A UXer with an MBA, because UX is serious business

Michelle Pakron
Invesco US Refresh

Featured Project

Invesco US Site Redesign

Project Lead, UX Analysis & Design, UI Design & User Testing

UX Activities I Performed

  • User Testing Script Writing
  • User Testing Report & Analysis
  • Component-level Content Audit
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Interaction Design
  • UI Design

Project Brief

Invesco is a leading global asset management firm. In mid-2016, Invesco started on a multi-year redesign project that included a complete visual and structural overhaul as well as a migration to a new CMS. The project was broken into multiple smaller projects spanning several sprint teams. Each smaller project had different business requirements and reasons for being updated.

Some of the core issues with the site that we were trying to overcome were:

Visual Language

The Invesco US redesign project started with the creation of a beta version of a new visual language for Invesco. This design system was applied to the Invesco Corporate site, which launched in late 2016.  Updated landing pages were then launched. The full-scale redesign effort was officially kicked off in January of 2017.

Following a component inventory, the visual language was further defined and applied to dozens of components and design elements (view the visual language case study). The major areas of the site were then tackled area by area by cross-functional working teams.

New landing pages

Pricing + Performance

We started with the most critical areas of the site, the Pricing and Performance areas. I did comprehensive competitive and industry research, resulting in a detailed report of findings and recommendations. Several competitor sites were also tested to validate existing assumptions. Mocks based off the new visual language were created that sought to overcome current deficiencies and provided an easier to consume display of complex financial data.

Recommendations for improvements included:

Pricing

Above: The Pricing + Performance page for Mutual Funds.

Above: Video of the new filter prototype for products.

Product

Above: A product page for a mutual fund. The product pages were cleaned up with less overall copy, bigger text, and more whitespace. The design changed from a multi-tabbed, many-click page, to a long-scrolling page that was easier to consume and print with no unnecessary clicks.

Technology + Resources I Used

  • UserTesting.com
  • PowerPoint
  • Word
  • Excel
  • Sketch
  • SnagIt
  • InVision

Insights

Another important area of the site is the Insights section. This section is a collection of thought leadership on a myriad of financial topics. As the primary persona for the site is the financial professional role, this was a very important area to get right.

A working team was set up consisting of UX, content strategy, product owners and developers. Research from both UX and content strategy was shared and compared and a unified set of recommendations was put forth. New mocks were created and tested and then presented to the larger team for buy-in.

Recommendations for improvements included:

Insights

Above: The default view of the Insights landing page. Improvement include a new filtering system and easier to read previews of each article.

Insight article

Above: Updated layout for an individual Insight article. Larger more engaging images were used along with article summaries, categorization, and easy access to other articles.

Gateway + Role Selectors

A common complaint from users on the site, no matter which role, was how hard it was to just get to the main landing pages and then choose the correct role. The gateway was viewed by many as a wall that prevented users from accessing the site efficiently.

A working team was created and competitor research was undertaken. New mocks were created and then tested. The new designs improved upon the process and were easier for users to understand which role they should choose.

Gateway

Above: Updated gateway with integrated role selector. Users have two ways to navigate, either with the large role call to actions, or by using the role selector drop-down.