and then proceeded to develop each widget, starting with mid-fidelity wireframes and refining them into high-fidelity designs.
For the Portfolio Construction, we proposed conducting research with a prototype to test the most critical features and flows. Since this was a central part of the monolith, focusing on creating investment scenarios, analyzing graphs, and developing strategies, testing the concept before development was essential. The research revealed important insights, leading us to adjust certain interactions on the design that would improve the user experience.
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4. Finalizing the Dashboard Design and Portfolio Construction Process
We completed the high-fidelity designs for the main widgets of the Dashboard and moved into the development phase. The interactions and design choices were aligned with Assetmark's vision. Each widget had its own complexity, as we were asked to include several features. We explored the best approach for each widget, deciding to create different sizes for them and allowing users to view a list of pre-existing widgets, with the option to create new dashboards. We worked through several use cases to ensure the design was flexible and functional. While the research helped validate some design decisions, the tight timeline and shifting priorities meant we had to proceed with the best possible solutions without conducting research before development.
We negotiated to conduct research once the project reached the QA stage, to adjust key elements based on feedback.
For the Portfolio Construction, we focused on designing interaction patterns and defining development guidelines, creating user stories. However, due to shifting priorities, this project was paused, and the team shifted its full attention to the dashboard project.
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5. Finalising the Project
We had the opportunity to see the Dashboard through to the development phase and even created a testing plan. However, due to budget constraints, we were unable to test or launch the dashboard before the contract ended. Despite this, we successfully completed a fully developed MVP for the dashboard, featuring complex widgets. Of all the pods, the dashboard project was the only one selected for further development, so we were fortunate to be part of that team.
As contractors, we didn’t have the chance to witness the dashboard go live, but we laid the groundwork for several other projects and the dashboard itself.
Our main focus throughout the process was demonstrating how workshops, information architecture, research, and visual design could contribute to the creation of effective tools for financial advisors.
Key Learnings
One key takeaway from this project was the importance of communication when leading two pods. Constant collaboration with other teams helped us avoid redundancy and align on overlapping features. Our Design Lead played a crucial role in connecting teams and ensuring everyone stayed informed.
I also learned that priorities can shift, and flexibility is essential. While several MVPs were designed, only the dashboard was developed, teaching me to adapt to changing needs.
I worked hard to demonstrate the value of quick, targeted research, which proved instrumental in improving design decisions.
Finally, one of the most rewarding experiences of this journey was representing the design team at AssetMark’s headquarters in San Francisco. I had the opportunity to run workshops, which helped the team align on priorities and ultimately led to the decision to focus on the dashboard.
Demo
Portfolio Construction
Dashboard