Product Design Challenge for Finance Brand

Product Design Challenge for Finance Brand

Prudential Enhances Online Financial Services with an In-House Design Challenge to Improve Guest Payment Experience

Client

Prudential is a financial company that offers insurance, retirement planning, and investment management services to both retail and institutional customers. The company aims to enhance the financial knowledge of its retail clients and increase brand awareness.

Problem

Prudential's absence of an online guest payment system and its outdated guest payment process present an opportunity for improvement. Prudential aims to address this by designing and developing a modern guest payment experience.

User & Audience

This product was aimed at customers who wish to make a payment for a Prudential customer, such as a family member or friend. Existing customers were a secondary priority.

Scope & Constraints

This project began as a voluntary design challenge initiated by Prudential leadership to create a guest payment experience. It was a 2-week challenge with no restrictions on design or development. We were tasked with designing and presenting the experience to leadership. The winning design would then be developed.

Role & Responsibilities

As the lead designer for this project, my responsibilities included guiding the design process, creating wireframes and prototypes, and presenting the experience. Our team consisted of eight members, including three designers (including myself), three developers, and two business analysts, who made managing the project much easier.

The Design Thinking approach Delivers Optimal Solutions Aligned with Prudential's Goals and User Needs

The design thinking process emphasizes finding solutions that are desirable, feasible, and viableβ€”values aligned with what we believed would increase our chances of winning the design challenge, as they were key points sought by leadership. This methodology enabled our team to overcome time constraints and focus on addressing both Prudential's and its users' needs. We found that a single iteration of the design thinking approach could effectively lead to an optimal solution, with the potential for further development upon success.

Wireframe Ideation
With Prudential's Design System helped Visualize the Solutions

To visualize the solution, we created wireframes to define how the solution would look and function. Given the time constraints and the challenge's secondary nature, we integrated Prudential's design system into the high-fidelity wireframes for our prototype.

Solution one utilized Prudential's design system for a seamless developer handoff.

Solution two combined new components with Prudential's design system for a quick payment solution.

Solution three applied Prudential's design system to develop the chatbot experience.

Solution one utilized Prudential's design system for a seamless developer handoff.

Solution two combined new components with Prudential's design system for a quick payment solution.

Solution three applied Prudential's design system to develop the chatbot experience.

Prototypes
Were Presented to Showcase the Guest Payment Solutions' User Experiences

The presentation aimed to demonstrate our two-week project's outcomes and the designed experience for each solution. We recapped the challenge and shared the user flow for each solution with stakeholders and the competing team. We showcased the prototypes and clickable prototypes for each solution, highlighting their integration with existing services.

Prototype one illustrated the guest payment process for users without a Prudential product.

Prototype two demonstrated the quick payment experience for users with a Prudential product.

Prototype three showcased the guest payment process using a chatbot for users with or without a Prudential product.

Prototype one illustrated the guest payment process for users without a Prudential product.

Prototype two demonstrated the quick payment experience for users with a Prudential product.

Prototype three showcased the guest payment process using a chatbot for users with or without a Prudential product.

Guest payment Challenge won by Leveraging Design Systems for Efficient Development

In the end, we successfully won the challenge and handed over the design to the development teams. Our choice to utilize Prudential's existing design systems was well-received by leadership, as it enabled immediate implementation. The design system greatly accelerated our process, allowing us to deliver multiple solutions efficiently. My appreciation for design systems has significantly grown through this projec

In reflecting on our process, it has become clear that we should have adhered more closely to the original prompt rather than engaging in prolonged debates over potential solutions. This indecision ultimately cost us valuable time, which could have been more effectively utilized in preparing our presentation. Moving forward, clarity and decisiveness will be prioritized to enhance overall efficiency and effectiveness.