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Collateral Management
End-to-End Experience - Commercial Banking
Client - nCino, Inc Timeline - 7 months Service - UX/UI, Prototyping, User Research Role - Lead Designer Links - Web Click Through, User Interviews Videos, Research Planning.
Project Overview
January 2023 - September 2023
What is nCino Collateral?
nCino's banking application leverages Salesforce to effectively manage customer relationships, streamline loan origination, and ensure financial stability. A crucial aspect of this process involves the seamless addition, tracking, and management of various collateral elements, which play a pivotal role in assessing the creditworthiness of clients.
My Project Focus
In this project, I aimed to build out the row action features that collateral includes, such as editing, adding sub-collateral, viewing pledges, adding liens, etc. Another focus was to build out the group collateral page.
Problem Statement
The previous collateral management experience relied on outdated code language, necessitating a transition to the current language, Light Web Components (LWC), aligned with our design systems. The challenge was to introduce innovative user-centered patterns while ensuring a smooth transition for underwriter personas who manage hundreds of collateral records simultaneously.
User Persona: The Underwriter
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Data-Driven: Underwriters rely on accurate data management and analysis tools to make informed decisions.
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Multitaskers: Handling multiple collateral records requires designs that support multitasking without losing clarity.
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Adaptive Learners: They value intuitive solutions that help them quickly adapt to changing regulations and technologies.
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Detail-Oriented: Precision and accuracy are essential, so design must support meticulous record-keeping.
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Time-Conscious: Efficient workflows that save time while maintaining data integrity are critical to their success.
Discovery & Research
To inform the design decisions, I conducted a series of self-moderated user interviews using User Interviews and analyzed the insights through Dovetail. I formulated a project plan with clear objectives, goals, and a timeline. The objectives included evaluating the usability of the Relationship Collateral application flow and adapting it for use at the loan level in Salesforce. We assessed the effectiveness of various design elements, such as associating relationships to collateral, bulk creation, superior liens, editing collateral in flyout panels, viewing liens, and pledges.
Journey Mapping
I meticulously mapped out the collateral experience, including two key journeys: "Add New Collateral" and "Group Collateral." The "Add New Collateral" journey encompassed associating relationships, defining collateral details, and saving the collateral. In contrast, the "Group Collateral" journey focused on associating relationships within a group, managing collateral group details, and adding collateral to all relationships within the group.
Wireframing
While I created some lo-fi mock-ups, the challenge lay in aligning my ideas with the Light Web Components (LWC) and the design system developed by the Salesforce team.
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Hi-Fi Images
What I Learned
Throughout the course of this comprehensive design project, I gathered valuable insights and lessons that extend across every design step, from research to the final implementation:
The Power of User-Centered Design: Designing with the end-user in mind was a cornerstone of this project. It reaffirmed that user-centered design isn't just a methodology; it's the heartbeat of creating successful and intuitive solutions. Aligning design decisions with the needs and expectations of underwriters led to a more effective final product.
Research Illuminates the Path: The research phase underscored the significance of data-driven decision-making. Self-moderated user interviews, conducted through User Interviews and analyzed via Dovetail, were instrumental in uncovering pain points and user preferences. The insights gleaned provided the compass for the entire project.
The Transformational Power of Design: The final design phase was a testament to the transformative power of design. Transitioning from a dated collateral system to a modern, user-centric interface was not just about aesthetics; it was about enhancing functionality, usability, and overall efficiency. It reinforced the notion that design has the power to reshape not just interfaces but entire workflows.