The Mortgage Portal helps Private Bank clients and the financial professionals managing their finances track mortgage applications, exchange required documents, and stay connected with their mortgage team throughout the process. The experience supports the high-touch, white-glove service Private Bank clients expect while making the mortgage journey easier to navigate.
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My role: Lead Product Designer
Team: 2 Product Managers, 7 Engineers, Content Designer
Timeline: 4 months
I led: Research synthesis, interaction design, prototyping, usability testing, and stakeholder alignment
Team: 2 Product Managers, 7 Engineers, Content Designer
Timeline: 4 months
I led: Research synthesis, interaction design, prototyping, usability testing, and stakeholder alignment
The Challenge
The existing Mortgage Portal gave clients access to their application information, but important details were difficult to find. Clients struggled to understand their application status, identify what needed their attention, and find relevant documents.
How might we make the mortgage journey easier to understand while helping clients quickly see what needs their attention?
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Discovery Phase
Because we had limited direct access to Private Bank clients, we worked closely with mortgage specialists who support them throughout the process.
Through interviews, analysis of the existing experience, and collaborative workshops, we identified three key needs:
01 - Progress
Make it clear where clients are in the mortgage process.
Make it clear where clients are in the mortgage process.
02 - Action
Surface tasks and time-sensitive information that require attention.
Surface tasks and time-sensitive information that require attention.
03 - Support
Make it easy to identify and contact the right mortgage specialist.
Make it easy to identify and contact the right mortgage specialist.
Key insight: Clients didn't need more information - they needed a clearer understanding of what was happening and what to do next.
Design strategy
We focused the redesign around three principles:
Make progress visible - Clearly communicate application status and next steps. Prioritize actions - Surface tasks and key information.
Keep support accessible - Connect clients with their mortgage team when they need help.
The solution
01 — Making progress visible
We redesigned the portal entry point around the client's mortgage journey, using a visual progress tracker to clearly communicate application status.
Why it mattered: Clients could quickly understand where they were in the process and what came next.
02 — Bringing important actions forward
We surfaced tasks, documents, and time-sensitive information within the application experience instead of requiring clients to search for them.
Why it mattered: Clients could quickly see what needed their attention and act on it.
03 — Connecting clients with their mortgage team
We integrated key mortgage contacts directly into the experience, keeping human support accessible throughout the process.
Why it mattered: The digital experience complemented the high-touch service Private Bank clients expected.
Testing & refinement
We refined the experience through collaborative working sessions and multiple rounds of usability testing.
Testing helped us improve the information hierarchy, terminology, and level of detail, while collaboration with accessibility partners helped ensure the experience met accessibility requirements.
Reflection
A financial portal shouldn’t just provide information—it should help clients understand where they are, what needs their attention, and what comes next.
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The redesign transformed the portal into a more guided experience, helping clients understand their progress, identify what needs attention, and stay connected with their mortgage team.
