Redesign of a platform for mortgage broker investors in the United States.
Company: KDM Financial is a middle-market commercial mortgage lender offering financing on commercial real estate, including multifamily, mixed-use, office, light industrial, self-storage, and warehouse property types.
Problem: The company needed a redesign that would allow outside investors to comfortably view and work with the properties.
Our solution: Provide a fluid, efficient, and satisfactory experience that makes the work of investors in the product easier.
Process
1-Empathize
Competition map
By analyzing the competition map to identify areas of opportunity, I observed that the company could improve its financial services. This could have limited their ability to compete with companies that did offer them. The company could expand its offerings by offering financial services. This would allow you to compete with companies that already offer these services and could increase your income.
Context
Context analysis had been performed to understand the environment in which users interacted with a digital product or service. This analysis, had focused on the environmental, social, and psychological factors that influenced the user experience.
Research hypotheses
This hypothesis has been specific because it defines the problem being tried to solve: the low adoption of the desktop application by older users. The proposed solution is to add more enhancement features that allow users to use the application according to their needs and in an easier way.
- 20% of users have free time to carry out financing operations
- Users need help because they are generally older people
- Users prefer to do quick processes due to a lack of time
- 50% of users master new technologies
2-Define
Brief
I defined the objectives, scope, and restrictions of the project through a process of research and collaboration with stakeholders. This allowed everyone involved in the project to be on the same page and for the project to be developed effectively.
Situation
Investors need to have better control of Financing to be able to focus even more on their objectives.
Motivation
It makes it difficult for Investors to have access to more practical details about the possible properties that need to be financed and they also lose control of the states and processes in which they are located.
Improvement
We want sales to increase by 30% and for Investors to feel comfortable and achieve their goals as quickly and easily as possible.
Limits
We need a solution in 6 months and we also have legal and market limits.
Result
Investors need to have better control of Financing to be able to concentrate even more on their objectives because it is difficult for them to have access to more practical details about the possible properties that need to be financed and they also lose control of the states and processes in which they are located. We want sales to increase by 30% and for Investors to feel comfortable and achieve their objectives as quickly and easily as possible. We need a solution in 6 months because we have legal and market limits.
POV
I identified the problems that need to be solved and the solutions that are most likely to be successful.
Result
An experienced investor needs time to work calmly without feeling stressed or pressured because he wants to become one of the best investors in his company and try not to make mistakes in the processes.
User person
I created a user persona that represented a group of users with similar characteristics and needs. This allowed me to focus on user needs and create solutions that were relevant and effective.
3-Ideate
How Might We
To reframe problems as opportunities for innovation, I asked questions that encouraged creative thinking and the exploration of new possibilities. HMW questions are open-ended, broad, and optimistic, and are designed to inspire brainstorming and ideation.
SWOT
The SWOT analysis allowed me to evaluate the current situation of the company and develop strategies to improve it. By identifying the company’s strengths and opportunities, they can be capitalized on to achieve success. By identifying weaknesses and threats, steps can be taken to reduce or mitigate their negative impact.
4-Prototype
Information Architecture
Information architecture (IA) is a process of organizing and structuring the content of a digital product in a logical and coherent way to make it easier for users to find the information they are looking for.
Concept map
The concept map helped me understand the content of the digital product, develop an intuitive and efficient navigation strategy, and communicate ideas to other team members in a clear and concise way.
User flow
I designed several flowcharts, this example is just to describe the user entry process to Deals List.
Low-fidelity wireframe
Low-fidelity wireframes represent an agile and simple tool to convey concepts to users and other team members. This tool made it possible for me to detect problems in the structure and content of the product before committing a considerable amount of time and effort to development. In addition, it represented an opportunity to save both time and financial resources, since problems can be easily addressed in this initial phase. I mainly used them to evaluate various design ideas and find the most appropriate design solution for the users’ needs.
Interactive prototypes
The interactive prototypes allowed the users selected for the usability test and the rest of the team to interact with the interface in a similar way as they would with the final version of the product. It also helped me evaluate the usability and user experience more realistically.
5-Usability test
Test with four users
After conducting various tests with four users, I had the opportunity to observe how they completed the tasks and asked for their feedback upon completion. It was gratifying to receive both positive and surprising reactions, along with areas for improvement that I later incorporated into the final design. I greatly enjoyed interacting with users, introducing them to the new design, and witnessing their reactions. This experience pushed me to make thoughtful design decisions that truly benefit users.
6-Interface design (UI)
Designing the user interface (UI) after a usability test is a critical phase of the user-centered design process. After receiving feedback and observing how users interacted with the prototype, it was essential to make iterations and refinements to the final UI interface to address the usability testing findings.
Responsive Design
Ensured the user experience was consistent across devices, helping to establish a strong and consistent brand identity.
Design System
The Design System is a fundamental tool in the design and development process, standing out for its ability to speed up the reproduction of designs through the implementation of components based on Material Design and previously designed user interface elements. In this approach I relied especially on Angular Material and complemented it with the Atomic Design methodology, thus enhancing the functionalities of the components in each instance.
Before / After
Before:
The original interface featured an outdated and overloaded design. Navigation was confusing, the arrangement of information did not follow a clear hierarchy.
After:
The new interface features a clean and modern design. Navigation has been simplified. The information was organized logically, prioritizing the most important.
This visual comparison demonstrated how design improvements have transformed the user experience, making the product more attractive, easier to use, and more efficient.
Before
After
Conclusions
I am extremely proud to be part of this project with KDM Financial and I want to express my deep gratitude to the team for trusting me. During this experience, I have strengthened the phases of Design Thinking, which I consider fundamental to achieving a high-quality digital product that is truly useful for our users. I challenged myself to conduct usability tests effectively, and experiencing user feedback was exciting and enriching before moving into the implementation phase. I would be excited to continue perfecting this product in the future.