The art of storytelling
ROLE
Lead Product Designer
Visual Designer
Researcher
UX Writer
COLLABORATORS
Product Manager
Creative Director
Product & Business Operations
Engineers (5+)
CHALLENGE
During the early seed-stage days of Playbook, Founder David Hegarty reached out to work on design to improve top-of-funnel conversion. Originally, I was tasked to find opportunities in the sign-up flow to reduce friction, but upon further analysis, I quickly learned there was a deeper issue than a simple redesign.
RESEARCH
To dig deeper into the data, I led user research to learn what they are looking for in their financial picture and how Playbook can help. Here are the key takeaways from my qualitative research:
SOLUTION
Based on our learnings from testing, iterating, and implementing feedback, these were the key takeaways that improved onboarding and the overall product experience.
Better Plaid Integration
The majority of feedback from customers was negative, especially surrounding banking connection. Additionally, the engineering velocity was often compromised to fix and maintain Plaid API issues. With deep collaboration with product, engineering, and stakeholders, I led the removal & redesign of Plaid integration to further in the product when customers were paying Playbook members and were well into onboarding.
This decision led to high rates of account creations, fewer drop-offs, and overall improved customer retention.
Onboarding Chunking
In the 8 months of testing, iterating and petitioning, I led a massive onboarding redesign. From interviews, building a financial plan is a lot like storytelling and breaking up tasks into epics and chapters.
These updated designs were well-received as customers gained better clarity of Playbook’s services, as well as a better understanding of a well-rounded financial plan.
The Big Pitcher
The pitcher graphic had a longing impression on new customers and was constantly referenced in interviews. With this positive feedback from customers, I collaborated with the Creative Director to push on brand personality and illustration presence in product, finding ways for new and innovative graphics to communicate complexity.
Huge credit to Maddie Voge (Creative Director), Lisa Skole (Illustrator), Jenny Johannessen (Illustrator), and Danny Miller (Animator) 🎉
The Art of Storytelling
I worked with writers to find the best practices to motivate reading and curiosity. How to be clear and not condescending; simple and not patronizing; informational but not jargon-heavy. I implemented “Stories” interaction design that explained each step into a 3-screen of what, how, and why.
This direction was enthusiastically well-received by customers and continued to help differentiate Playbook from other apps. Customers felt encouraged to be curious and less overwhelmed by tasks, and understood the importance of each component of their financial plan Playbook was building for them.
IMPACT
Through graphic design and illustration, Playbook transforms complex tax strategies into easily understandable concepts, achieving clarity that traditional copy alone cannot provide. Thoughtful visual designs became essential for conveying intricate investing strategies more accessible. We built an accessible, delightful platform that transforms financial literacy and wellness into a stress-free experience. Our efforts culminated in a strong and recognizable product that resonated with our audience. This whimsical approach played a pivotal role in our successful fundraising efforts, ultimately helping Playbook secure $7M in Series A funding.
Being Inclusive
While our intended audience are Gen Z and Millennials, our reach expanded upwards to folks who are nearing or in retirement.
Brand Recognition
With better value propositioning in and outside of the product and going viral on social media, more people would recognize the Playbook brand and led to large customer growth.
Reduced Support Tickets
The improved flows eliminated common setup issues, freeing the team from repetitive troubleshooting and allowing them to focus on building features instead of fixing API onboarding issues.
TESTIMONIAL
The overall feedback for product and brand from our members was overwhelmingly positive, and they loved the quality and craft of our work. But don’t just take my word for it!
