BNP PARIBAS
Creating digital tools that empower employees
The Challenge
We were commissioned by the number 1 bank in France to create a sales companion iOS app based on the existing browser-based FDI Portal which would offer an asset management tool for employees giving instant access to critical fund information, fund documentation as well as real time market data and notifications.
My roles and tasks
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Lead UX designer & researcher for iPad and web solution
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Heuristic review and creation of recommendation documents showing severity and complexity
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Working with tech and compliance to validate the feasibility of proposed features being recommended
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User story creation and acceptance criteria for use in design sprints using agile and scrum methodologies
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Collaborative working with teams in France, Netherlands, Belgium, USA, Hong Kong, and China
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Extensive user research and stakeholder interviews
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Management of freelance UI team and continual iteration and management of UX from review sessions
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Ongoing testing of prototypes and iterations
Project video overview
The video below gives a great overview of the iPad app functionality. This video was created for a trade show and includes both real and prototype simulations. It also has a rocking on-brand soundtrack!
UX wireframe creation from initial research
The concept of the 'sales companion' for iPad was based on a wealth of experience from the new Global Head of Digital who had successfully released a similar tool for JP Morgan utilising cloud technology, a notification centre and AI algorithms for insights and real time analysis.
The iOS FDI Pro sales companion was also validated through our own research and testing which proved it added considerable value to client meetings and 'in the moment' need for data.
User research found that requirements differed greatly depending on region and client type
My initial FDI workshops quickly found that the Global expectation of the FDI varied more greatly than I was led to believe.
One instance was the data points needed for fund information. By adopting a card sorting exercise with 100+ sales agents across 4 regions and 3 sales types, I quickly learned what data was key, and which paid data we could switch off.
I then validated the findings with qualitative interviews with both sales agents and institutional clients before playing back the research findings as a workshop task with each region key stakeholders casting the final vote on data availability.
Below: Card sorting results for one region and one sales-type (30+ respondents) helped me understand the hierarchy and necessity of data points
Below: Research was then played back via a key stakeholder workshop to agree on availability and flag any governance issues or strategic shifts
Below: Key UX features and enhancements to the FDI Pro I created based on research and insight
Timely notifications management
I found out via stakeholder interviews that much of the sales agents time was taken up chasing up to date fund data and also checking if key legal documents had been updated. I built in the functionality for sales agents to choose and manage their notifications on updates and key price changes with the BNP Paribas technical team.
Built-in presentation builder
BNP Paribas had just bought an off the shelf PDF presentation builder, but as of yet had not implemented it. I created a content strategy that ensured that key documentation was always available and up to date and within the parameters of the software, give alerts to users that files had been updated automatically within presentations.
Fully customisable data tables
Each user had a different need for table data. I created a logic through testing that each business sector would have a 'default' table view, but there was still a requirement for 'some' employees to see 'some' data on a less frequent basis. The table view could be set as default or a saved view for easy manipulation of data anywhere in the users flow
Intuitive fund searching
With over 260 funds to be searched, filtering had to be easy and, with over 25 filter variables, hidden but easily found.
The funds had to also be compared, eventually with a competitor benchmark, so functionality for adding and comparing quickly within a client meeting was my top user story to lead the design
Google Analytics API plugged in
The next stage of the FDI Pro was to include an area of live data for events and campaigns. This again was for a different area of the business, but was seen as a critical requirement to increase adoption and utility of the tool.
With Google Analytics and Tableau being the main tools used, I created a 'light' version that followed existing recognised patterns
Secure biometric login... just incase
Research showed that a large number of sales agents were conscious of leaving behind the iPad due to the devices nature of being more shareable in meetings. It was essential we offered the sales agent peace of mind in the device usage and secruity.
Our first field trials showed a growing confidence in the iPad and also an insight into how clients were more engaged through this medium
Below: UX annotations for use within the prototype I created to be shared with dev team
Below: Finished Sprint UX flows based on user stories created using our design system
Meanwhile, we made some critical web portal enhancements
Another workstream was to enhance the existing web-based platform. My role was to prioritise the most critical of optimisations and ensure there was no dependencies blocking the development of those e chosen. I provided UX flows and wires to inform the French development team and we worked in a iterative way over 2 week sprints
THE NUMBERS AFTER 2 MONTHS (France Only)
NEW USER ACQUISITION
+73%
A targeted email, feature video on the intranet, and survey was sent to BNP Sales staff in France only to launch the Beta version of the FDI Portal.
RETURNING USERS
+51%
We saw a massive increase in return visits which were sustained for the 3 months we were in Beta
AVE SESSION TIME
+89%
Session time rose to over 3 minutes which was a great result. It should users where interacting longer with the site like they had never done before
BOUNCE RATE
-23%
Strangely enough, the bounce rate did not reduce as expected, but the other success metrics proved to be exceeding our expectations
AVE PAGES VIEWED PER VISIT
+295%
At last we had proof that people were exploring the site more and that the fund area was seeing huge numbers of more interactions
KEY DOCUMENT DOWNLOADS
+283%
The downloading of a key document is a good indication that sales employees have reached their goal. We later included a CES & CSTAT in these areas
Summary
The project is still ongoing as the transformation of the FDI website to include a number of the features of the iPad Pro was been prioritised due to Covid and the possible rethinking of client meetings.
We have also created many other tools, both stand-alone and lite versions for the FDI portal which have been implemented for both sales and CRM.
The biggest compliment I've had is that I've been instrumental in getting teams aligned and fast-tracking solutions through my approach to UX, CX and research.
More examples of work
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