A full digital upgrade: accommodating user needs through custom content, useful tools and easy navigation

What were our client’s needs

Alpha Asset Management MFMC, a prominent entity in the mutual fund and investment management sector, initiated a transformative venture aimed at completely revitalizing its digital presence. The objective was not only to better connect with their existing user base but also to captivate the attention of the younger generation of digitally savvy, emerging affluent individuals.

Linakis.digital was selected to lead the charge in crafting an improved user experience that would revolutionize Alpha Asset Management's online footprint, with the following objectives:

  • Re-organize the plethora of content according to each user group.
  • Simplify the presentation and promote the understanding of complex investment products.
  • Create easy-to-use sales tools for branch employees.
  • Develop a specific section for investment brokers to access product information.
  • Create a modern look-and-feel considering international best practices.

    • How we rose to the challenge

    After conducting User Experience research and Interactive Design, our dedicated and skilled team conceptualized and crafted a new website incorporating numerous advanced features. This involved integrating cutting-edge technology, enhancing design elements, and tailoring content to meet specific needs. The result was a remarkable transformation of Alpha Asset Management's online presence, delivering added value for both our client and the end users.

    The adoption of a gradual storytelling approach and intuitive navigation serves to enhance user engagement and facilitate a clearer understanding of technical information. Embracing a mobile-first approach, combined with personalized tools and interactive guides, empowers users to compare products, construct personalized investment portfolios, and ultimately make well-informed decisions.

    Through the synergistic use of technology, design, and user experience, Alpha Asset Management now possesses the potential to emerge as a digital industry leader, all while benefiting from improved content management and the flexibility provided by the versatile design.

    The newly redesigned website has garnered favorable feedback from users, a sentiment further substantiated by the metrics recorded in the initial six months following its launch. These metrics have consistently surpassed the global industry benchmarks, indicating the success and effectiveness of the redesign.

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    Decoding User Experience: how we approached the project

    After gaining an in-depth understanding of the project scope and requirements, we moved on to the discovery phase. Our 1st key milestone was the User Experience Research (UXR), which allowed us to delve deep into the needs and pain points of the user journey, while determining areas for key improvements. The UXR provided us with valuable insights through different sources, such as competition analysis, stakeholder interviews, workshops, and user interviews.

    Mapping the competition digital landscape
    In our effort to make a comprehensive competition analysis, we studied:

  • Over 25 leading local and international asset management companies to determine common patterns in terms of content, hierarchy, and visual design.
  • Recent UX Research insights for investment websites, best practices, and industry trends.

    In this way, we managed to compile a comparison among top asset-management websites, based on key dimensions, which we then evaluated on a 10-point Likert scale.

    Interacting with the stakeholders
    To identify the client’s key selling points, areas for improvement, and pain points, we performed stakeholder interviews. Next we translated the information we collected into business goals for the upgraded website.

    • Based on the above, we concluded that the new website should:

  • Αttract more and younger users.
  • Serve as a useful business tool for professionals in the branch network.
  • Be informational, interactive, and helpful to customers.
  • Present the products in a sophisticated but easy-to-understand way.

    Organizing a UXR Workshop
    The UXR workshop aimed at optimizing user experience by focusing on business goals and customer expectations. Through role-play activities, our goal was to:

  • Simulate the purchase process between an investor and an agent.
  • Detect the touch points between the investor and agent.
  • Explore homepage content and features.
  • Investigate content and functionality of product pages.

    • Interviewing the users
    To better identify their needs, we interviewed:

  • Potential customers, to understand what motivates them, which features they appreciate or look for in an asset manager, and what negatively impacts their opinion about their asset manager.
  • Potential Agents (branch network employees), to understand why they use the website in their sales process, and which information, features, and tools they need to help them close the sale.

    Planning the Information Architecture (IA)
    Based on an informational approach, we presented a new website map. Our proposed IA included key aspects and recommendations on what to keep and what changes were required compared to the old one.
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    Visualizing the new website
    Our UXR team made specific recommendations for the development of the wireframes and design:

  • Simplicity – Create a simple Information Architecture (IA) with non-institutional labels to provide users with meaningful and seamless navigation and workflows.
  • Sophistication – Apply international standards to develop an updated, functional, usable and flexible platform for users.
  • Memorability – Restructure the content, employing attractive product display.
  • Interactivity – Boost the visibility of optimized wizards, tools and calculators for greater user engagement.
  • Inclusion – Proactively provide equal access and engagement to all users, by choosing appropriate font sizes and colors.
  • Intimacy –Effectively build a connection between the brand and the users, by establishing a more human-centric character.
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    Developing with the users in mind: how we seamlessly merged different needs

    The website was developed on the Kentico DXP platform, a global leader in the space of Digital Experience and Content Management Systems. The content was configured to personalize content based on user profiles, ensuring a tailored experience for each user, depending on their customer type and location.

    Another key implementation feature was the integration of a daily mutual fund price management tool, allowing Alpha Asset Management's authors to import the prices on a daily basis. The tool checks whether the data entered is correct, and then transforms it into the appropriate format for display and use on the website. This way, complex data is presented in a simplified and easily understandable way for the users.

    Crafting excellence: unleashing Alpha Asset Management's Digital Potential

    The outcome was a modular and component-based design, which offers users a new enhanced digital experience. The neat and clean design facilitates intuitive navigation and better user experience, while the gradual story-telling approach for presenting products promotes better understanding of complex investment products.

    In addition, the website content is now easier to manage. The interface design is flexible and scalable, providing content editors with increased ease and many options when creating a page.
    To further improve the outcome, we included specific features to make this website unique.

    Mobile-first approach
    By using cards, we made the content more scannable, and easier to handle and comprehend on mobile devices and desktops. Also, the cards allowed us to better organize different actions or information and group them, by breaking them into chunks, facilitating navigation and therefore enhancing the overall experience.

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    Tools for users
    We developed tools, such as comparing the performances of mutual funds and displaying data on a chart, as well as wizards with progressive storytelling that allow users to build their own portfolio.

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    Micro-animations
    These allow us to draw the user’s attention to specific elements during an interaction. For example, diagrams revealing stats and key insights were used in combination with dedicated colors.

    Editorial style
    We used a clean and modern layout, as well as negative (white) space to create a premium feeling, that is relaxing to the eye. Placing the titles of each section on the left-hand side of the page and the respective content on the right-hand side, makes it easier for the user to scan and read the content, which is important given the technical nature of the content.

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    Visual elements
    We used various visual elements, such as typography, colors, abstract and technology-oriented photography, to illustrate and characterize the products. We also assigned dedicated color backgrounds to different products.

    Tailored design system
    Our tailored design system documents the design principles used in creating the new website. It outlines the use of colors, grids, spacing rules, iconography, photography and type scale. Moreover, it includes specifications for buttons, forms, hero images, pagination, tabs, accordions, and patterns. Therefore, it stands for a comprehensive digital brand identity that is scalable for other implementations.

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    Performance metrics speak louder than words

    The performance insights we have collected for the new website are particularly encouraging. Both users and page views gradually and steadily increase. But, most importantly, we have received positive feedback from actual users, both internal stakeholders and customers.

    In addition, key metrics from Google Analytics confirm that the design has improved the overall user experience. For the first 6 months since its launch, the metrics achieved were higher than global industry benchmarks. Specifically:

  • 2.42 pages viewed per session.
  • 2.7 seconds average time spent on site per session.
  • 34% bounce rate.
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